MENU
MENU
DFW creates and distributes various educational materials for the larger public community to learn about the protection, conservation, and management of aquatic resources in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Stop by either of our offices for free posters, brochures, and activity books catered to multiple age groups. Additionally, DFW hosts and/or participates in outreach events such as fishing clinics, giving classroom presentations, providing internship opportunities to college students and recent graduates, and attending community events such as the annual Harvest Fest and Kid’s Expo. DFW also partners with various stakeholders to raise awareness of sustainable seafood choices in the U.S. Virgin Islands through the Reef Responsible Sustainable Seafood Initiative (RRSSI). DFW’s aquatic outreach and education efforts are funded by the Sport Fish Restoration Program (SFR) through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).
The USVI supports a large recreational fishery with recreational fishing contributing millions of dollars annually to the local economy. Recreational fishing is a year-round activity for both residents and tourists. However, despite an overall increase in the population of the United States, recreational fishing in on the decline. Reasons cited for this decline may include the tendency of the younger generation to spend more time indoors online and participating in electronic gaming rather than outside. Lack of exposure to an outdoor activity such as recreational fishing at an early age has been shown to strongly decrease the likelihood of future involvement in outdoor recreational activities. Furthermore, within the local community, the public has little idea of the health of territorial marine resources, effects of invasive species, or the role that recreational fishing plays in the management of our aquatic resources.
It is the responsibility of the Aquatic Education Program to increase public awareness of our local aquatic natural resources as well as promote outdoor recreation and create resource use opportunities such as recreational and sport fishing. To meet these responsibilities, DFW will recruit, retain and reengage sport fishers in the territory, provide educational opportunities to stakeholders to learn how to sustainably enjoy marine and freshwater resources of the USVI, and develop new sport fishing activities and provide educational opportunities to educate the Virgin Islands community on the marine and freshwater resources of the USVI.
Reef Responsible Sustainable Seafood Initiative is a voluntary program designed to help create a sustainable seafood industry in the U.S. Virgin Islands. At Reef Responsible, we celebrate restaurants that are committed to supporting local licensed commercial fishermen, while making conscious decisions about the seafood that they purchase, prepare, and serve. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date on Reef Responsible events, participate in our Trivia Tuesdays for prizes, and learn how to #SeeFoodSustainably!
Or contact us directly at reefresponsiblevi@gmail.com
Reef Responsible Facebook
Reef Responsible Instagram
Please click the button below to request the Reef Responsible Team to attend your next event.
The Reef Responsible Sustainable Seafood Initiative (RRSSI) measures how well the program shares resources focused on sustainable seafood choices and reaches its target audience. By completing one of the surveys below, you will help RRSSI continue to improve and better communicate our core mission and goal.
Please use the buttons below to take the quick survey that best suits you.
Restaurant Owners and Employees
Patrons of Restaurants
Commercial Fishers
Students
General Audience/Survey
Restaurant Training Feedback
Customers of Commercial Fishers
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.
Since 2021, DFW staff partnered with the USVI Department of Sports, Park and Recreation to host a series of fishing clinics for youth ages 7 and up. These 2 to 3-week clinics involve classroom sessions to learn fish identification, knot tying, and casting lines before heading outside to various docks where the kids could exercise their new fishing skills! Fishing clinics are hosted on the islands of St. Croix and St. Thomas, you can follow the Department of Sports Park and Recreation here for updates on future clinics!
The Division of Fish and Wildlife works with several programs throughout the Territory to provide internship opportunities to high school and undergraduate students interested in the marine sciences. Throughout the years, DFW has hosted interns from the University of the Virgin Islands, the SEAS Alliance Workforce Fellow Program, the Navigating Home Program, St. Croix Educational Complex High School, and the Virgin Islands Department of Labor. If you are a student and are interested in the internship opportunities offered by the Division of Fish and Wildlife, please contact us at (340) 775-6762 (STT) or (340) 773-1082 (STX) or email us at DFWElectronic@usvi.onmicrosoft.com
The Division of Fish and Wildlife accepts volunteers to assist with ongoing projects, often fieldwork, in which additional hands are needed. Community volunteers are needed on a rolling basis depending on specific project timelines, so please contact our offices first to inquire – thank you!
Chayla interned with DFW during the summer of 2024 as part of her junior year internship requirement at Antilles School. She assisted DFW biologists with various projects, including collecting data from confiscated shells at various USVI ports and collecting vital fisheries-dependent data from the commercial fishing sector.
Miranda interned with DFW during the summer of 2023, while a senior marine biology major at the University of Virgin Islands. During her internship with DFW, she compared pilot methodologies for our SEAMAP-C finfish surveys to determine whether handline or camera surveys were more effective at measuring fish abundance. Miranda is now a graduate student at UVI in the Master of Marine and Environmental Science program. Her thesis will be focused on shark populations in the USVI.
Jalleigah is a zoology major at Berry College in Georgia and interned with DFW during the summer of 2023. She assisted with a variety of projects including developing inforgraphics and sorting confiscated marine life from the airports, identifying invasive agave snout weevil infestations, and participating in sea and shorebird surveys throughout the offshore cays surrounding St. Thomas.
Kwami interned with DFW in the Fall of 2022. He assisted DFW biologists with organizing queen conch and spiny lobster data from our SEAMAP-C project. He also got hands-on experience in the field by assisting with data collection. After his internship with the DFW, he became a Short-Term Fellow through the Securing STEM Islands Pathways Program and secured a fellowship with the Bureau of Wildlife at DFW in St. Croix. Tragically, Kwami passed away in July 2023. Kwami left a lasting imprint on the entire DFW team, and he will be forever remembered in the work that we do.
Kera joined DFW as a LIFT (Labor Investing for Tomorrow) intern in the Fall of 2022. During her time at DFW, she primarily managed and organized data associated with fisheries' independent projects in the Division and assisted with various field projects for SEAMAP-C.
Keedencia interned with DFW in the summer/fall of 2022. She worked on filing and archiving old wildlife and bird reports, assisted with DFW hosted fishing clinics, and assisted DFW biologists with Caribbean spiny lobster dissections as part of the SEAMAP-C lobster project.
Dishon interned with DFW during the early summer of 2022. His project focused on analyzing data collected at fishing tournaments in the territory to better understand catch effort. Dishon also assisted with fieldwork for fisheries-independent lobster surveys as part of the SEAMAP-C project.
LeeAnn interned with DFW during the late summer/fall of 2022. She worked on analysis of remote underwater video surveys as part of the SEAMAP-C finfish surveys. LeeAnn also assisted in fieldwork for fisheries-independent data collection for the SEAMAP-C project.
Felice interned with DFW during the summer of 2022. She worked on developing a framework for spatial datasets to assist in submerged aquatic resource management, such as aquaculture for exam
We offer a variety of educational resources for the public to utilize. These resources can be used for personal use, in the classroom, for summer camp activities and more. Don’t hesitate to stop by our offices to pick up any of our educational resources.
Please visit our Resources page to find all commercial fishing resources.
