Since 2012, Crystal Cove Conservancy has been working with Newport Whales and local junior high and high school students to monitor fish populations in the Crystal Cove State Marine Conservation Area (SMCA).  During the Marine Protected Area Science Cruise, students head to sea aboard a fishing vessel called the Western Pride, where they use an underwater camera to conduct vertical surveys of the kelp forest.

Now, we need your help analyzing the data to see how the Crystal Cove SMCA fish population is changing over time!  

To get started, you'll help us by analyzing short video clips to look for the presence or absence of six key species of fish.  You can find the videos on Crystal Cove Conservancy's website here: https://crystalcove.org/education/distance-learning/smca-fish/

As you watch each video, use the Crystal Cove SMCA Fish field guide to identify each species.  Below, mark whether each fish species is present (meaning you observed at least one of them) or absent (meaning you did not see them at all).  If you identified additional fish species that were not on the key species list, you can record those as well.