The Importance of Marine Education

By: Rudy Bonn, Reef Relief  Director of Marine Projects

There is only one ocean, divided into different basins: the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic, and the Southern basin that surrounds the continent of Antarctica.  The reason why we use the one ocean concept at Reef Relief is because it has been proven that all that water is connected, constantly intermixing in all of the basins for billions of years.  For example, if you were to travel to the North Atlantic basin and take a water sample and then travel south to the Southern basin and take a water sample both samples would contain identical minerals, gases, and so forth in the exact same proportions.  This is called “The Law of Constant Proportions,” and it tells us that the waters of the world ocean have been intermixing since they first appeared billions of years ago.  It all started as the Earth’s crust began to cool which allowed liquid water to begin to pool on its surface.  Tectonics, or plate movement, formed the ocean basins and the positions of the continents that we now know—that process is still continuing today. Read the full article  

As part of the ongoing process to evaluate 82 species of coral from the Caribbean and Pacific for listing under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), NOAA is inviting public review of two reports, a scientific Status Review Report and a draft Management Report. Our review of these 82 species of corals has been the most complex ESA listing process NOAA Fisheries has ever undertaken. NOAA will use the additional input to ensure that the best scientific information available will be considered as we develop our 12-month finding.

• Electronic— submit all electronic information via electronic mail to:
  [email protected]
• Mail—submit written comments to:
  Assistant Regional Administrator for
  Protected Resources
  Attn: 82 coral species
  National Marine Fisheries Service
  Southeast Regional Office
  263 13th Avenue South
  St. Petersburg, FL  33701
• Fax—808-973-2941; Attn: Protected Resources Regulatory Branch Chief, or 727-824-5309; Attn: Assistant Regional Administrator for Protected Resources

Reef Relief’s 25^th annual membership meeting is Monday August 6^th at the Pier House Caribbean Spa Room located at One Duval Street in Key West.

All members are welcome or you can join at the door. Go to https://www.reefrelief.org/act/donate to renew online, join by phone at (305) 294-3100, or mail your check to Reef Relief, PO Box 430, Key West, Florida 33041-0430.

Please join us for this special evening. Come out to meet Reef Relief’s Board of Directors and Staff. Special guest speakers, free food and a cash bar.

Georgia Aquarium, in partnership with Georgia State University, is conducting an online survey of SCUBA divers and snorkelers who visited the Florida Keys.  The goal is to identify visitor awareness of and participation in existing reef conservation programs, as well as willingness by users of reefs to voluntarily contribute financially to reef restoration. Many communities depend on reefs for their livelihood, and as such there is a substantial need to allocate resources toward reef restoration.  This survey will help explore the feasibility of developing sustainable revenue streams to support marine conservation in our area.  Please take a few minutes to complete this survey today.  The survey can be accessed at: