The Transect Line – September 2008 | |
Vote For Your Favorites- Only 2 Days Left! | |
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Create Your Own IYOR Song Video and Win $1000! | |
First Place: One US $1000 cash prize Second Place: One US $600 cash prize Third Place: One US $400 cash prize The contest is free to enter, and people from all countries and territories are encouraged to participate. Participants must be no more than 18 years old by the entry date and part of a group of three or more. The submission deadline has been extended so contestants can now submit videos until December 31, 2008 to coincide with the last day of the International Year of the Reef 2008. The public will be able to vote for their favorites starting January 21, 2009. Visit http://www.reefcheck.org/video/video_contest.php for more information. |
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Tickets on Sale Now for Reef Rescue 2008! | |
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit http://reefcheck.org/events/reefrescue2008. Don’t think you can make it to the Reef Rescue Gala this year? Think again! In preparation for the event, Reef Check and AliveNotDead.com have created a special contest. By registering on AliveNotDead.com, you automa |
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New Items Available in the Reef Check Sea Store | |
Also available are pre-printed underwater data slates for the Indo-Pacific and Caribbean. Each double-sided slate includes substrate and organism belt data sheets that correspond to the regional sheets available for the tropical coral reef monitoring program. |
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Reef Check California Update | |
![]() The best diving weather of the year is upon us and RCCA divers are surveying like crazy up and down the state!! We have checked off an amazing 46 surveys to date and are on schedule to have the biggest survey year yet. On the marine management front, we have been actively engaging with the Marine Life Protection Act and Marine Protected Area (MPA) Monitoring Enterprise to ensure RCCA data are being used to inform the management of MPAs in California. We also continue to work with the California Department of Fish and Game in developing mechanisms to include RCCA data in stock assessments, when appropriate, and generally to be readily available for marine managers to use in helping to inform their decisions. Check out the details on the great surveys we completed in September: – Cen Cal- Sunday 9/21/08- Spooners, SLO- Great Start!!! We continue to be on the front lines of improving marine management in California but we still need your help! Your donations to RCCA go directly to supporting the collection of the critical data needed to keep the management of California’s marine resources sustainable. If you aren’t already a Reef Check member, join us, and if you are a diver, sign up for a 2009 training! |
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International Year of the Reef Update | |
The Brazilian NGO PRO-MAR is holding the seminar “Ano Internacional dos Recifes de Coral” (which translates into IYOR) in Itaparica, Brazil on October 27, 2008 from 9 AM – 6 PM. During the seminar, researchers, NGOs, and government institutions will learn about the development of the National Program for Monitoring the Brazilian Reefs based on Reef Check Brazil, the experimental management of reefs in Itaparica/Bahia/Brasil, achievements and advances in experiments on the conservation of reefs, and Marine Protected Areas. For more information, please visit www.promar.org.br or contact Andrea Ventura at andreaventurassa@gmail.com or (71) 8816-7475. As part of the IYOR, the Oceanarium in Bournemouth, England, will be holding special talks focused on coral conservation during Surf Week from October 25 to November 2, 2008. Please contact Charlotte Brown at charlotte.brown@reallive.co.uk or visit www.oceanarium.co.uk for more information. Reef Check is celebrating the IYOR with international photography and Singing Contests… participate! Read more about these contests in this newsletter. Like the people in the above countries, you too can help protect and rehabilitate reefs in your country of residence by either organizing your own event or joining existing IYOR activities. Visit the www.iyor.org for more information. |
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Have you signed the International Declaration of Reef Rights? Join the 12,528 ocean lovers from 144 countries who already have! Click here to sign the International Declaration of Reef Rights |
Reef Check Teams in Action | |
Reef Check in Timor-Leste
Dr. Leo Dutra (CSIRO) and Shane Penny (Northern Territory Government) have been working on coral reef conservation projects in Timor-Leste since 2006. They are currently working collaboratively with the Timor-Leste Ministry for Agriculture and Fisheries (MAF) and Charles Darwin University on a program to support sustainable coastal and marine development and management through capacity-building and broad-scale marine habitat mapping. In 2007, Leo and Shane successfully trained 4 divers and 8 snorkelers from MAF in Reef Check methodologies, and in August 2008 they worked with the newly formed Timorese Reef Check dive team in the establishment of their first monitoring site in Behau, 41 km east of Díli. Timor-Leste is known by a small number of divers for its relatively pristine and readily accessible coral reefs. The first surveys by the new Timorese Reef Check team show no indication of obvious anthropogenic damage, bleaching or disease to the corals. However, their data do indicate an obvious lack of large predatory fish and macro-invertebrates such as giant clams and crayfish. Members of the Reef Check team have recently published an article about the status of Timor-Leste coral reefs in the forthcoming report Status of Coral Reefs of the World – 2008. Leo and Shane would like to congratulate the following divers and snorkelers for completing the Reef Check EcoDiver course: Mr. Carlos A. de Jesus, Mr. Anselmo L. Amaral, Mr. Celestino B. da Cunha, Mr. Wayne Lovell (Free Flow Di |
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The Great Fiji Butterflyfish Count: November 2 -8, 2008 2008 is the International Year of the Reef, and the whole world is going coral reef crazy! Countries across the globe are holding special activities and programs to raise awareness and help conserve the corals and animals that live on them. Fiji’s special activity is The Great Fiji Butterflyfish Count. In November, people from all over the world will come to Fiji to have fun counting Butterflyfish while diving, snorkelling or riding glass-bottom boats, and will contribute their results to a Fiji-wide Butterflyfish Biodiversity project to be published internationally. This event is supported by the Fiji Government Departments of Tourism, Environment and Fisheries, the Fiji Visitors’ Bureau, and several reef conservation organisations, including Reef Check Fiji. Special tourism promotions will be available during the week of November 2-8. More information can be found at www.Fijibutterflyfishcount.com. |
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Reef Check Australia Positions Available
Reef Check Australia is also looking for some motivated and independent volunteers to assist with the coordination of the 2009 survey season for their Great Barrier Reef Project. If you want to gain experience in coral reef monitoring and team management, this is an outstanding opportunity! The volunteer placement runs from 15th January to 17th July 2009. Please click here for more information. |
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Mark Your Calendars | |
Orange County Coast Wine Bar Tour With Reef Check and Las Olas Wine!
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