The Volunteer Fish Survey Project is highlighted in this article about a REEF Field Survey Trip to the Solomon Islands in 2019.
Join us for another rollicking good fun hour of playing Fish Jeopardy, this time featuring fish and invertebrates found in all our REEF regions around the world! This game is just for fun, but if you learn something along the way, that's even better.
Thank you to all who participated in #GivingTuesdayNow this past Tuesday, May 5. It was a wonderful day of unity and giving, and we are so grateful to have been a part of it. We also want to express our sincere gratitude to Janet and Doug Camp for providing a generous matching gift. For all those who donated to REEF on May 5, you helped us surpass our fundraising target and we met our matching goal. It was our largest one-day fundraising event ever! Donations from members like you are critical to ensuring we can continue REEF’s citizen science and education programs.
For nearly three decades, REEF has welcomed more than 150 young adults to the REEF Campus to spend a semester immersed in marine conservation projects. This month, we highlight former Marine Conservation Intern Julia Walker. Read on to hear about Julia's time at REEF, and how her REEF internship helped to shape her career.
When were you a REEF intern?
I was a REEF intern in the fall of 2017, from September to December.
Here to brighten up your week, May's Fish of the Month is the Sunshinefish (Chromis insolata)!
This month, REEF is proud to highlight one of our outstanding Conservation Partners: Ancora Scuba, located in the Gainesville, Florida, area. REEF Conservation Partners are active organizations and dive shops dedicated to protecting marine environments. As valued REEF ambassadors, they teach fish ID classes, host survey dives, organize volunteer events and more.
As we shared last month, surveyor Mike Snow recently submitted the 250,000th survey to our Volunteer Fish Survey Project database. When we asked him to give us some thoughts on what he likes best about REEF, he shared a story about a time when he was buddied with fellow REEF member Greg Jensen, a marine biologist at the University of Washington and author of several reference books, including one on sculpins. Mike and Greg were part of a REEF Advanced Assessment Team project at Saltwater State Park in Washington.
When a REEF volunteer surveyor has submitted 1,000 surveys, he or she becomes a member of the Golden Hamlet Club, named for the rare, sought-after species found in the Tropical Western Atlantic region. REEF survey regions cover the globe and our volunteers are able to survey in tropical and temperate waters worldwide.
Join us for some online fish-themed fun and learning during the month of May! Fishy Hours are online group games just for fun, while Fishinars are REEF's brand of online fish ID classes and learning sessions. All sessions are free and all are invited to attend.