We are excited to welcome our Summer 2023 Marine Conservation Interns to REEF! They will assist with education, outreach, events, and daily operations around the REEF Campus in Key Largo, Florida. Pictured from left to right are Carolyn Corley, Shalini Thinakaran, and Brian Chansky. Here's a bit more about them:
The Grouper Moon Project is a conservation science partnership between REEF, and the Cayman Islands Department of Environment (DoE), with scientists from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego and Oregon State University, aimed at studying endangered Nassau grouper, a social and ecological corner stone of Caribbean's coral reefs. In 2011, REEF and DoE created the Grouper Education Program, a suite of marine science lessons and activities to accompany the Grouper Moon Project.
We are thrilled to share that Chuck and Kara Curry are our 2022 REEF Volunteers of the Year. Chuck joined REEF in 2013, and Kara joined a few years later in 2016, after meeting Chuck during a dive trip to Cuba. Since then, they have both joined the ranks as some of the top surveyors for the REEF Volunteer Fish Survey Project. Collectively, they have submitted over 2,500 surveys in the VFSP database. In 2022 alone, they conducted 448 surveys. Unsurprisingly, Chuck and Kara have both achieved the coveted Golden Hamlet award for submitting over 1,000 surveys.
Meet our June Fish of the Month, the Tiger Rockfish, Sebastes nigrocinctus!
Survey Regions: Tiger Rockfish are found on the Pacific Coast of the USA and Canada, from Alaska to British Columbia and south to central California. Click here to see a sightings report for the Tiger Rockfish in the REEF database.
Size: They can grow to be about 2 feet in length.
We are excited to share the latest scientific paper from the Grouper Moon Project. The study, published last month in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, addresses the question of where fertilized eggs go after being released by Nassau Grouper at their spawning site off the west end of Little Cayman. This study used state-of-the-art technology, including satelite-tracked drifters, an underwater microscope, and a glider to raise and lower the instruments.
This publication from the Grouper Moon Project addresses the question of where fertilized eggs go after being released by Nassau Grouper at their spawning site off the west end of Little Cayman. On nights of spawning in 2017, researchers physically tracked clouds of tiny, transparent Nassau Grouper eggs through the night with an underwater microscope developed by scientists at Scripps Oceanography. Results show that fertilized eggs from Little Cayman floated back onto reefs on the island.
Help protect the oceans! Join REEF for a mangrove and coastal cleanup in partnership with our friends at John Pennekamp State Park. Parking is available on Marseilles Blvd. Attendees should bring a reusable water bottle, and bug protection such as spray and/or netting.
Location: Marseilles Blvd., North Key Largo (off County Road 905)
Questions? Contact Alexis Kuhre Haag at alexis.haag@REEF.org
Join the New England Aquarium Dive Club for the 20th Northeast Great Annual Fish Count. Help count fish and win prizes!
Each year divers help researchers by surveying fish populations. Participate in the largest survey in North America! Multiple dive locations and fabulous raffle prizes.
Complete your dive and then join us for the post-dive celebration!
Dive sites: Multiple dive locations, pre-registration required.
For more info or to register, visit www.neadc.org/gafc
REEF Ocean Explorers Education Programs engage and inspire learners of all ages to protect and conserve our oceans. Our programs topics include biology, ecology, citizen science, and invasive species, and are designed to help participate understand the importance of marine conservation and how they can make a difference. To reach new audiences and connect even more people with ocean conservation, we're also highlighting connections between arts, humanities, and science.
REEF online programs are free and open to everyone! Here's what's coming up this month:
Fishinar: Red Sea Fishes, Part 3
Wednesday, May 10, 8pm EDT
Click here to register.
The Red Sea is full of fascinating fishes. In this session, we'll teach you how to recognize some of the species you may see there. For even more Red Sea fishes, check out Parts 1 and 2 in our Fishinar Archives.