We had such a blast hosting REEF Fest 2021 last month! Thank you to everyone who joined us in Key Largo for our annual marine conservation celebration. After a long stretch apart, we enjoyed being able to reconnect with our members and the Florida Keys community. We also appreciated everyone's efforts to ensure health and safety throughout the event.
REEF's online programs are free and open to everyone! Here's what is coming up in the rest of the year:
Into the Blue Book Club Meeting
Thursday, November 11 at 8pm EST
Into the Blue Book Club brings together readers who love the ocean. At this meeting, we will be discussing our latest book selection, Ocean Outbreak by Drew Harvell. Drew is also attending the meeting for a Q&A!
Register here.
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.
We have a two-for-one for you this month! Meet our November 2021 Fishes of the Month, the Fairy Basslet (Gramma loreto) and the Golden Fairy Basslet (Gramma dejongi)!
Learn how to identify some of the most commonly seen fish species in the Florida Keys during a fun class taught by our REEF Marine Conservation Interns. Divers, snorkelers, and ocean lovers of all ages are welcome to attend. Class is free; park admission fees apply.
Learn how to identify some of the most commonly seen fish species in the Florida Keys during a fun class taught by our REEF Marine Conservation Interns. Divers, snorkelers, and ocean lovers of all ages are welcome to attend. Class is free; park admission fees apply.
We are saddened to share the news of the passing of one of REEF's early members, Edwin Steiner. Ed passed away earlier this year at the age of 92. Not only was he a pioneer in REEF's Volunteer Fish Survey Project, but Ed was also instrumental in the development of one of the key pieces of REEF's survey materials - the printed underwater survey paper. It was Ed's vision that brought the checklist and overall format of the underwater paper to life, and his prototypes are very similar to what we use today in all of our survey regions.
How do water temperature and overall climate changes impact marine life? Active Pacific Northwest REEF volunteer surveyor, Curtis Johnson, recently co-authored a new paper that seeks to answer this question for one species of interest, the Giant Pacific Octopus (GPO). The paper, published in the scientific journal Marine and Freshwater Research, is titled "Sea-surface Temperatures Predict Targeted Visual Surveys of Octopus Abundance".
Those darn Damselfishes! Join us as we get some tips and tricks about how to tell them apart in the Tropical Pacific area. Part 1 of a 2 part series. Part 2 is scheduled for April 4, 2022.
Species taught in this session include:
Please join REEF staff Janna Nichols for another fun FISHY HOUR with a game of "Fishardy" - a fish Jeopardy-style game. This version will feature fish found in our Tropical Western Atlantic region, which includes the Caribbean, Florida and The Bahamas.