The Transect Line - May/June 2024

Reef Check Launches New Adopt-a-Reef Opportunities

Adopt-a-Reef and become a Kelp Forest Champion! Four new sponsorship opportunities are now available to support kelp forest conservation in California. Click below for details. Oregon and Washington coming soon!

Reef Check Australia Makes a Splash at the Australian Coral Reef Symposium!

General Manager Jodi Salmond and the Reef Check Australia team were thrilled to be a part of the recent Australian Coral Reef Symposium (ACRS) held in Perth! They presented two exciting talks based on upcoming research papers utilizing valuable data collected by Reef Check Australia volunteers- one focused on coral bleaching trends in Southeast Queensland (SEQ) and the other exploring the power of citizen science over 17 years, analyzing reef health data from SEQ.

Coral Bleaching and Ghost Nets Mark Start of Malaysia Survey Season

Spring has signaled the beginning of Reef Check Malaysia’s 2024 survey season. With annual surveys scheduled at over 200 sites across the country, EcoDiver monitoring teams have a lot of work ahead of them! In addition to EcoDiver training, RCM has also held dive courses for local communities, getting them poised to join future surveys and activities. Tackling destructive ghost nets, rolling out a new waste management program and monitoring coral bleaching as it happens have also been priorities these past few months.

Video Spotlight: New Washington Species ID Training Videos

Check out these incredible new training tools! Thanks to Brad Giles and a variety of videographers, we have been able to compile short videos of each of our Washington species to capture behavior and help aid in species ID practice. Or just watch and enjoy observing our indicator species along with some calming music!
Fish ID Video Invertebrate ID Video Algae ID Video

A Volunteer’s Perspective: A Deep Dive into Marine Conservation with Reef Check Italia

May saw the 10th Reef Check expedition to Bangka Island, Indonesia led by Reef Check Italia. Enthusiastic and passionate students from all over the world participated and one- Jia Cashon- has shared a trip report with some helpful tips for those interested in joining a future course. “Participating in the Reef Check Italia course is not just about a dive holiday, but a commitment to protecting our ocean’s coral reefs through the knowledge of scientific diving,” says Jia. Stay tuned to Reef Check Italia for the announcement of 2025 course details and available scholarships.

Reef Check Australia EcoDiver Survey Report from the Sunshine Coast

Newly certified EcoDiver Misa Nisawara provides us with this report from her training and survey dive of Mudjimba Island, along the Sunshine Coast of Australia, this June. The team observed a relatively small amount of coral bleaching at this particular site, with only 5% of the overall population bleached. However, those bleached colonies were heavily impacted, with an average of 60-70% bleaching. They also recorded a number of bleached anemones without fish, a first at this site.