May 2020 Update: Due to the situation surrounding COVID-19, Ocean Explorers Camp will not be offered this summer. Please check our calendar for information about upcoming events.
Three weeklong camp sessions to be offered in Key Largo this June and July
Nassau Grouper populations increased threefold in response to dynamic fishing management actions in the Cayman Islands
A new study from the Grouper Moon Project has documented a successful recovery effort among Nassau Grouper populations in the Cayman Islands. It also highlights the value of collaborative efforts for conservation success.
KEY LARGO, FLA. – REEF was recently awarded a $3,900 grant from Ocean Reef Community Foundation (ORCF) to fund Nature Days, an educational program for abused, abandoned, and neglected children. Organized in partnership with the Florida Keys Children’s Shelter (FKCS) and Miami Bridge Youth and Family Services, Nature Days will give children ages 11-17 from Key Largo, Homestead, and Florida City the opportunity to engage in outdoor activities like kayaking and snorkeling, while learning about nature and ocean life.
KEY LARGO, FLA. – REEF is proud to introduce Citizen Science Saturday, a new monthly program created to engage Florida Keys residents and visitors in diverse hands-on citizen science projects while providing a way for the public to connect with nature. Each Citizen Science Saturday event will begin with a presentation from a guest speaker at REEF’s Interpretive Center. Following the presentation, participants can join a hands-on field experience to collect data as citizen scientists.
KEY LARGO, FLA. – Dr. Christy Pattengill-Semmens, REEF’s Director of Science, and Dr. Brice Semmens, Director of California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations and associate professor at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego, have been selected as Scuba Diving magazine’s April 2019 Sea Heroes. Sponsored by the watch brand Seiko, this award honors the extraordinary work done by scuba divers making a difference for our world’s oceans, reefs, and marine life.
Last week, Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF) celebrated the 150,000th fish survey processed in the Tropical Western Atlantic (TWA) survey region as part of the REEF Volunteer Fish Survey Project. Volunteer divers and snorkelers made this significant milestone possible. Over 11,000 REEF volunteers have submitted surveys at over 8,000 sites throughout Florida, the Caribbean, and Bahamas since the program’s beginnings in 1993. You can get involved with the Volunteer Fish Survey Project by attending a Great Annual Fish Count Event, taking place throughout the entire month of July!
A tropical fish that calls the West Pacific Ocean home has been documented outside of its native range for the first time, making it Florida’s newest non-native marine fish species. A REEF member spotted a popular aquarium fish, the Onespot Rabbitfish, while scuba diving offshore of Dania Beach, Florida. Within 24 hours of receiving the sighting report, a coordinated effort by Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) led to the live-capture of the fish.
On Monday, August 15, 2016, the Cayman Islands government enacted a comprehensive set of regulations aimed at recovering Nassau Grouper, an endangered Caribbean reef fish. The new regulations are based on more than a decade of collaborative fisheries research carried out by the Grouper Moon Project.
The regulations represent the Caribbean’s most progressive set of management actions for Nassau Grouper, and include:
Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF) and the Cayman Islands Department of the Environment (DOE) announces the fourth year of the successful Grouper Educational Program (GEP), a marine sciences curriculum for Caymanian intermediate elementary, middle, and high school students.
On Sunday, February 8 2015, 20 skilled, enthusiastic lionfish hunters braved high winds and choppy seas to compete in REEF’s Third Annual Winter Lionfish Derby held at the Postcard Inn Beach Resort and Marina at Holiday Isle. Three teams participated in this year’s derby and brought in a total of 99 lionfish during this sunrise to 5:00 pm event. Islamorada Dive Center took 1st place in the derby, bringing in a total of 86 lionfish. Team SFAEP That Fish Cray finished in 2nd place with 11 lionfish and Key Largo Drifters placed 3rd with 2 lionfish.
