The Transect Line - May/June 2025

Reef Check Réunion Documents Most Severe Bleaching Ever

Reef Check Réunion, a chapter of Reef Check France in the south-west Indian Ocean, is very concerned by the most severe bleaching ever encountered in Réunion during the first months of 2025. The subsequent mortality was highly enhanced on some fringing reefs by the cyclone Garance that hit the island in late February. Reef Check Réunion was launched in 2003 and now comprises more than 35 sites monitored every year with data added to its global citizen database about coral reef health.

Reef Check Visits British Columbia for Kelp Node Workshop in Bamfield

Since 2022 Reef Check has been participating in the transboundary Kelp Node group based in the Pacific Northwest that brings together kelp practitioners comprised of First Nations stewards, researchers, managers, policy makers, educators and citizen scientists with the aim to advance kelp conservation, management and recovery in the shared waters of British Columbia and Washington State. Reef Check recently participated in a kelp forest monitoring development workshop held at Bamfield Marine Science Center in Bamfield, British Columbia, Canada. The result— a tiered monitoring program that includes the use of drones, ROVs and scuba surveys to capture the state of the region’s kelp forests.

Second Reef Check Baja Training Course Completed

Reef Check Baja has completed its second round of kelp forest monitoring training in Ensenada, Baja California! Reef Check’s staff instructors Jessica Pantoja and Dan Abbott, along with our partners from MexCal, trained 10 participants in Reef Check’s kelp forest monitoring protocols. Participants came from Tijuana, Ensenada, and San Diego, forming a diverse group of recreational and professional divers, along with local university students. This training is part of our ongoing effort to build local capacity for long-term kelp forest monitoring and marine conservation in Baja California, in close collaboration with our partners at MexCal and thanks to grant support from the Binational Resilience Initiative at San Diego Foundation.

Video Spotlight: How to Explore Reef Check’s Coral Reef Data on Aqualink

In April’s newsletter, we announced Aqualink as an official Global Reef Tracker partner for Reef Check’s coral reef data. In this video, learn how to interact with the Aqualink map, dashboards, and in-depth data tables.

Science Meets Adventure: Biosphere’s Maldives Coral Expedition Returns This October

Biosphere Expeditions is heading back to the Maldives 4–10 October and 11–17 October 2025 for its twelfth annual expedition, and you’re invited to be part of the action! In partnership with Reef Check, this unique expedition blends hands-on science, local collaboration, and tropical adventure. Since its inception in 2011, the expedition has thus far trained over 100 people in Reef Check surveying, including over 30 local Maldivians in techniques on how to monitor their reefs and set up community-based monitoring.

New 20th Anniversary Merchandise Available!

Check out Reef Check’s new merchandise at Crewtopia! This brand-new collection features Reef Check’s Kelp Forest Monitoring Program 20th Anniversary logo!