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Expanding the Community of Kelp Forest Monitors:
The Integration of Fishing Communities into Reef Check Baja California
In March, two more fishing cooperatives were trained to monitor kelp forests. Made possible by the collaboration with COBI (Comunidad y Biodiversidad, A.C.), Reef Check Baja was invited to teach local fishers how to monitor kelp forests in Bahía Asunción and Bahía Tortugas, remote coastal communities in Baja California Sur. 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.
Photo by Arturo Hernández-Velasco
Latest Reef Check Coral Reef Data Available on Aqualink
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.
New EcoExpedition Available in Madagascar
Mora Mora Conservation with the University of Marche will organize two sessions of 14-day field courses on coral reefs in November 2026 and March/April 2027, taking you to the island of Sakatia in the northwest of Madagascar. This expedition gives divers a superb opportunity to become EcoDiver certified. Leading the course is biologist and Reef Check EcoDiver Trainer Christian Solterer, who has been involved in Reef Check surveys in lemur country since 2003. For more information visit https://www.moramora.ch/reefchecksakatia.
Reef Check Featured in New Documentary Holdfast Together
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.
Video Spotlight: Caspar Cove Community and Agency Updates
The last in our Winter Webinar 2026 series, the 3rd Annual Caspar Cove Community and Agency Update shares the 2025 results from our community-driven urchin harvest and culling efforts at Caspar Cove in Mendocino, California. It also outlines plans for 2026 and how you can get involved and contribute to this important conservation work.
Reef Check in the News
Saving giant clams in South-east Asia: Halt poaching, improve restoration, raise funds – The Straits Times (Malaysia)
North Halmahera Has Got to Be Your Next Dive Destination – Divernet
Semporna resort sets example in marine care – Daily Express Malaysia
Iconic fish species in Malaysia slip into rarity – The Straits Times (Malaysia)
Proposed expansion of the Laguna Beach Marine Protected Area – Spectrum News 1 (California, USA)
Study finds kelp forests thrive inside Laguna Beach State Marine Reserve – Stu News Laguna (California, USA)
For more, visit www.reefcheck.org/press/
