REEF is
truly a grassroots volunteer organization that depends on
a large network of enthusiastic recreational divers to
donate both their time and support under and above water.
The Foundation's mission, to educate and enlist divers in
the conservation of marine habitats, is accomplished
primarily through the Fish Survey Project, which utilizes
volunteer SCUBA divers and snorkelers to collect and
report information on marine fish population trends.
The Project
was developed in 1990 with support from The Nature
Conservancy and with guidance from the Southeast Fisheries
Science Center of the National Marine Fisheries Service.
Sighting data are housed in a publicly accessible database
on REEF's website. Today, marine ecologists from NOAA's
Marine Sanctuary Program, the State of Florida,
conservation groups, as well as Caribbean and Bahamas
environmental protection offices and marine parks rely on
the unique information provided by REEF to make management
decisions.
Each year
thousands of trained recreational divers, using REEF's
standardized Roving Diver protocol, survey fish and
targeted marine species in tropical waters throughout the
world. Much like their terrestrial counterparts − bird
watchers − REEF volunteers enter sighting data and the
relative abundance of species on underwater forms. After
the dive, their survey information is transferred onto
computer scan forms, or submitted online. Before entry
into the database, a REEF scientist carefully monitors all
data for discrepancies. Currently, more than 20,000
surveys are submitted annually by REEF volunteer divers,
creating the world's largest marine life sighting
database.
In 2002,
with generous funding from the Mahoney Foundation and
membership contributions, REEF moved into the REEF House,
its headquarters located in Key Largo, Florida. REEF's
small, dedicated staff continues to grow its volunteer
base and expand its mission by taking on vital marine life
projects such as Grouper Moon, an ongoing survey of annual
spawning aggregations, the Great Annual Fish Count, the
Exotic Species Awareness Campaign, as well as numerous
community outreach and educational programs.
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