I wanted to share with you the excitement I felt attending the Reef Futures 2018: A Global Coral Restoration and Interventions Science Symposium in December. Excitement was evident throughout the talks, and the visions were grand for this global conference. We heard about the Great Barrier Reef Marine Authority’s audacious effort to address coral bleaching due to climate change, including consideration of such possibilities as coral shading, a 5um biodegradable film over the corals that could reduce sunlight by 30%, cloud seeding, and pumping colder water from the deep.
Caroly's Notes
Escape the winter cold by planning a dive trip to the tropics! When you travel with REEF, you take a dive vacation that counts, and we still have a few spaces left on our upcoming Field Survey Trip to the beautiful Caribbean island of Nevis, on March 9-16, 2019. Led by Janna Nichols, this trip will include daily fish identification classes to help you boost your Caribbean fish id knowledge. Nevis is separated from its sister island, St. Kitts, by a two-mile stretch of water known as the Narrows, home to lots of interesting marine life.
REEF scientists and volunteers are gearing up another season of the Grouper Moon Project, a collaborative research effort with the Cayman Islands Department of the Environment (CIDOE). This important project focuses on one of the largest (and one of just a few) known spawning aggregations of Nassau Grouper in the Caribbean. Over 6,000 grouper amass in one location for 7-10 days following winter full moons.
The 2019 REEF calendar is now available! REEF surveyors and ocean enthusiasts alike will appreciate this collection of stunning full-color marine life photographs, all taken by our members. The calendar is a special tribute our citizen science volunteers. Each month highlights an individual who has made a significant impact on marine conservation through the Volunteer Fish Survey Project. The calendar is also a great way to keep up with REEF events throughout the year, such as Field Survey Trips, Fishinars, and REEF Fest.
Over nearly three decades, REEF has welcomed more than 100 individuals to REEF Headquarters to spend a semester immersed in the marine conservation field. This month, we highlight past intern Jessica Levy. Read on to hear about Jessica's time at REEF, and how her internship helped her get where she is now.
When were you an intern?
Summer 2012 (May to August)
REEF volunteers are the heart of our organization. We are so appreciative of everyone who dedicates time, support, and resources to help us fulfill our marine conservation mission. We are very proud to announce Laurie Brooks as our 2018 Volunteer of the Year!
Join REEF for the first two Fishinars of 2019! Fishinars are REEF's brand of fun, live, interactive webinars and anyone who wants to know more about ocean life is welcome to join in. Tune in this month to learn how to find and identify seahorses and pipefish in the Tropical Western Atlantic with Carlos & Allison Estape, as well as a special session presented by one of our previous Marine Conservation Interns, Ronnie Noonan, about how underwater ecosystems are changing, and what this means for fish populations.
Join Dr. Christy Semmens to learn about some of the unique and interesting fish that you can find in the Cayman Islands.
List of fish covered in this session: