Despite being the world’s largest rays and providing significant revenue through dive tourism, little is known about the population status, exploitation, and trade volume of the Mobulidae (mobulids; Manta and Mobula spp.). There is anecdotal evidence, however, that mobulid populations are declining, largely due to the recent emergence of a widespread trade for their gill rakers.
Join Smoky Mountain Divers-Carolinas for our annual trip to Florida to dive offshore Jupiter Florida and Blue Heron Bridge. Scuba certification and/or scuba skills update available. Contact Roger Skillman for details.
2 options exist:
1- Trip includes 2 days boat trips and 2 days BHB diving, 3 nights motel (double occ.), and airfills. $475
2- Trip includes 2 days diving at Blue Heron Bridge, 3 nights motel (double occ.), and airfills. $249 (Excellent option for families and snorkelers)
George Town, Grand Cayman–The Department of Environment (DoE), the Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF) and the Darwin Initiative are collaborating on a project that will help identify the different types of fish species that visit designated spawning sites in the Cayman Islands using specialised underwater devices.
REEF's Invasive Species Program shows citizens how they can get involved in reducing lionfish populations.
We are blessed in the Pacific NW with the opportunity to also survey many of our Invertebrate marine species.
Please join me in a fun evening to learn about the 46 Invertebrates surveyed in our beautiful emerald green waters.
E-mail me at llafever@comcast.net and I will send a copy of the study list for you to review. Please indicate REEF Inverts in the subject line.
Key Largo Lionfish Derby set for September 14
Pennekamp, Sanctuary and FWC to allow spearing of invasive fish in no-spear zones
By Keri Kenning, REEF Communications Manager
REEF members are at the heart of our grassroots marine conservation programs. Over 50,000 divers, snorkelers, students, and armchair naturalists stand behind our mission.
Earlier this summer, we proudly released the next generation of REEF survey technology, the REEF Data Entry Program. When surveying began in 1993, divers and snorkelers wrote out each sighted fish species on a slate and submitted the surveys to the database using paper scantron forms. In 1994, we developed pre-printed underwater survey paper to make surveying easier, and in 2005 we said goodbye to bubble-filling and premiered online data entry using the Internet. The time had come to innovate yet again.
We are pleased to share the publication of two new scientific papers that utilize data collected by REEF volunteers in the Monterey Peninsula area of California. Co-authored by REEF Pacific Advanced Assessment Team (AAT) member, John Wolfe, and REEF Director of Science, Dr. Christy Pattengill-Semmens, the companion papers were published earlier this summer in the journal CalCOFI Reports.