In 2018, REEF will visit a vast array of tropical and temperate dive destinations, from the Caribbean, to the Pacific Northwest, and beyond! These Field Survey Trips offer a great introduction to fish identification for novice surveyors, and are a fun way for experienced surveyors to build their life list while interacting with fellow marine life enthusiasts. We also offer several Lionfish Research Trips each year. REEF staff, board members, and other REEF experts lead these trips, and each trip features daily educational seminars and a full diving schedule.
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- INVASIVE
In the summer of 2014, recreational divers in Florida and the Bahamas will once again assemble teams, scout out hundreds of sites, sharpen their spears, ready their nets, and hone their collecting skills to prepare for yet another REEF summer lionfish derby series. Their mission: remove lionfish. Their reward: more than $3,500 in cash prizes for bringing in lionfish and the knowledge that they are helping to save native fish populations.
It's finally here: our biggest REEF Lionfish Derby of the year, the Florida Keys Lionfish Derby & Festival, is taking place this weekend! This is our 13th annual REEF Lionfish Derby hosted in the Florida Keys. Participants will take to the to hunt lionfish from sunrise to sunset this Friday and Saturday. Eighteen teams are competing in this year's derby, and we can't wait to see how many invasive lionfish they collect! The derby weekend will conclude on Sunday with a lionfish festival at the picturesque Postcard Inn Beach Resort & Marina in Islamorada, Florida.
We're counting down to the 2025 Florida Keys Lionfish Derby & Arts Festival this April! This event uniquely combines invasive lionfish removal with vibrant local arts and conservation efforts, aiming to engage the community in ocean conservation through interactive and educational activities. Here's what to expect:
As part of the 2026 Florida Keys Lionfish Derby & Arts Festival REEF will host the Derby Captains Meeting at the REEF Ocean Exploration Center, April 23, 2026.
Participating teams can check-in starting at 5:00 and pick up shirts, permits and team packets. The presentation will be from 6:30-7:30 and will cover a general background about invasive lionfish, best collecting and handling practices and then the Derby rules and permits. The presentation is mandatory for the captain of each derby team, and is ipen to anyone intersted in learning more about invasive lionfish.
California Invertebrates 4 (Bryozoans, Tunicates, Algae)
Species taught in this session are:
- Fluted Bryozoan
- Lacy Bryozoan
- Northern Staghorn Bryozoan
- Southern Staghorn Bryozoan
- Light-bulb Tunicate
- Stalked Tunicate
- Club Tunicate (invasive)
- Bull Kelp
- Giant Kelp
- Northern Sea Palm
- Southern Sea Palm
- Oarweed
- Asian Kelp Wakame (invasive)
The impacts of invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles) on native coral reef populations in the Western Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea can be enormous.
Last Summer during a dive with Pacific Adventure Charters in Hood Canal, Washington, a group of REEF Pacific Advanced Assessment Team (AAT) surveyors came across something unexpected. As part of REEF’s funded project with The Russell Family Foundation, the team’s goal was to look for invasive tunicates and do REEF marine life surveys on several previously unsurveyed sites. While they found the invasive tunicates they were looking for, they also found a derelict fishing net that was damaging fragile habitat and ensnaring marine life.
REEF teamed up with the Coral Restoration Foundation (CRF) during the second week of September to host the first-ever “Corals In & Lionfish Out,” a series of events to engage and educate the public while raising funds for coral restoration and invasive lionfish removal efforts in the Florida Keys. “Corals In & Lionfish Out” coincided with REEF’s Fifth Annual Key Largo Lionfish Derby, which was held at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park on Sept. 13.
Calling all lionfish hunters - you're invited to participate in the Florida Keys Lionfish Derby & Festival on Sept. 8-11, 2022. The event includes two days to collect as many invasive lionfish as possible, followed by a family-friendly festival hosted at Postcard Inn Beach Resort & Marina in Islamorada. The festival is open to the public and features lionfish tastings, drink specials, educational demonstrations, games, interactive booths from environmental vendors, live music, and more.