We are excited to announce a new expansion of the Volunteer Fish Survey Project to the eastern Atlantic, beginning with a new program in the Azores. REEF's Director of Science, Christy Pattengill-Semmens, Ph.D., spent time in the islands earlier this summer developing new survey and training materials. This Portuguese archipelago is the northern extent of a bioregion known as Macaronesia, which also includes Madeira, the Canary Islands, and the Cape Verde Islands.
We are pleased to announce the 2015 REEF Field Survey Trip Schedule. We have an exciting lineup of destinations planned and we hope you will join us. These trips offer a great introduction to fish identification for novice fishwatchers, and are a fun way for experienced surveyors to build their life list while interacting with fellow fishwatchers. We are also offering two of the ever-popular Invasive Lionfish Research Expeditions. REEF staff, board members, and other REEF experts lead these trips, and each features daily classroom seminars and a full diving schedule.
Every month, scientists, government agencies, and other groups request raw data from REEF’s Fish Survey Project database. Here is a sampling of who has asked for REEF data recently and what they are using it for:
- Scientists from NOAA’s Office of Protected Resources are using REEF data to evaluate populations of seabass and grouper in the Caribbean.
- A scientist from the University of Washington School of Marine and Environmental Affairs is using REEF data on fishes and invertebrates to evaluate MPAs in the Puget Sound.
REEF members are at the heart of our grassroots marine conservation programs. Over 50,000 divers, snorkelers, students, and armchair naturalists stand behind our mission.
This month we highlight Janet Eyre. Janet has been a REEF member since 2002, and has conducted 1,125 surveys. She is on the Advanced Assessment Team as an Expert Surveyor in four of REEF’s regions! Janet happily describes herself as a true fish nerd, and she has taken a lead role in assisting with REEF’s expansions to the tropical western Pacific. Here's what Janet had to say about REEF:
There is one week left to DOUBLE YOUR DONATION, and we need $13,300 to reach our goal! Help REEF’s important marine conservation programs by donating to the largest matching campaign in our history. Please donate online today.
Carlos and Allison will be presenting on the Starck Fish Biodiversity Study from the 1960s and giving a photographic and video tour of Alligator Lighthouse, Alligator Ledge, and the Eagle Wreck.
Eagle Wreck (advanced dive) & Shallow Reef Dive
Eagle Wreck sits in 110 ft of water with the superstructure at 70 ft. This is an advanced dive as seas can be rough & the current can be strong. Nitrox is recommended for the 1st dive as is diving with a computer.
Fish sighted on the wreck: goliath grouper, jacks (horse eye, yellow, bar); atlantic spade fish, sunshine fish, purple reef fish, striped grunts, tomtates....
Alligator Ledge (2 hr dive, 1 tank / 100 Fish ID Dive)
Key Dives, 12:30 PM Check in
Fish ID lecture focusing on common fish seen on The Eagle Wreck & nearby shallow reefs. We will discuss habitat, diet, reproduction & cool facts of some of the fish found on the Eagle Wreck and nearby shallow reefs. Discussion includes basic & advanced fish ID reviews to help you correctly identify the different species.