THE GREAT AMERICAN FISH COUNT JULY 1 - 14 The Great American Fish Count (GAFC) is an annual fish census conducted by trained volunteer scuba divers and snorkelers. The purpose of the event is to mobilize and educate the recreational diving community and to increase the awareness and level of concern regarding the condition of our fisheries and marine environment. The data gathered during the GAFC will provide valuable and much needed information on fish species diversity, abundance and distribution. The GAFC began in 1992, when a small group of recreational divers and marine biologists from the Channel Islands conducted a standardized visual fish census. Their effort was modeled after the Audubon Christmas Bird Count, and quickly grew into an annual event. In 1997, 27 information and training seminars were held and 439 participants submitted 372 surveys from the Pacific, Atlantic and Gulf coasts. A standardized visual census method is used during the GAFC in order to obtain useful and valid information. The method allows for unrestricted movement throughout the dive site and requires minimal effort and equipment. Divers record all species encountered that can be identified. The relative abundance of each species is also recorded during and after the survey. At the conclusion of the dive, each volunteer diver records the sightings on a pre-printed form, that is then returned to be entered into a database. The GAFC is a partnership between American Oceans Campaign (AOC), Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF), and NOAA's National Marine Sanctuary Program. For more information, contact Christy Pattengill, GAFC Coordinator, at 1-800-8 ocean0 or by E-mail: GAFC@yahoo.com, or visit the GAFC Web site at www.fishcount.org.

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