REEF SMILE (Size Matters: Innovative Length Estimates) Project incorporates the collection of valuable fish length data with our Volunteer Fish Survey Project through the use of the FishSense cameras that have been developed in partnership with the Semmens lab at Scripps Institute of Oceanography and UCSD Engineers for Exploration. This project aims to develop a method and generate a device that we can put in the hands of both professional and nonprofessional scientists and produce highly resolved length frequency data for the use in stock assessments, ecosystem-based assessments and coral restoration monitoring.
REEF is currently pilot testing the cameras and surveys on sites designated as outplant and monitoring sites as part of NOAA's Mission Iconic Reefs initiative to save Florida Keys Reefs. Surveys to date have been conducted at Carysfort and Horseshoe Reef. Stay tuned for results and more details on how you can get involved.
Project partners include, Scripps, Semmens Lab, UCSD E4E, UCSD Kastner Research Lab and Lyall Bellquest of The Nature Conservancy California. This project is funded in part by a grant from the nonprofit Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida (FWFF) via proceeds from the ‘Discover Florida’s Oceans’ license plate. Since its founding, the Foundation has raised and given away more than $50 million for conservation, outdoor recreation and youth programs and camps. For more information, please visit www.wildlifeflorida.org.
Interested in supporting the project? Please contact alli@REEF.org
