When University of Kansas graduate Keri Kenning joined REEF in August 2012 as a Marine Conservation Intern, Keys residents constantly reminded her, “You’re not in Kansas anymore.” Five months, sixty dives, and zero lionfish stings later, Keri has abstained from clicking those ruby red heels together and returning to Kansas. She is staying at REEF headquarters in Key Largo as the new Communications and Affiliate Program Manager. Keri graduated in May 2012 from the University of Kansas with a Bachelor of Arts in Biology and University Honors.
We are excited to welcome the newest member of the REEF Team - Elizabeth Underwood, who joined our staff this month as Lionfish Program Coordinator. Elizabeth has been an active REEF member, avid fish counter, dedicated lionfish hunter, and all-round marine science enthusiast for quite some time. Elizabeth was first introduced to REEF in the Spring 2011 when she studied abroad in the Turks and Caicos Islands and conducted her first of many REEF fish surveys and lionfish studies.
Every month, scientists, government agencies, and other groups request raw data from REEF’s Fish Survey Project database. Here is a sampling of who has asked for REEF data recently and what they are using it for:
- Scientists from NOAA Northwest Fisheries Science Center are using REEF data on juvenile (YOY, young-of-year) rockfishes to evaluate potential YOY habitat for development of a monitoring program in the Puget Sound.
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.
Our Invasive Lionfish Research Program is keeping busy getting ready for the spring and summer. In addition to the tagging research in the USVI also reported in this month's E-News, we are also gearing up for a busy Lionfish Derby season. We have six derbies planned in Florida for REEF’s 2018 Lionfish Derby Series presented by Whole Foods Market®. These competitions encourage teams to collect and remove as many lionfish as possible. They are important education and outreach events, and have been shown to be quite effective in lowering local lionfish populations.
Lad Akins, a longstanding REEF staff member, who most recently served as Director of Special Projects, is no longer with REEF. Lad was instrumental in establishing REEF as an organization, was REEF’s first Executive Director, and spearheaded work on controlling invasive lionfish in the western Atlantic. The tremendous impact he has had in marine conservation through REEF’s projects leaves a lasting legacy. We wish Lad the best in his future endeavors.
For the past 11 years, REEF has organized lionfish derbies throughout Florida, and we recently kicked off another exciting derby season! During the weekend of June 29-30, thirty divers removed 417 invasive lionfish during REEF’s 8th Annual Fort Lauderdale Lionfish Derby, held at 15th Street Fisheries. Derby competitors dodged periodic thunderstorms while searching the reefs to bring in the smallest lionfish, largest lionfish, and most number of individual lionfish. Team Painkiller won first place in the most lionfish category, bringing in 180 fish.
It is an exciting time of change at REEF as we recently welcomed two new staff members to our amazing team: Madalyn Mussey as Education and Outreach Program Manager, and David Ehlert as Campus Coordinator. Madalyn and David are no strangers to the organization, having both previously served as Marine Conservation Interns and Lead Interns. They each excelled during their time as interns and we are thrilled to have them join our staff. Madalyn and David are based at REEF Headquarters in Key Largo.
We are excited to announce our new Ocean Explorers Virtual Field Trips Program! These interactive field trip simulations bring marine science to life with engaging lesson plans and activities to connect students to the ocean, without leaving the classroom.
Through REEF's Virtual Field Trips students explore what life is like as a marine scientist. They’ll perform exploration tasks, create research trials, and complete field journals as they become citizen scientists.