Christy Pattengill-Semmens Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF)

Making Dives That Count – Ocean Citizen Science Monitoring

Photo by Pete Naylor

REEF Volunteer Fish Survey Project

REEF Volunteer Fish Survey Project www.REEF.org

• Free swimming range around dive site

• Record all fish species; indicator invertebrates and algae in temperate regions

• Estimate relative abundance for each species Single (S) -1 Few (F) - 2-10 Many (M) - 11-100 Abundant (A) - >100

• Submit sightings data and survey

details via online entry interface

• Automated and manual quality control/error checking

Roving Diver Technique

REEF Volunteer Survey Program

1993

1997

2000

2001

2001 2015

2014 2010

REEF Volunteer Fish Survey Project

200,839 Surveys

12,038 Sites

As of January 2016

12,038 Survey Sites

World Wide

12,038 Survey Sites

World Wide

REEF Volunteer Fish Survey Project

200,839 Surveys

12,038 Sites

16,000+ Volunteers

As of January 2016

345 volunteers (2.5%) have done 100+ surveys, accounting for 112,345 surveys (60%)

REEF Volunteer Fish Survey Project

200,839 Surveys

12,038 Sites

16,000+ Volunteers

8.5 million records 3,600+ species

As of January 2016

Online Data Reports

Metadata includes:

• Surveyor Information • Date, Start Time, Bottom Time • Location • Water Temperature, Visibility, Current • General Habitat Description

Users include: • Academic Scientists • Resource Agencies • Graduate Students

Raw Data Files Upon Request

• Population Assessments • Fisheries-Independent Stock Assessments • Protected Area Monitoring • Identification and Tracking of Non-native Species • Biodiversity Hotspots for Ecoregional Planning • Investigating Ecological Patterns • Assessments for Endangered Species Act Listings • Non-extractive User Group Patterns of Use

51 science and resource management publications

Data Uses

www.REEF.org/db/publications

• Thorson, JT, MD Scheuerell, BX Semmens, and CV Pattengill-Semmens. 2014. Demographic Modeling of Citizen Science Data Informs Habitat Preferences and Population Dynamics of Recovering Fishes. Ecology

• Holt, BG, R Rioja-Nieto, MA MacNeil, J Lupton, and C Rahbek. 2013. Comparing Diversity Data Collected Using a Protocol Designed for Volunteers with Results from a Professional Alternative. Methods in Ecology and Evolution

• Francisco-Ramos V, Arias-González JE . 2013. Additive Partitioning of Coral Reef Fish Diversity Across Hierarchical Spatial Scales Throughout the Caribbean. PLoS ONE

• Stallings, CD. 2009. Fishery-Independent Data Reveal Negative Effect of Human Population Density on Caribbean Predatory Fish Communities. PLoS ONE

Recent Publications

Volunteer Fish Survey Project

Invasive Lionfish Research Program

Grouper Moon Project

Explorers Education and Internships

Programs

Carol Cox

• The inception of REEF and the VFSP • Goals for Science, Policy/Action, and Participants (Shirk and Bonney 2015)

– Science • “Engaging volunteers at previously unthinkable scales” • Providing “additional insights and expertise” • The role of technology in making CS possible • “CS data can stand alone or can complement other data” • Data quality – realistic goals and careful design • Connect with data users from start

– Participants • Must understand motivation of participants, realistic expectations of what

they are willing to do

Identify Goals

• Early efforts of capacity building focused on: – Expertise (developing protocol, computer/db management) – Finding volunteers to participate – Securing funding from individuals and a few key private foundations who

provided early (and continued) seed money – Establishing program sustainability, regional expansion began in year 4 – Leveraging partnerships for administrative and overhead expenses

• Volunteers – “those who opt to participate more than likely bring some level of skill,

interest, insight, or commitment” primary reason why REEF has never required training

– Early studies that evaluated volunteer skill

• Staff – Unpaid staff for first several years, 1-2 staff until about year 4, today (23

years later) we have 6 FT and 4 PT – All but one are not scientists

Establish Capacity

Protocol • “Pilot where possible”, data sheets, training materials, and

document potential biases in method and novice vs. expert if possible

• Finalize and stick with protocol Training • Diversity of training opportunities • Pre-formatted survey materials • Experience levels document metadata about observers Infrastructure • “it is most efficient if designed for sustainability” • Data sharing policy

Design/Refine

Participation • “important to value participation consistency and reliability”,

“acknowledge and celebrate contributions of volunteers” -> most CS programs are dominated by a core group of dedicated volunteers, need to ensure that they will keep coming back as well as recruiting enough new people to counter natural attrition – Flexibility in when and where, protocol meshes with existing recreational

activity – Top 25 lists, Advanced Assessment Team levels, ability to view data, share

data uses

Data • Keep it simple, and robust to growth (open source) • Document changes in record • QA/QC at several steps

Manage

• Big, messy datasets -> innovative analytic techniques, finding next generation scientists who aren’t afraid of big, messy, and non-stratified

• Evaluation and determining effectiveness, doesn’t have to be elaborate. And must be patient, it takes time -> snowball effect

Apply and Adapt

Thank You