Defending the Fins

What does FMU soccer player Kylie Reif have in common with sharks? 

Both are good swimmers, possess an ambitious nature, and have a fierce love of the ocean.

Reif’s interest in sharks took concrete form last year when she founded Definders, an organization created to educate humans about sharks, and to advocate for shark conservation. Reif’s goal is to produce a public that is better informed about the important role sharks play in the oceanic ecosystem, and not as quick to assume the worst when they see a shark coming.

Sharks are a species in desperate need of advocacy, says Reif.

Due to the unfavorable, exaggerated stereotypes perpetuated by the entertainment industry, sharks are not a popular cause. Most people view them as man-eating monsters, and are more inclined to believe we need protection from them, rather than the other way around.

Sharks are hunted for sport, which, along with some other factors, has led to a massive decline in their population. Recent research by the Pew Charitable Trusts shows the worldwide shark population has fallen by a whopping 70 percent since 1970. 

“Sharks are very misunderstood, and I felt very misunderstood growing up,” Reif says. “I couldn’t imagine being killed for being misunderstood. They don’t deserve that pain, that misunderstanding. They don’t have a voice, so I decided to be their voice.”

Reif’s first step with her new organization was to create a website — www.defendthefins.org. She learned as she went, developing the necessary site-building skills while working on the site. 

While that was underway, Reif assembled a team of people she met on research excursions in Florida and Fiji. The newly formed group began developing content and social media channels. The Definders social media accounts now have a steady pipeline of educational content.

Reif’s goal is for Definders to become a shark conservation organization, funded by donors big and small from around the world. For now, she is focused on reaching as many people as she can.

“Like with every startup, it’s hard,” Reif says. “It’s not going to take off immediately. I’m fighting a very strong stigma in society. But if I reach just one more person and get one more view on our videos, that’s a win to me. Obviously, I’d love to have thousands of views, but you never see where people start, you just see where they end up. So my goal is to find that next  person. That’s enough for me right now.”

Reif credits her mom, Diana Reif, with instilling her love of the ocean. As a child, Reif went snorkeling with her mother in Hawaii. Or, more precisely, she went out on the ocean with her mother while her mother snorkeled.

Reif was afraid to get in the water. She stayed on the boat while her mom pleaded with her to come see the beauty and wonder that was under the surface. 

Her mom finally talked her into putting her face in. The first thing Reif saw when she peered down into the ocean was a giant sea turtle. From that moment, she was hooked. 

“A switch went off inside me,” Reif says. “I became obsessed with the ocean. After that day, I was out in the water from dawn until dusk the rest of the trip. I often think, ‘Where would I be if not for that day?’”

Reif obtained her scuba certification when she was 15, which opened up new opportunities in the water. She fell in love with sharks soon after.

“As a kid, I had the ocean all wrong,” Reif says “I started to wonder if I had other things wrong, too. So I started researching sharks and interacting with them. The first few times I saw them, it was intimidating. But, I realized they just come and go. And every place I saw them, the ocean was thriving. That can’t be a coincidence. I realized how amazing these creatures are and how evolutionarily fascinating they are.”

When she’s not advocating for sharks, Reif is an important contributor for the FMU women’s soccer team and an accomplished student. She was a Conference Carolinas Presidential All-Academic team selection, and has made the Swamp Fox Academic Honor Roll three times in her short career at FMU.

The Indiana native is advancing her academic pursuits at FMU as well, taking advantage of the university’s growing marine biology and ecology programs. 

This summer, Reif and FMU biology professor Dr. Jason Doll will conduct a diversity survey of elasmobranchs (sharks, skates and rays) at Winyah Bay in Georgetown County.

Doll says Reif will study and compare gear types commonly used to survey elasmobranchs. 

“She will compare species diversity indices from elasmobranchs captured in longlines and tangle nets,” Doll says. “Kylie is a passionate and inquisitive student, and I know she will be the perfect student to lead this project.” 

Reif hopes to use her research and online platform to help oceanic wildlife firsthand. She already has experience with that under supervision and would like to continue on that path. She plans to use Definders to continue building on her momentum in the battle to save sharks.

“If we don’t stop and pay attention to what we’re doing to these supposed ‘monsters of the sea,’ we’re going to lose everything in our oceans,” says Reif. “I want to save it. I know I can’t singlehandedly save it, but I want to start a community that wants to save it too. I want to start that tidal wave.”