Reef Check

The number of urchins stayed way below the two-per-meter threshold and changes were observed at the control site with either kelp or urchins. (2/2)

Awesome news from Tankers Reef! All that hard work culling urchins has paid off. According to our most recent survey, the density of giant kelp went from just over 12 stipes per transect last fall to almost 50 stipes per transect this summer! (1/2)

URGENT HELP NEEDED! We are planning to survey the sites impacted by the Orange County oil spill to assess effects on kelp forests. We need your help to gather information to help these reefs recover from the spill’s impacts. Please make a donation today. facebook.com/donate/5111184…

The worry is that even as the kelp starts coming back naturally, the urchin will find a way to devour it. trib.al/BfyWLgt

In need of a new mug to chug coffee between surveys? SeaTrees is donating $5 to the Tanker's Reef restoration project we monitor for every Ocean Positive camp mug sold! Thanks @SeaTreesOrg for the support! sea-trees.org/products/ocean…

We're also thrilled to welcome Diana Hollingshead onboard as our new Oregon Volunteer Coordinator. Let's survey it up Oregon!

Onwards and northwards! We recently expanded north and launched our kelp forest monitoring program in #Oregon! In May we trained our very first Oregon Reef Checkers, and we're excited to grow our team of citizen scientists to monitor the underwater forests of the Pacific coast.

A kelp restoration effort is underway along the Oregon Coast. Oregon Sea Grant is supporting this initiative led by the @oregonkelp (ORKA). Dan Abbott of @ReefCheck & Tom Calvanese of ORKA discuss kelp restoration projects in CA & OR: bit.ly/3wzs68X

Did you know we also monitor ocean temperatures at our California survey sites? 🌊🌡️ Our CenCal Volunteer Coordinator Maxwell Seale recently retrieved this happy little logger from Carmel River! These sensors collect data on temperature to monitor climate change in kelp forests.

Our California divers are hard at work getting certified! Last weekend in NorCal, our salty crew trained a team of Reef Checkers at Van Damme SP. These troopers toughed it out even as the visibility fizzled to a few murky feet. Way to go citizen scientists! 📷: Tristin McHugh

How do we keep the ocean from taking our underwater sensors? By bolting them to the reef! Here SoCal Manager Selena McMillan uses a submersible drill to install a benthic mooring for our sensor. Collecting undersea data is no easy task! 📷: Rob McClelland, Selena McMillan

Coral mortality after bleaching is associated w/ heatwaves AND local conditions, including macroalgae, suggesting action at all levels is necessary for coral survival, see our new study in @ScienceMagazine using a global dataset collected by @ReefCheck science.sciencemag.org/content/372/65…

See reefcheck.org/global-study-u… for more

We are thrilled to share that Reef Check data collected by our incredible network of volunteers have been used in an important article published by @ScienceMagazine suggesting that coral reefs can survive bleaching events caused by global warming when less algae are present.

California recerts are on! Our amazing volunteers are ready to survey it up this season!

Baby kelp coming in strong! Reef Check staff Ian and Morgan found bull kelp growing in at a survey site off the Mendocino coast. Northern California has lost much of its kelp, but this patch is holding out strong with a fresh crop of spring babies! 📷🙏: Morgan Murphy-Cannella

Reef Check California Kelp Restoration Coordinator Morgan Murphy-Cannella was recently featured on the @npr science podcast “Short Wave” where she discussed Reef Check’s Kelp Restoration efforts in Northern California! Click here to give it a listen. npr.org/2021/03/25/981…

Its getaway was poorly planned however, as the pencil was tethered to a string that snapped back once the fish pulled out the remaining slack. Needless to say Dillon was quite annoyed by the attempted robbery, and now holds onto his slate pencils with a tighter grip! [3/3]

Last fall, our SoCal volunteer coordinator Dillon was surveying fish around Catalina Island. As he was writing down the numbers on his slate, his pencil was suddenly ripped out of his hand. The culprit? This rude Garibaldi, which took off with the stolen goods in its mouth. [2/3]

Happy #FishyFriday! 📷🙏: Jade Zounes Have you ever had your pen snatched by someone who forgot to bring their own? Well apparently you're not even safe from such shenanigans underwater! [1/3]