Press

Authors: Jessica Pantoja, Julio Lorda, Rodrigo Beas, Arturo Hernández-Velasco, Alfonso Romero Castro, Alesa Flores

Our family of monitor divers is growing. In March, two more fishing cooperatives were trained to monitor kelp forests. This was made possible by the collaboration between COBI (Comunidad y Biodiversidad, A.C.) and Reef Check Baja. Reef Check was invited by COBI to teach local fishers how to monitor kelp forests in Bahía Asunción and Bahía Tortugas, remote coastal communities in Baja California Sur.

The fishing cooperatives, Emancipación Cooperative (Bahía Tortugas) and California de San Ignacio Cooperative (Bahía Asunción), are key stewards of their ecosystems, holding exclusive fishing rights in their territories. Established over 40 years ago, California de San Ignacio is one of the earliest examples of community-based fisheries management in the region. COBI and Reef Check joined for this opportunity to promote capacity building and foster monitoring initiatives by bringing these cooperatives together to enhance their collaborative efforts. Reef Check is proud to once again be partnering with COBI. Since 2007, Reef Check and COBI have worked on projects in Loreto, Isla Natividad, Bahia Magdalena, and El Rosario.

Throughout the training, we engaged with 30 participants. We had 15 divers (3 women and 12 men) and 15 snorkelers (2 women and 13 men). A significant number of these individuals belong to a younger generation of fishers from 14-25 years old. This group is starting to incorporate diving into their professional activities, thereby upholding and advancing a rich local tradition that has been passed down through their families.

Together, we trained in Reef Check methodologies, including species identification, size measurements, density estimation for surveys of fish, algae, and invertebrates, as well as habitat characterization. On the final day, we also focused on monitoring key commercial species such as abalone, following COBI protocols. Additionally, participants received safety training focused on underwater monitoring, including the proper use of emergency oxygen for diving accidents. 

Snorkelers actively participated in the theory lessons and supported fieldwork from the surface. Their curiosity, commitment, and motivation reflects an important step toward future diving certification and continued involvement in monitoring efforts.

This work was made possible through strong collaboration.​ COBI provided transportation and essential scuba equipment and materials, while the cooperatives contributed boats, tanks, compressors, and invaluable local knowledge. Reef Check Baja’s participation brought significant support from its consortium with UABC (Autonomous University of Baja California) and ECOCIMATI, A.C. (Ecology, Sky, Sea & Land), enhancing the initiative.

This initiative represents a step toward strengthening community-based monitoring networks. By collaborating with fishers who have strong ties to their environment, often from multi-generational fishing families, we are fostering a long-term monitoring network that combines scientific research with local knowledge. This effort aims to enhance local skills and promote the future of Baja California’s kelp forest ecosystems.

These training sessions in underwater monitoring techniques are more than just a tool for sharing knowledge with local partners, they empower them to actively generate data. By contributing to citizen science, they join an existing network of divers in the North Pacific region, where FEDECOOP (Regional Federation of Fishing Cooperative Societies of Baja California) cooperatives are now committed to understanding their fishery resources to make decisions based on data and science generated by the community itself.

“Knowledge is invaluable, and we must learn to appreciate it. Today we are here, and tomorrow we will be able to take all this knowledge back to our community. We will be able to value, grow, and improve the ecosystems we have. Today, we took a very big step.” — Alexis Bojorquez

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to our collaborators COBI, ECOCIMATI and MEXCAL (Managing Ecosystems Across the Californias), whose generous financial support for the Reef Check Baja program was instrumental in making this work possible.

The latest coral reef data from Reef Check has been uploaded to Aqualink! A year ago, Reef Check announced Aqualink as an official Global Reef Tracker partner for Reef Check’s coral reef data. Aqualink, a groundbreaking nonprofit offers an open source tool for people on the front lines of ocean conservation and showcases Reef Check’s worldwide coral reef database of over 17,700 surveys, alongside Aqualink’s collection of data from sensors, models, satellite observations, community member surveys, images, and video to give an instant view of real-time reef conditions. Check it out!

With just a few clicks, users can:
– View Reef Check survey data going back to 1997
– Access ocean temperature data from satellites or smart buoys
– Track heat stress and bleaching events
– Compare reef images over time  

Completely free, Reef Check and Aqualink are making high-tech reef monitoring accessible and collaborative—because ocean conservation should be a team effort.

How do I explore Reef Check data from the map?

1. 1. Click on a site and press “EXPLORE”.
2. 2. Scroll down to “Survey History” to find all the Reef Check survey data for the site. 
3. 3. Click on “VIEW DETAILS” to access the full table with all of the data.

Submitted by Reef Check EcoDiver Trainer Christian Solterer

Mora Mora Conservation with the University of Marche will organize two sessions of 14-day field courses on coral reefs that will take you to the island of Sakatia in the northwest of Madagascar. These reefs are world renowned for having more than 400 coral species and fish species from all over the Indian Ocean. This expedition gives divers a superb opportunity to become EcoDiver certified. All guests will be provided with the materials needed. Lectures and presentations on reef survey techniques will be given.

Biologist Christian Solterer, who is leading the workshop, has been involved in Reef Check surveys in lemur country since 2003. He is also a NAUI Course Director CMAS*** Instructor.

This workshop taught in English, French or German aims to:

• Provide basic knowledge for the identification of fish, hard corals and invertebrates
• Find at least 2 new sites to install permanent transects
• Teach different survey methods underwater, including Reef Check and Coral Watch protocols
• Contribute to the monitoring and conservation of coral reefs

Participants will obtain the international tropical EcoDiver certification issued by the Reef Check Foundation as well as three marine ecology specialties issued by SSI.

For more information about this Madagascar EcoExpedition, contact biodiversity@moramora.ch or visit https://www.moramora.ch/reefchecksakatia.

Reef Check is featured in a new documentary from Seatrees about the restoration of Northern California’s kelp forests. Holdfast Together: Keepers of California’s Kelp follows the divers, scientists, and conservationists working to bring back this region’s collapsing underwater kelp forests. Reef Check appears alongside Seatrees, P.U.R.P. (Purple Urchin Removal Project), and the Sunflower Star Laboratory, exploring how science, volunteer action, and species recovery are working together to restore balance to these vital ecosystems.

Reef Check’s Kelp Forest Monitoring training classes for 2026 are now open for registration! There are five opportunities in California, Oregon and Baja California for divers to get involved as citizen scientists. Oregon will also be hosting two restoration trainings for those wanting to assist with kelp forest restoration. 

The Reef Check Kelp Forest Monitoring Training course is designed to provide participants with the skills and experience to complete the Reef Check Kelp Forest Monitoring survey protocol accurately. In addition to teaching the survey methods, the training will address safe diving practices, techniques of research diving, sampling design and theory, general marine ecology including species identification and interactions, and the importance of monitoring to meet marine management needs. Training includes a combination of online in-person training, recorded lectures and at-home work, and in-person ocean field sessions. Following completion of the training, all participants will have the skills necessary to complete the examination, allowing them to collect data and become eligible to obtain a Reef Check Kelp Forest Monitoring Specialty Certification (NAUI).

For a list of course prerequisites and to sign up, visit our registration page at: https://www.reefcheck.org/kelp-forest-program/training-schedule/

If you have been previously trained as a Reef Checker, you can sign up for a recertification class to get ready for the upcoming survey season at http://calendar.reefcheck.org.

Earlier this month, Nature Communications published the article, “Severe and widespread coral reef damage during the 2014-2017 Global Coral Bleaching Event”. The paper relied on Reef Check’s coral reef data and warns that “the impacts of ocean warming on coral reefs are accelerating, with the near certainty that ongoing warming will cause large-scale, possibly irreversible, degradation of these essential ecosystems.”

During 2014-2017, marine heatwaves caused the Third Global Coral Bleaching Event. The paper analyzes data from 15,066 reef surveys globally during 2014-2017. Across all surveyed reefs, 80% experienced bleaching of more than 10% of corals on the reef and 35% experienced coral mortality. Based on these survey data, models predict that about 50% of the world’s coral reefs suffered from bleaching and 15% had coral mortality during one or multiple years. This finding marks this as the most severe bleaching event, surpassing damage from any prior global coral bleaching event and suggests that impacts of ocean warming are accelerating.

Another alarming report was published by the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN) in December. The “Status and Trends of Caribbean Coral Reefs: 1970-2024” report  is the latest scientific assessment of the region’s coral reef health, revealing both declines driven by climate change and local environmental pressures, but also detecting encouraging signs of recovery where effective management and protection measures are in place. The report shows that coral cover in the Caribbean has declined by 48% since 1980, while macroalgae cover has risen 85% in the same time. This report was compiled by more than 300 scientists across 44 countries and territories; it draws on over 23,000 surveys—including more than 2,700 Reef Check surveys—from nearly 14,000 sites collected between 1970 and 2024. 

These two major scientific assessments underscore both the accelerating crisis facing coral reefs and the critical importance of long-term, global monitoring efforts like Reef Check’s surveys. Together, they demonstrate that Reef Check’s global dataset is not only vital for documenting large-scale change, but also indispensable for informing management and policy worldwide. Importantly, the Caribbean assessment also identified areas where strong local protection and management have supported coral recovery—offering clear evidence that when action is taken, reefs can rebound and hope remains for their future.