The Grouper Moon Is Nearly Here!

 

Hello Everyone!

For those of you who are new to the program or just want a refresher, I am
very excited to share with you the Grouper Moon Educator Workshop for
2022. This year’s workshop was prerecorded and is available for you to
stream at your convenience.

A second (shorter) video will be sent out at the end of the month and will walk you
through using StreamYard, the streaming platform we use. It will be quick
and simple and will be followed up with a couple practice “livestreaming”
sessions available for teachers who want to practice using the platform
and to address any technical problems with me.

The workshop is available for you now to stream here:
https://youtu.be/sVo-hJvv1Lc

Link to Grouper Moon educational materials, including lesson plans and
documentary links:
https://www.reef.org/grouper-moon-education-program-resources

Finally, this is our 13th year doing the Grouper Education Project
(yay!) and we are working to update and expand the materials and
resources we have available for students and teachers. To get your
critical feedback, we are asking you to take a survey after viewing the
workshop. The first 15 Cayman educators who complete the survey will
receive a $20 grocery gift card to Fosters!

The Educator Workshop Survey is available to complete online, here:
http://www.reef.org/grouper-moon-edcuator-survey

Thank you for your time and for everything you do as educators. Please do
not hesitate to email me if you have any questions or if you need support
implementing these activities in your classroom.

Go Grouper Moon!

Todd Bohannon
REEF Educator
Grouper Moon Project

Nassau Grouper Talk!!

Hello Everyone!

It was so great to see you all today on the live stream! I hope you enjoyed it.

Today we talked about some of the different tools scientists are using observe and collect data about the Nassau Grouper.  A few years ago, a graduate student from SCRIPPS, Katherine Cameron, studied the sounds Grouper make when they are spawning. (Yes, they actually “talk” to each other!) Using hydrophones that were placed on the ocean floor, she collected the sounds, or vocalizations, the Nassau make. Below is a picture of hydrophone as well as three sound files of different Nassau vocalizations she has recorded. What do you think they’re saying?  Post your comments below!

 

Hydrophones were placed in several locations near the SPAG.

 

The Grouper Moon is almost here!

 

Hello Grouper Moon Students & Educators!

The Grouper Moon is nearly here and we are so excited to see you all on next week’s livestreams.

The following is a link that will take you to an awesome book all about the Nassau Grouper.  Created by BREEF, this is an excellent resource to learn more about the iconic fish.  Check it out! Breef-NGrouperGuideforSchools.pdf

Take are everyone, and we will see you all soon!

Todd

“The Grouper Teacher”

The Grouper Moon is coming!!

Hello Educators!

The Grouper Moon is nearly here and I wanted to share a few things with you.

Here is a link to access ALL the lesson plans:

Lesson Plans & Classroom Resources

Additionally, here is a link to the Educator Workshop we had a couple weeks ago:

Grouper Moon Educator Workshop 2021

The Grouper Moon livestream dates are as follows:

  • Tuesday, January 18th
  • Wednesday, January 19th
  • Thursday, January 20th
  • Friday, January 21st (back-up day)

Email me if you have any questions: todd@reef.org

Here are Christy and Brice Semmens talking to a classroom from Nassau Grouper’s spawning site on Little Cayman.

Grouper Moon 2021

Hi Everyone! My name is Amanda Brown, and I will be joining the Cayman Islands Department of Environment (DoE) and Reef Environmental Education Foundation on this year’s Grouper Moon Project in Little Cayman.

I am a grade two teacher at Cayman International School on Grand Cayman. In Grade 2, my students do a Project Based Learning Unit on the ocean, and our driving question is, “How are we connected to the sea?” Engaging students in the Grouper Moon Project each year is one of the many ways that we develop their understanding about how we affect and are affected by our ocean.

Outside of the classroom, you will find me scuba diving our coral reefs in Grand Cayman, volunteering with the Department of Environment’s sea turtle monitoring program and Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease project, and helping with the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation’s conservation efforts and surveys at Stingray City Sandbar. I absolutely love the ocean, and it brings me joy to share all of the ocean’s wonders with my students!

This year I am incredibly excited to join the Grouper Moon Project’s research team, and to bring the project to life for my students in a way that I’ve only dreamed of.

I’ll be updating this blog daily, so check here for updates, exciting videos, and a behind the scenes look at this year’s Grouper Moon Project!

Lucky, the Nassau Grouper!

Image

Hello everyone!

It was so awesome to talk with you all during today’s livestream.  You all had excellent questions.  Thank you so much!

During today’s livestream, we talked about the predators who show up on the aggregation site. We often see sharks swimming in and around the Nassau during the spawning.  Below is a photo of a grouper we named, “Lucky.” Clearly he’s had an encounter with a shark at some point in his life, but amazingly, he’s healed, and continues to show up each year to spawn!

We have seen him a number of times over the past 4-5 years.  Talk about a lucky (and incredibly tough) fish!

That’s one Lucky fish!

So many Nassau Grouper!!

Hi Everyone!

I hope you all enjoyed today’s livestream from Bloody Bay!!  We saw so many amazing things and you had absolutely fantastic questions! Thank you all so much for being awesome audience members.

Today, I’m posting a short video clip taken at the spawning aggregation site. Look very closely and see how many different color phases you can identify.  Please leave any comments or questions below.

Enjoy!

Todd

Fish ID 101

Image

Hello Everyone!

It was so great to see you all on this morning’s livestream!  I hope you enjoyed it!

In preparation for tomorrow’s underwater livestream, I thought it would be good to test our FISH ID skills.  Can you identify any of the following marine species, commonly found on the reef here in the Cayman Islands? Post your answers in the comment section below!

1.

#1

2.

#2

3.

#3

4.

#4

5.

 

Grouper Color Phases!

Image

Hello Everyone!

The Grouper Moon Project is in now running full-steam ahead.  Divers and researchers are out counting, measuring and photographing the Nassau 3 times a day!

Today I am sharing a picture of the Nassau Grouper’s different color phases.  Can you guess why they change color?  Share your thoughts in the comment section below!

Cheers!

Todd

Color Phases!

 

Grouper Moon Updates!

Hello Everyone!

Things are busy here on Little Cayman as REEF & DOE researchers begin this year’s Grouper Moon Project. Divers were out this morning and again this afternoon and they confirm that  Nassau are indeed out there!  Exciting!

As we get ready for our first livestream on Tuesday, I thought this info graphic would be helpful to understand the lifecycle of the Nassau Grouper.  Take a look (click on the link) and leave any questions you have in the comments below!

Cheers!

Todd

Nassau-Grouper-Poster