Fish identification Key Largo
Want to know more about the fish you see in the waters of Key Largo and their life styles?
Fish identification Key Largo at the John Pennekamp Coral Reef state park is amazing if you know what to look for.
Key Largo reef has over 500 species of fish that are easily identified if you know how to identify them.
Identification is based on Shape, Color, special marking, habitat and behaviors.
Don’t be alarmed by thinking you will never learn all those details. In conjunction with REEF.org we have some special ways to help you remember how to identify them.
Once you start Fish Watching you will find it fascinating discovering what all the fish are up to in their daily lives.
You will even discover how to tell how old some of the fish are!
Join us for a Fish identification tour
When you reserve one of our Private Charter tours, for an additional $100 you can request that it be a Fish Watching tour. We will provide you with up to 10 slates and special underwater paper to record what fish you see. Its great fun and educational for all of the family! Let us know if you would like to do this prior to your arrival so we can get your packs ready.
The Great Annual Fish Count!
Each year Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF) has an annual fish count in July and are assisted by citizen scientists and businesses alike. Reef fish counts help scientists understand the health of the reef fish population and the relative contributions of juvenile and adult fish. This information is important for assessing the overall health and sustainability of reef fish stocks. For example, scientists can use the number of fish that live in a small section of the reef to estimate the size of the fish population for the entire reef.
This year Island Ventures are hosting a Great Annual Fish Count on July 12th 2025.
For this Great Annual Fish Count event, join REEF and Island Ventures for a REEF fish ID class followed by a survey dive/snorkel!
Morning check-in for the fish ID class at 9:15am, break for lunch at 11am (on your own), and check-in for the dive/snorkel at Island Ventures at 12:15pm.
Fish ID class: At REEF Interpretive Center, 98300 Overseas Hwy, Key Largo, FL 33037
Survey dives/snorkel: Island Ventures, 13 Seagate Blvd, Key Largo, FL 33037
Record the fish you see on the Coral Reef and help REEF.org gain data of where the fish are
One of the ways you can help us understand more about the fish on the reef is to register for free at REEF.org for a membership number that will then let you register your fish count on an international database.
Become a registered fish surveyor!
There are a number of levels that you can achieve with you fish counts that are recorded with Reef.org.
You can become ‘Super Surveyor’ if you record 25 fish surveys in 2024, head over the REEF.org for more details!
How to identify Fish
Come and spend a couple of hours with us on your private dive or snorkel tour and for a small additional cost of $100 for your group. We will teach you what to look for and even have some fun whilst we are at it. This is a land based activity and conducted at our shop, call for more details.
Head over to or friends at REEF who do free Fishinars where you can learn about the fish you will see when you get here!