To all our members who donated to the Winter Fundraising Campaign, thank you! REEF depends heavily on individual donors to support our critical marine conservation programs. Together we raised over $97,000 to ensure REEF can continue:
The two months since I have started the internship have passed way too quickly. But as a REEF marine conservation intern, there’s so much outreach and education to spread, as well as take in, what else could you expect? This week was spent painting new fish plaques for a donation program REEF uses to help build its sponsorship.
The further I dive into the field of science, the more I realize that science must be applied by engaging in public interaction. This concept has been the overwhelming central theme to the week. On Tuesday night, Dr.
Pura Vida Divers is having Reef Fish Count dives aboard Sirena on Sunday February 9 at 1:30 pm EST. Join Fish Counter Andrea Whitaker identifying, counting, and discussing the abundancy and diversity of fish species in West Palm Beach! After the dives, we will put the data into the REEF Fish Count Database. Call us today at (561)8408750
The study, conducted by Dr. Stephanie Green (OSU/REEF), Lad Akins (REEF), and others, confirms for the first time that controlling lionfish populations in the western Atlantic Ocean can pave the way for a recovery of native fish. Even if it's one speared fish at a time, data are showing that removals can be effective. And not every lionfish need be removed…the research findings document that reducing lionfish numbers by specified amounts will allow a rapid recovery of native fish biomass.
It was a science lesson with a difference, broadcast live from beneath the waves with thousands of endangered fish in attendance. Earlier this month, Grouper Moon Project scientists, Dr. Brice Semmens from Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and Dr. Christy Pattengill-Semmens from REEF, hosted three live-from-the-field web chats with students from 18 classrooms at 13 schools in the Cayman Islands, The Bahamas, and Washington State (US).
We want to extend a special thanks to our members who have already made a donation during our Winter Fundraising Campaign. If you haven't yet, please take a moment to support REEF's critical marine conservation work. You can contribute securely online at www.REEF.org/contribute or call REEF Headquarters at 305-852-0030.
With your support, we will build on twenty years of success. In 2014, REEF plans to: