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.
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- tropical western atlantic
Predation by the invasive Indo-Pacific lionfish impacts native fish populations within the Caribbean region and threatens to expand further into Brazil and the Mediterranean. Identifying the range-restricted native fish species with high predation vulnerability in these areas ahead of the invasion front combined with the knowledge of the time a lionfish population typically takes to reach dangerously high densities could help conservation planners attain positive outcomes and reduce biodiversity loss.
A tropical fish that calls the West Pacific Ocean home has been documented outside of its native range for the first time, making it Florida’s newest non-native marine fish species. A REEF member spotted a popular aquarium fish, the Onespot Rabbitfish, while scuba diving offshore of Dania Beach, Florida. Within 24 hours of receiving the sighting report, a coordinated effort by Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) led to the live-capture of the fish.
REEF's online programs are free and open to everyone! Here's what is coming up in the next several weeks:
As 2020 gets underway, here are a few 2019 highlights from the Volunteer Fish Survey Project, REEF's citizen science marine life monitoring program, as of Jan 5, 2020.*
698 volunteer surveyors conducted and submitted 11,065 surveys in 2019. This number will definitely rise as members catch up on their backlog of data entry.
An additional 1,329 surveys were submitted in 2019 that were conducted in previous years.
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.
This month we highlight Pieter Booth, a REEF member from Washington. He is an active surveyor in the Pacific Coast of the US and Canada (PAC) region, where he has conducted more than 120 surveys. He enjoys exploring the nearby waters of the Puget Sound. We're thankful that Pieter is a part of REEF, and look forward to seeing more surveys from him in the future!
This summer, divers and snorkelers from around the country came together to combat the invasive lionfish, vying for over $14,000 in total cash prizes. The series included derby events throughout Florida including Sarasota, the Upper Keys, Fort Lauderdale, and Palm Beach County, as well as Lionfish Culinary Competitions in conjunction with the Sarasota and Palm Beach County derbies.
We are happy to announce our 2019 Volunteers of the Year, Fred and Laura Hartner.
This month, REEF is proud to highlight one of our outstanding Conservation Partners: Buddy Dive Resort in Bonaire. REEF Conservation Partners are active organizations and dive shops dedicated to protecting marine environments. As valued REEF ambassadors, they teach fish ID classes, host survey dives, organize volunteer events and more. Read on to find out how you can get involved with these centers of conservation action!
This summer REEF, in partnership with Divers Direct and SeaGrant Florida, hosted its third annual Lionfish Derby Series. The series included four derbies in Florida (Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, and Key Largo) and one in Green Turtle Key, Bahamas. The event series was a huge success—in total, 219 participants in 60 teams brought in a total of 2,694 lionfish!