Size Matters: Innovative Length Estimates (SMILE)

Citizen science programs like REEF’s SMILE project empower the public to generate vital monitoring data and actively participate in resource management. With minimal operation and instruction, divers can contribute data via capturing images of economically important species such as groupers, snappers, hogfish, and ecologically vital parrotfish to be measured. The SMILE project leverages affordable, easy-to-use FishSense Lite camera technology, while a stakeholder panel provides guidance on survey methods, species of interest, and image collection locations. All fish abundance and length data will be publicly available to support current research, fisheries management, and future machine learning advancements.

Supported by NOAA’s Coral Reef Conservation Program, this collaboration among REEF, SAFMC’s Citizen Science Program, SECOORA, Scripps Oceanography, UCSD, and Tetra Tech will introduce a new data source into fisheries stock assessments.

This project can be supported remotely through:
AI annotation for laser location, fish head and tail, fish species, and fish body contouring via an online platform which can be done at the volunteer’s own pace.

To Dive with the camera systems and collect data in the Florida Keys, contact REEF or our dive shop partners at Amoray Dive Resort (Key Largo) Phone: 305-451-3595
amoraydive@amoray.com

Learn more in our article in Alert Diver magazine: https://dan.org/alert-diver/article/advancing-conservation-through-citizen-science/

Additional details at reef.org/smile