REEF Conservation Creatures are iconic marine species found throughout REEF’s nine Volunteer Fish Survey Project regions. From the Tropical Western Atlantic (TWA) to the Central Indo-Pacific (CIP), these marine creatures highlight the diversity of ocean ecosystems and encourage understanding and respect for marine life. Each plush comes with a collectable, laminated Conservation Card that provides information about the animal’s habitat, characteristics, potential threats, and global distribution in REEF's Survey Project regions.
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Last month, REEF’s Explorers Education Program had the pleasure of working with two collegiate groups in Key Largo, Florida. Each group of students spent one fun-filled week working alongside REEF staff and interns to learn about TWA (Tropical Western Atlantic) fish identification and the REEF survey method. The first group was nine students from Georgia State University, accompanied by their professor, Dr. Amy Reber. This weeklong education program has become an annual component of Georgia State's marine ecology course.
This year we are celebrating the 30th anniversary of the REEF Volunteer Fish Survey Project (VFSP). We are amazed and in awe of how the program has grown, and are so grateful to the over 17,000 volunteers who have conducted surveys through the years. The first surveys were conducted in July 1993 in Key Largo, FL. Since then, the VFSP has been expanded to waters around the world and has been modified to include invertebrates and algae in colder temperate waters. The database is approaching 300,000 surveys!
REEF members are the heart of our grassroots marine conservation programs. A diverse community of divers, snorkelers, and ocean enthusiasts support our mission to conserve marine environments worldwide.
Earlier this week, on March 3rd, 2009, the number of REEF surveys conducted by volunteers in the Tropical Western Atlantic (TWA) region (incl. the US East Coast, Caribbean, Bahamas, Gulf of Mexico) topped 100,000! The REEF Volunteer Survey Project database as a whole (including all regions) reached this benchmark in October 2006. The 100k surveys have been conducted by 8,582 volunteers at 6,203 sites in the TWA region.
Calling all college students or recent graduates who are divers! This summer, spend a week learning marine life survey techniques with REEF experts in Key Largo, Florida. Build your skills and resume for marine field research and discover career opportunities in the marine and conservation field. The course covers commonly used tools and techniques utilized in visual assessments of reef fishes.
REEF members are the heart of our grassroots marine conservation programs. A diverse community of divers, snorkelers, and ocean enthusiasts support our mission to conserve marine environments worldwide.
REEF's Volunteer Fish Survey Project database totals more than 258,000 surveys. A small group of highly dedicated surveyors known as the Golden Hamlet Club have contributed significantly to this total by each conducting 1,000+ REEF surveys. Congratulations to Dennis Bensen, our newest member of the Golden Hamlet Club!
Dennis has been a REEF member since 2001 and is an expert level surveyor in both the Tropical Western Atlantic and Hawaii regions. He's conducted surveys in 7 of REEF's 11 survey regions, and over half of his 1,000 surveys done in the Hawaii region.
Spend a week in the Caribbean conducting fish surveys this fall! There are just a few spaces remaining on the REEF Field Survey Trip to St. Croix on November 6-13, 2021. Known for amazing wall diving, the beautiful island of St. Croix is part of the U.S. Virgin Islands. Running along the northern side of the island, the wall begins in 25-40 feet of water and plunges to 13,000 feet below the surface. This weeklong trip includes 10 boat dives and daily classes to help build your Tropical Western Atlantic fish identification skills. St.
We are excited to honor Dennis Bensen as 2021 REEF Volunteer of the Year. Dennis joined REEF in 2001, and quickly became an avid REEF surveyor as part of the Volunteer Fish Survey Project (VFSP). Through the years, he has earned Expert level surveyor status in both Hawaii (HAW) and the Tropical Western Atlantic (TWA) survey regions, and he is one of the few surveyors who has conducted REEF surveys in most (7) of REEF’s 10 survey regions worldwide. After living in New York for decades, Dennis moved to the Big Island of Hawaii when he retired in 2015.