The 2022 REEF Field Survey Trips schedule is available! 2022 REEF Trip destinations include Roatan, Bonaire, St. Lucia, and more. Other highlights are a liveaboard trip to Kona, Hawaii, our annual trip to Cozumel, and a trip to the muck diving capital of the Caribbean, St. Vincent. For those who like to plan ahead, there is also a sneak peek at what's in store for 2023. Looking to travel later this year? We have a few trips on the schedule with space in 2021, including Gardens of the Queen in Cuba, St. Croix, The Bahamas, and Cayman Brac. Start dusting off your scuba and snorkel gear!
Introducing our March 2021 Fish of the Month, the comical and adorably plump Spiny Lumpsucker!
Be sure to check out REEF’s online programs to help keep you engaged in marine conservation from home. Here's what is coming up:
Fishinar: Common Fishes of the Western Indian Ocean
Thursday, March 25 at 8PM EDT
Christy Semmens will be teaching about common fish species seen in the Western Indian Ocean and how to identify them.
Register here.
Mark your calendar and plan to join us later this year for our annual in-person events, including:
Calling all lionfish hunters! The 2021 REEF Lionfish Derby Series will kick off with the 8th Annual "Locals" Lionfish Derby on April 23-25 in Key Largo. This Earth Day Lionfish Derby will allow participants to practice social distancing while encouraging the removal of invasive lionfish from Florida Keys waters.
Registration is open for the second annual Fish Out of Water Virtual 5K! From June 7-13, 2021, we're encouraging ocean enthusiasts everywhere to get moving in the name of conservation. You can choose to run, walk, hike, bike, or even swim, completing the 5K (3.1 miles) in one day or throughout the week. No matter how you participate, it’s great way to get active in your community while making your miles count. Last year, nearly 500 people joined in our inaugural 5K, and we're hoping to increase that number this year.
REEF is proud to highlight one of our outstanding Conservation Partners: Scuba St. Lucia at Anse Chastanet Resort. REEF Conservation Partners are active organizations and dive shops committed to protecting marine environments worldwide. As valued REEF ambassadors, they serve as centers for marine conservation actions, outreach, and education. You can view the full listing of Conservation Partners or register your organization as a REEF Conservation Partner here.
KEY LARGO, FLA. – All are invited to register for REEF’s Fish Out of Water Virtual 5K, to be held from June 7-13, 2021, coinciding with World Oceans Day on June 8. Participants may choose their preferred exercise (run, walk, bike, hike, swim) to support ocean conservation. Individuals may complete the 5K (3.1 miles) at their own pace; in one day or over the course of the week.
New findings from the Grouper Moon Project reveal how technology can advance our understanding of changes in fish spawning aggregations due to conservation actions. The paper, published this year in ICES Journal of Marine Science, presents size data collected over a 17-year period at the Nassau Grouper spawning aggregation on Little Cayman. Fish usually need to be caught to be measured, but scientists from the Grouper Moon Project have used video camera systems to collect an impressive dataset on Nassau Grouper lengths.