Reef Check is an international nonprofit group that works to protect two ecosystems: tropical coral reefs and temperate kelp forests. The organization is based in California, United States, but gathers information from volunteer scuba diver teams in more than 80 countries, including Australia, Japan, and Germany. It is the official coral reef monitoring program of the United Nations.

History

Reef Check first started a worldwide study of coral reef health in 1997. The results showed that coral reefs were in serious trouble because of overfishing, pollution, and other human activities. The findings, published in 1999, surprised scientists who studied coral reefs, as the full effects of these problems were not understood before.

A report titled "The Global Coral Reef Crisis: Trends and Solutions (1997-2001)" was released in 2002 during the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa. This five-year report used data collected by thousands of volunteers around the world. It was the first scientific document to show how coral reef health had declined over five years.

In 2005, Reef Check began its first program to study temperate reefs in California. This program collected information about kelp forests to help plan the state’s Marine Protected Area (MPA) network. Since then, Reef Check’s Kelp Forest Monitoring Program has become the largest scuba-based citizen science program.

In 2016, this program expanded to include climate change monitoring. It now collects ocean temperature data from more than 75 locations.

In 2020, Reef Check started working to restore kelp forests, aiming to help these ecosystems recover along the North American West Coast. This program focuses on community-based restoration by involving volunteers and offering economic benefits to local communities that rely on the ocean. These communities are often most affected by the loss of kelp in many areas.

Reef Check’s Dive into Science program, launched in 2019, teaches scuba and scientific diving skills to groups that have been underrepresented in these efforts, such as tribes, low-income communities of color, and foster youth.

Reef Check works to build partnerships between communities, government agencies, businesses, universities, and other non-profits. Its mission is "to empower people to save our reefs and oceans."

Monitoring methods

Reef Check volunteer divers are trained to study a specific site once a year or sometimes every three months. Underwater surveyors mainly focus on stationary sea creatures (benthos) along a 100-meter (330 ft) measured path.

Four separate sections, each 20 meters (66 ft) long, are studied with three 5-meter (16 ft) gaps between them. The survey is divided so that two divers can work together: one observes the ocean floor, takes photos of larger sea creatures and signs of damage, records video, and counts fish, while the other documents details about the specific site.

Programs

Reef Check does its work through four main programs: the Coral Reef Program, Kelp Forest Program, Kelp Restoration Program, and Dive into Science Program.