[Coral-List] new paper comparing citizen science fish data to professional scientific fish data - REEF Volunteer Fish Survey Project and NOAA Fisheries RVC data

[Christy Semmens]

Hello friends and colleagues,

I am excited to share a new paper out last week in Conservation Letters titled "Assessing the Value of Citizen Scientist Observations in Tracking the Abundance of Marine Fishes.” The open access paper can be found here: https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/conl.13009

A full press release is given at the end of this email, and below is a summary.

The state of biodiversity for most of the world is largely unknowable due to a lack of long-term population monitoring data. Citizen science programs could substantially contribute to resolving this data crisis, but there are noted concerns on whether methods can overcome the biases and imprecision inherent to these programs. The authors of this study evaluated these concerns by comparing data collected as part of the REEF Volunteer Fish Survey Project, a long-term citizen science fish monitoring program for recreational divers and snorkelers, with data collected as part of fishery-independent survey coordinated by scientists from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Both datasets were conducted over the same time period at 60 sites off Key Largo, Florida (US), from 1993 to 2018, and both sampled populations of similar coral-reef fishes (n = 87 species). The majority of species exhibited similar trends over the 25-year time span in both population time-series datasets, but there was variation between the two datasets among certain taxonomic and trait-based groups. Overall, these results suggest that citizen scientists can be effective sentinels of ecological change, and that there may be substantial value in leveraging their observations to monitor otherwise data-limited marine species.

best,
Christy

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Christy Pattengill-Semmens, Ph.D. (she/hers)
Co-Executive Director: Science & Engagement
Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF)
www.REEF.org <http://www.reef.org/>
Protecting Marine Life Through Education, Service, and Research

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Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Dr. Brice Semmens, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego
Email: bsemmens at ucsd.edu <mailto:bsemmens at ucsd.edu>

The power of the public: volunteer scuba divers produce decades of fish data that rival federally-funded fisheries survey data
Key Largo, Florida, March 4, 2024 – In a new study <https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/conl.13009> published this week in journal Conservation Letters, researchers from Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego, and Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF) demonstrate that fish taxonomy data collected by volunteer scuba divers (i.e. citizen scientists) provide a powerful and accurate tool to track species trends and biodiversity.

Led by Dr. Dan Greenberg and Professor Brice Semmens, the study focused on evaluating the effectiveness of citizen science data in monitoring the population trends of coral reef fishes in Key Largo, Florida, USA, over a span of 25 years. Using both citizen science scuba diver observations, and a rigorous, federally-funded survey, the researchers analyzed data from ~90 species to determine the level of correlation between the two methods.

Despite the unstructured nature of citizen science surveys, the findings were overwhelmingly positive. "The large majority of species exhibited strong temporal correlations between the two data sets," explained Professor Semmens. "Our findings clearly indicate that citizen scientists can produce high quality ecosystem monitoring data that are on par with data from a long-term, statistically designed survey carried out by professional scientists."

The state of biodiversity worldwide has long been shrouded in mystery, primarily due to the lack of comprehensive, long-term population monitoring data. However, this new research suggests that citizen science initiatives could be one of the keys to unlocking crucial insights into ecological trends.

"This research underscores the invaluable contributions that citizen scientists can make to our understanding of biodiversity," said Dr. Christy Pattengill-Semmens, Co-Director of the REEF. "By engaging the thousands of scuba divers in marine life observing and reporting, we have harnessed a vast network of observers to track ecological changes and inform marine conservation.” 

For more information about the study, please refer to the full article published in Conservation Letters <https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/conl.13009>.

About Scripps Oceanography:

Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego is one of the world’s most important centers for global earth science research and education. In its second century of discovery, Scripps scientists work to understand and protect the planet, and investigate our oceans, Earth, and atmosphere to find solutions to our greatest environmental challenges. Scripps offers unparalleled education and training for the next generation of scientific and environmental leaders through its undergraduate, master’s and doctoral programs. The institution also operates a fleet of four oceanographic research vessels, and is home to Birch Aquarium at Scripps, the public exploration center that welcomes 500,000 visitors each year.

About REEF:

Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF) conserves marine environments worldwide. Our mission is to protect biodiversity and ocean life by actively engaging and inspiring the public through citizen science, education, and partnerships with the scientific community. For more information, visit www.REEF.org <http://www.reef.org/>.