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.
REEF Fishinars are fun, live, interactive webinars, open to anyone who wants to learn about ocean life. We hope you can join one of our upcoming sessions!
Unique Fish of the Cayman Islands: Join REEF’s Director of Science, Christy Semmens, on Wednesday, Sept. 4 at 8pm Eastern to learn more about some of the unique and interesting fish that you can find while diving in the Cayman Islands.
We’re excited to introduce our Fall 2019 Marine Conservation Interns. These individuals will support the REEF team in mission-oriented tasks and daily office operations at REEF Headquarters, as well as play an integral role in our annual four-day event REEF Fest, as well as the Upper Keys Lionfish Derby and Festival and other education and outreach opportunities throughout the semester. They will also have the chance to scuba dive, conduct fish surveys, and volunteer with environmental organizations in South Florida and the Florida Keys.
We are happy to share the results of our first underwater photography contest! Thank you to everyone who voted and a special thanks to all of the members who submitted photos! We had more than 120 entries from all over the world, showcasing some incredible marine life. More than 2,500 votes decided the "popular vote" winners in each of the six categories - Fish Portrait, Macro, Invertebrate, Invasive Species, REEF Surveyors, and Environment/Reefscape/Habitat. Congratulations to all of the winners and thank you to everyone for your participation.
Ciguatera fish poisoning is a global public health concern that is associated with Gambierdiscus, a genus of harmful algae found in coral reef environments that includes species known to produce toxins (ciguatoxins). It is thought that the pathway of Ciguatera toxins is through the food web, originating with herbivores that have fed on Gambierdiscus-associated macroalgae.
Congratulations to the following REEF members who have recently moved up an Experience Level in our Volunteer Fish Survey Project!
Volunteers have the opportunity to advance through 5 levels (Novice through Expert) within each of our survey project regions. Experience Levels are obtained by a combination of fish/invertebrate ID tests and numbers of submitted surveys. As they advance, their data is categorized in our online sightings database accordingly.
This article highlighting REEF Fest 2019 was published by SCUBA & H2O Adventures magazine.
Join REEF staff members Ellie Place and Janna Nichols in Monterey on Sept. 27-29 for three days of diving, California marine life ID classes and fun!
We welcome both experienced surveyors and those new to fishwatching (and everyone in between).
Earth is Blue is the magazine of NOAA's National Marine Sanctuaries. This article is about the Great Annual Fish Count and Volunteer Fish Survey Project, how citizen science helps sanctuaries, and why marine sanctuaries are important for REEF's work.