marine science info & resources
What is REEF?
"REEF's mission, to educate and enlist divers in the conservation of marine habitats, is accomplished primarily through its Fish Survey Project. The Project was developed in 1990 with support from The Nature Conservancy and guidance by the Southeast Fisheries Science Center of the National Marine Fisheries Service. The REEF Fish Survey Project allows volunteer SCUBA divers and snorkelers to collect and report information on marine fish populations. The data are collected using a fun and easy standardized method, and are housed in a publicly-accessible database on REEF's Website. These data are used by a variety of resource agencies and researchers."
What is the REEF Method?
REEF uses the Roving Diver Technique, a method specifically designed for volunteers. It is a visual survey of reef fishes, allowing divers to swim freely throughout the dive site and record every fish species positively identified. All you need is an underwater slate and pencil, REEF scanforms, and a reference book. After completing the survey, data is transferred to a scanform and sent to REEF. This method has been scientifically validated and results in large amounts of data collected by volunteers.
What kind of data is collected and what happens to it?
There are two types of surveys: "Species Only" and "Species and Abundance." A Species Only survey is conducted at one site over the course of 1-30 days, and only records the presence of species. In a Species and Abundance survey each species is assigned one of four relative abundance categories based on about how many were seen throughout the dive: single (1), few (2-10), many (11-100), and abundant (>100). Volunteers' surveys provide REEF with a measure of the relative density of species and the frequency with which these species were observed. The data submitted by volunteers is available on REEF's online database. Visit REEF's website to learn more about interpreting REEF data.
The REEF data collected by volunteers is valuable to the scientific community and may be used by resource managers for conservation and management purposes. As volunteers become more experienced by completing REEF surveys and taking standardized quizzes, they move up in REEF's "Experience Levels" and their data becomes more valuable. The database has separate categories for "Novice" and "Expert" data. Anyone can become an expert!!
Who Can Do a REEF Survey?
Any diver or snorkeler in REEF's Project Areas can conduct a REEF survey. You don't have to have a scientific background or undergo intense training! It is simple and fun to do a REEF survey, and with enough experience and training, anyone can become a fish ID expert!
REEF's Project Areas:
  • Tropical Western Atlantic/Northeast US & Canada (Florida, Caribbean, Bahamas, and Gulf of Mexico), southern Atlantic states (Georgia and South Carolina), and Virginia through Newfoundland
  • West Coast of the United States and Canada (California, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia)
  • Tropical Eastern Pacific (Gulf of California to the Galapagos Islands).
  • Hawaiian Islands
WHY Participate in REEF?
REEF's website says it best:
"Once you start conducting fish surveys, your diving experience will change.  Suddenly you will start to notice things on your dives that have always been there, but the difference is that now you will know them. You will realize when a species you encounter is a great find, and who are the usual suspects.  Another reason- it allows you to participate, become a scientist, become an explorer.   It gives you a voice to make a difference.  We hope you will use it."
How Do I Get Involved?
All you need to do to become a REEF volunteer is become a member of REEF (free) so you will have your own unique identification number, get the materials (the only required materials are scanforms which are also free), and learn the method! Attend a Fish Identification Workshop or Field Survey in your area...or learn on your own with our "How-To" Tutorial and Fish ID Training Center.
Learn more about REEF by exploring the "Quick Links" to the right.
To Find REEF Events near you:
Contact your local Field Station. (Project S.E.A.-Link is a Hawaii Field Station on Maui)
Visit REEF's Events page.
Visit Project S.E.A.-Link's Community Forum and Events Calendar to find out when REEF events are scheduled.