Reef Check's International Photo Contest

Reef Check's International Photo Contest is up and running and photos can be submitted until August 31st. This is a great opportunity to win some fantastic prizes!

 

You can enter and read more here: http://reefcheck.org/photo_contest

 

There are 3 Tropical Reef categories as well as a category for photographers 16 years old and younger:

 

People and the Reef
Images entered in this category must be powerful and memorable, showing the relationship between coral reefs and human beings (positive or negative); originality is key. Contestants must be 17 or older by the entry date. Image manipulation in this category is limited to global adjustments of white balance, tonal range, color balance, saturation, minor backscatter removal, cropping, dodge & burn, sharpening, and noise reduction. Digital composites are not allowed in this category. See rule 7.

Creative Visions of the Reef
Entries to this category should reveal new ways of seeing coral reefs and what they mean to you. Represent your vision in an imaginative or abstract way that captures the essence of the coral reef environment. Judges will be looking for originality and artistic vision. Contestants must be 17 or older by the entry date. Image manipulation in this category is limited to global adjustments of white balance, tonal range, color balance, saturation, minor backscatter removal, cropping, dodge & burn, sharpening, and noise reduction. Digital composites are allowed in this category. See rule 7.

 

Animal Behavior
Submissions must show memorable, unusual or striking behavior of any of the multitude of animals found on the reef. As with all categories, originality is key. Contestants must be 17 or older by the entry date. Image manipulation in this category is limited to global adjustments of white balance, tonal range, color balance, saturation, minor backscatter removal, cropping, dodge & burn, sharpening, and noise reduction. Digital composites are not allowed in this category. See rule 7.

 

Young Photographer

Submissions must capture scenery or a beautiful composition of tropical coral or California rocky reefs; originality is key. Contestants must be 16 or younger by the entry date. Image manipulation in this category is limited to global adjustments of white balance, tonal range, color balance, saturation, minor backscatter removal, cropping, dodge & burn, sharpening, and noise reduction. Digital composites are not allowed in this category. See rule 7

 

You can also vote for your favorite photos entered into the Reef Check Australia Photo Contest: www.reefcheckaustralia.org

 

Leading Conservation Organizations Join Forces for Coral Reefs

Project AWARE and Reef Check partner for global reef protection.

Two top nonprofit conservation organizations, Project AWARE Foundation and Reef Check Foundation, have formally partnered with one mutual goal - to protect coral reefs around the world.

Project AWARE and Reef Check both rely on dedicated volunteer divers to collect relevant data for their monitoring programs. Project AWARE’s CoralWatch monitoring, implemented in partnership with the University of Queensland, Australia in 2005, collects information on the intensity of coral bleaching and recovery. Since 1997, Reef Check has carried out an annual global scientific survey of human impacts on coral reefs. Project AWARE and Reef Check would like to encourage all divers to volunteer for these programs and help track the condition of coral reefs.

“The joint efforts of Project AWARE and Reef Check aim to boost public awareness and action for critical conservation initiatives,” said Project AWARE Foundation, Director, Jenny Miller Garmendia. “Volunteer divers are at the core of these monitoring programs and are natural advocates for declining underwater ecosystems.”

The partnership was announced at the launch of the year-long International Year of the Reef 2008 campaign in Washington, DC this week.

According to Dr. Gregor Hodgson, Founder and Executive Director, Reef Check, “Reef Check is very pleased to be partnering with Project AWARE because we share the same goals of involving more volunteer divers in coral reef monitoring and conservation. All of the data gathered will be used to interpret trends in global coral status.”

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Project AWARE Foundation, a registered nonprofit organization, is dedicated to conserving underwater environments through education, advocacy and action. For more than 16 years, Project AWARE has worked in direct partnership with divers and water enthusiasts to protect aquatic resources in 175 countries and territories of the world. www.projectaware.org

Reef Check Foundation is an international non-profit organization dedicated to conservation of two ecosystems: tropical coral reefs and California rocky reefs. With headquarters in Los Angeles and volunteer teams in more than 90 countries, Reef Check’s mission is to protect and rehabilitate reefs worldwide. www.reefcheck.org

Data for 2008 "Status of Coral Reefs of the World"

A call from Ms Helen Sykes of Marine Ecology Consulting...

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We are now calling for data from anyone who wishes to contribute to the 2007 Fiji report, which in turn will be included in the 2008 "Status of Coral Reefs of the World" edited by Clive Wilkinson of AIMS. All contributors will be acknowledged in the reports, and also help us to
increase the representation of more regions of the Fiji Islands. Data need to be with me by 15 DECEMBER 2007.

You can send me raw data if you wish, but I know many organisations need to hold on to original information. All I need are averages in the form of summaries. The reef should be as representative as possible of the area you work in, and it's great if you have data at two depths, one between 3 and 6 metres and one betwen 9 and 12 metres, but we will take any data you care to share. If you do not measure all the criteria below, send what you have - not all sites contribute to all categories.

Country

Region

Site name

GPS reference

Depth

Reef Type

Date

Water Temperature

Organisation name

Surveyor name

Survey method used

Please give means of at least 4 samples with standard deviation if possible:

Percentage substrate cover at the most complex level you record:

(Corals, Algae, Sponges, Abiotic substrate types)

Number of macro-invertebrates per 100m2 of reef Sea Cucumbers, Diadema Urchins, Tripnuestes Urchins, Pencil Urchins, Lobster, Banded Coral Shrimp, Crown of Thorns Stars, Giant Clams (Giant Clams with a size estimation)

Number of fish in these groups per 100m2 of reef Butterflyfish, Snappers, Sweetlips, Parrotfish over 20cm long, Moray Eels, Surgeon and Unicornfish, Goatfish, Jacks and Trevallies, Groupers (Groupers with a size estimation)

Any sightings, whether on a transect or off it, of Bumphead Parrotfish, Humphead Wrasse and Turtles. Turtles to species if possible, plus any notes on habitat and behaviour which may be possible.

Thanks and best regards,

Helen Sykes

Director

marine ecology

Fiji's leading company for Coastal & Marine Ecology Assessments

Resort Support

PO Box 2558, Govt Buildings

Suva, Fiji Islands

t: +679-336-3625 / +679-359-2136

e: helen@marineecologyfiji.com

Fiji’s reefs in spectacular condition!

Fiji’s reefs show high coral health after recovering from a coral bleaching event.

Coral reefs have frequently been in the news over the past few years, usually for all the wrong reasons, in articles about dying corals across the globe. However, Fiji has had reason to celebrate, with recent scientific reports suggesting that the reefs here are remarkably resilient, and currently in the best condition recorded. (this millennium!)

Fiji is a large archipelago with a great variety of reef types, spread across the country. While not denying that reefs have their ups and downs, the Fiji branches of the Global Coral Reef Network (GCRMN) and Reef Check have just published the results of eight years of study, where reefs have been seen to recover from events such as Cyclones, Crown of Thorns Starfish and High-temperature Coral Bleaching, within five years.

Dive operators around the Fiji Islands have supported and carried out scientific reef surveys on their dive sites, which have shown reefs affected by coral bleaching in 2000 were back to normal amounts of coral cover by 2005, and even better than normal by 2007.

Many reefs are currently showing a spectacular array of hard corals, with more than 80% coral cover, and 40% Acropora branching and table corals, the most attractive to fish, marine animals, and divers. This suggests that corals in Fiji can survive quite catastrophic events as long as they do not occur too often, a nice cause for optimism for the South Pacific reefs.

Detailed reef health reports can be found at:

• www.reefcheck.org

• www.gcrmn.org

• www.marineecologyfiji.com

By: Helen R Sykes

Director Marine Ecology Fiji

Fiji Co-coordinator Reef Check

Fiji Co-coordinator GCRMN

Reef Check Featured on TIME Magazine Online Following Indo-Pacific Coral Study

Reef Check Featured on TIME Magazine Online Following Indo-Pacific Coral Study

Following the release of the University of North Carolina's comprehensive study on coral in the Indo-Pacific, Reef Check was featured in a TIME Magazine Online article about the study. Approximately 4000 of the 6000 sites used were from the Reef Check database and Reef Check is pleased to see that the meta-analysis reconfirms our previous conclusions about the global coral reef crisis first published in 1999 in Hodgson, G. 1999. A global assessment of human effects on coral reefs. Marine Pollution Bulletin. 38 (5) 345-355 and again in Hodgson, G. and J. Liebeler. 2002. The global coral reef crisis – trends and solutions. Reef Check, Institute of the Environment, University of California at Los Angeles.77 pp ISBN 0-9723051-0-6.

For more information on the Indo-Pacific coral study: http://www.unc.edu/~brunoj/Bruno%20lab/Press.html

Reef Check Featured on TIME Magazine Online Following Indo-Pacific Coral Study

Reef Check - Reef Check News - Saving Reefs Worldwide

“Her Deepness” Sylvia Earle Signs Reef Check “International Declaration of Reef Rights”

Los Angeles, California and Princeville, Kauai – The International Declaration of Reef Rights was signed by internationally renowned marine scientist and National Geographic “Explorer-in-Residence” Dr. Sylvia Earle. The International Declaration of Reef Rights was created to raise awareness about the coral reef crisis, and thousands of people from over 90 countries worldwide have signed the declaration and pledge. Reef Check Foundation has declared a “call to action” urging every citizen of our planet to preserve our pristine coral reefs and to save damaged reefs globally.

The Declaration was signed in Kauai during the International Clean Oceans Conference co-sponsored by Reef Check, the world’s largest volunteer reef monitoring and conservation organization, and Kauai’s Save Our Seas at the Princeville Resort, on June 9, 2007. The signing was done on the tenth anniversary of the first Reef Check survey of the reef at Princeville. The conference included Opening Ceremonies with a traditional Hawaiian Blessing by Puna Dawson and Noomi Yokotake and a reading of the “International Declaration of Reef Rights” by Reef Check Executive Director Dr. Gregor Hodgson."

Reef Check - Reef Check News - Saving Reefs Worldwide

Reef Check Announces new BUDDY BREATHING Program

Dive Shops join with Reef Check to support volunteer divers by providing FREE AIR!

In a major initiative announced today by Reef Check, California’s dive community has joined together to help support volunteers working to protect our nearshore reef ecosystems. Top dive shops across the state have agreed to provide free air to Reef Check divers as part of the Reef Check “Buddy Breathing” program. Divers who show their NAUI or PADI Reef Check EcoDiver specialty card will receive free air fills for Reef Check survey and monitoring work.

“We’re excited to see dive shop operators coming together to help give back to the environment by supporting our volunteer divers as they protect our rocky reefs” said Reef Check California Director Dr. Craig Shuman. “Our monitoring results are helping to educate everyone about the status of our valuable nearshore resources so that they can be better managed and we’re grateful to our partners in the dive industry for such generous help. Pioneering dive shops that have joined together to support the “Buddy Breathing” program include:

• California Diving Company - Santa Clarita, CA (www.californiadivingcompany.com)
• Captain Frog Scuba – Bakersfield, CA (www.captainfrogscuba.com)
• Ocean Adventure Dive Company – Venice, CA (oceanadventuresdiveco.com)
• OEX Dive and Kayak Centers –La Jolla, Mission Bay and Pt. Loma CA www.oeexpress.com)
• Peace Scuba – Ventura, CA (www.peaceboat.com)
• Reef Seekers – Beverly Hills, CA (www.reefseekers.com)
• San Diego Underwater Adventures – San Diego, CA (www.sduadivers.com)
• Scuba Haus – Santa Monica, CA (www.scubahaus.com)
• Scuba Schools of America (nitrox included) – Montclair, CA (www.scubaschoolsofamerica.com)
• Xtreme Scuba (nitrox included) – Ventura, CA (www.xtremescuba.com)

California’s reefs look very different than they did 30 years ago. Abalone are almost gone in Southern California and big fish have become scarce while our kelp forests have become sparsely inhabited. Working together, divers can unite and bring back this valuable resource. To that end, the Reef Check Foundation plans to train over 500 divers in the next 3 years to help establish California’s first state-wide community based monitoring network. Divers are already being trained but we still need your help. For more information and to get involved, go to www.reefcheck.org/california/index.asp.

Founded in 1997, the Reef Check Foundation (a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization), was established to reverse the coral reef crisis and promote the protection and rehabilitation of reefs on a global scale. The Reef Check California program was founded in 2006. Reef Check programs provide ecologically sound and economically sustainable solutions for local businesses and communities, and thousands of volunteers participate in its programs in over 80 countries worldwide.

For more information, visit Reef Check at Scuba Show in Long Beach June 2^nd and 3^rd in Booth 727 or online at www.reefcheck.org

Effort to Catalog Species Tops One Million

April 10, 2007 — By Randolph E. Schmid, Associated Press

WASHINGTON -- A worldwide scientific effort to catalog every living species has topped the 1 million milestone.

Six years into the program the total has reached 1,009,000, researchers report. They hope to complete the listing by 2011, reaching an expected total of about 1.75 million species.

Thomas M. Orrell, a biologist at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, said the finished catalog will include all known living organisms, from plants and animals to fungi and microorganisms such as bacteria, protozoa and viruses.

"Many are surprised that, despite over two centuries of work by biologists and the current worldwide interest in biodiversity, there is presently no comprehensive catalog of all known species of organisms on Earth," Orrell said.

The listing does not include fossil species from the past.

The Integrated Taxonomic Information System-Species 2000 Catalog of Life provides access to data maintained by a variety of scientific organizations, each specializing in a certain area.

For example, information on dipteran flies is maintained by the Agriculture Department's Systematic Entomology Laboratory at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.

Natural history museums in London, the Netherlands and New York maintain clothes moth, dragonfly and spider data. Experts in Canada and Paris keep the data on Ichneumon wasps and longhorn beetles.

These lists are peer-reviewed and checked technically, and then integrated into special software for the catalog.

The project, involving some 3,000 biologists, is led by Frank Bisby of the University of Reading in England and Orrell.

"We tidy it up and do a peer review to see which pieces are the best ones to use, like putting together a giant jigsaw puzzle," Bisby said in a recent interview with The Associated Press. "If you want to do international comparisons, you need a master list. It's a little like if you were running a supermarket, you would have to do an inventory."

Having internationally accepted standards for species' names will help researchers compare the diversity of life in various regions of the world and produce uniform catalogues of germs, packets of seeds or genetic resources, he said.

Only rarely is there competition among names, such as occurred with sea anemones, hard corals and spiders, and occasionally an element of subjective opinion plays a role among the peer reviewers with various taxonomic expertise, Bisby said.

"It can sometimes be very difficult to decide," he said.

Taxonomy, the formal system of naming living things, was launched by the Swedish scientist Karl von Linne -- known as Linnaeus -- in the 1700s and his name still appears in the database.

Look up gray wolf in the ITIS catalog and it produces the scientific name Canis lupus. Go to that listing and find that the wolf was given its scientific name by Linnaeus in 1758 and has two synonyms. Included are the wolf's common names in English, Spanish and French. So, too, its scientific classification and reports where it is distributed.

Confusion occurs when the same plant or animal has many common names in different places. Taxonomists seek to solve that problem with the catalog's use of scientific names along with the various common uses.

The biggest section of the database currently is LepIndex, listing 253,680 species of lepidoptera, which are butterflies and moths.

At the small end of the scale is a database that covers 86 species of krill, the tiny shrimplike creatures that whales eat.

The U.S. Geological Survey's National Biological Information Infrastructure is providing support for the effort.

Associated Press writer John Heilprin contributed to this report.

Catalog of Life: http://www.catalogueoflife.org

Catalog source data: http://tinyurl.com/258ej4

National Biological Information Infrastructure: http://www.nbii.gov

Source: Associated Press

Declaration of Reef Rights