Cuban scientists
are crossing geographic and political boundaries to visit the United
States as part of an effort to study and protect our shared oceans -
and they specifically requested to drop by Mote Marine Laboratory.
Delegates from
Cuba's Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment, its Institute
of Oceanology and the National Aquarium of Cuba will visit Mote on
Sept. 18-19 and talk with Mote scientists about current collaborations
and new opportunities to work together. This trip, facilitated by the
Environmental Defense Fund, is a rare chance for Mote's team to bring
Cuban collaborators to their home base in Sarasota, after traveling
repeatedly to Cuba to plan and conduct conservation-oriented marine
research over the past five years.
Scientists are only
beginning - or preparing, in some cases - to investigate in Cuban
waters the sharks, fishes, sea turtles, dolphins and other marine
species, many of which are migratory and sometimes spend time in
Florida waters, too. Conservation efforts depend on knowing which
species live around Cuba for part or all of their lives, their
population status and what threats they face.
Cuba's waters host
healthy coral reefs and other pristine ecosystems, which Cuban
officials have worked to conserve in recent years by creating marine
protected areas, among other efforts. Cuban scientists have actively
sought to work with their counterparts in the U.S., who are eager to
apply their resources to conservation in Cuban waters
But researchers
from the two nations can rarely join forces, due to a 47-year trade
embargo that severely restricts U.S. travel to Cuba and thwarts most
Cubans' efforts to visit the U.S. Despite this hurdle, Mote scientists
and others have begun reaching across the water, with legal approval
from the U.S. Department of Treasury.
"Marine ecosystems
know no national borders, so marine science and conservation require
international cooperation," said Mote President and CEO Dr. Kumar
Mahadevan. "We're honored to host this esteemed delegation from Cuba,
whose teamwork with Mote holds great promise for marine conservation."
The delegates will
meet with Mote scientists on the morning of Sept. 18, tour Mote's City
Island facilities on the afternoon of Sept. 18, then dine at the
Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota on Siberian sturgeon and caviar from Mote
Aquaculture Research Park (MAP), where Mote staff sustainably raise
economically important fish inland using innovative techniques to
recirculate water. The group will tour MAP in eastern Sarasota County
on Sept. 19.
The Cubans' visit
is funded by the Environmental Defense Fund, whose lawyers helped
acquire their travel visas - "a nearly impossible task," said Senior
Attorney Dan Whittle, who directs the Fund's projects involving Cuba.
Whittle will accompany the delegation to Mote after they take part in a
symposium on protecting Cuba's environments with the Fund on Sept. 16
in Washington, D.C.
"The delegates
specifically asked to visit Mote, and we're excited to bring them
there," Whittle said. "Mote has been a valuable partner to Cuba and the
Environmental Defense Fund in fostering conservation in the Gulf of
Mexico, the Caribbean and the southeastern Atlantic. I think these
collaborations have a bright future in several areas, shark
conservation among them."
Through
collaboration with Cuban colleagues, Mote scientists discovered a
previously unknown tiger shark nursery - where young sharks feed and
grow - in a May 2009 expedition along Cuba's northwest coast. That
expedition involved Mote staff along with scientists and students from
the University of Havana.
"We're excited to
be starting these important basic studies on Cuban ecosystems with
colleagues in Cuba," said Dr. Robert Hueter, director of Mote's Center
for Shark Research. "Working in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean region
and having to ignore the importance of Cuba has been like trying to
predict hurricanes with a whole set of satellites missing - it created
a big hole in our data. Now, by teaming up with Cuban scientists, we're
beginning to fill this gap."
Hueter plans to
study whale sharks in Cuba this October, using satellite tracking tags
to learn what they do after leaving their summer feeding grounds near
Mexico. Mote researchers also are working with Cubans to monitor the
numbers and types of sharks caught by the island's fishermen.
Mote scientists'
other goals in Cuba include studying dolphin populations for
conservation purposes and expanding fisheries research, which currently
focuses on bonefish. They hope more opportunities will arise as
scientific and educational relationships with Cuba grow, allowing
research and conservation efforts to enhance the marine resources of
both nations.
In the past two
years, Mote staff have joined Cuban scientists in two international
workshops on marine science and conservation co-organized by The Ocean
Foundation, the Center for International Policy and the Harte Research
Institute. Along with representatives from Mexico, who attended the
second meeting in March 2009, Mote will join U.S. and Cuban scientists
to set a five-year plan of action for collaborative marine science in
the Gulf of Mexico during Oct. 25-27 in Havana.
Mote scientists
will also present several projects at ColacMarCuba 2009, an
international marine science conference Oct. 26-30 in Havana.
Mote offers a
special thanks to the Ritz-Carlton in Sarasota for sponsoring
accommodations for the Cuban delegation during their visit.
Media: Dr.
Mahadevan and Dr. Hueter will be available for interviews on the
afternoon of Sept. 18 beginning at 2 p.m. Please contact Hayley Rutger,
public relations specialist, at 941-374-0081 or hrutger@mote.org.
Mote Marine
Laboratory, founded in 1955, is dedicated to advancing the science of
the sea through the study of marine and estuarine ecosystems, through
the public Mote Aquarium and through an education division that
provides unique programs for all ages. Learn more at www.mote.org.
Since 1967,
Environmental Defense Fund has linked science, economics, law and
innovative private-sector partnerships to create breakthrough solutions
to the most serious environmental problems. Learn more at: www.edf.org.
The Cuban delegates are:
Luis A. Barreras Cañizo:
Mr. Barreras is a longtime specialist in international cooperation in
Cuba's Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment and coordinates
the joint research activities between U.S. and Cuban scientists and
institutions.
Dr. Guillermo García Montero:
Dr. García is Director of the National Aquarium of Cuba and the
President of the National Committee on Oceanography. He also serves on
the Advisory Council of the Harte Research Institute at Texas A&M
University. He is an expert in coastal zone science and management.
Dr. Pedro Manuel Alcolado Menéndez:
Dr. Alcolado joined Cuba's Institute of Oceanology in 1972 as a marine
biologist. As a Senior Researcher, his current research focuses on the
conservation of coral reefs and the integrated management of the
coastal zone. In 2002, Dr. Alcolado received a special acknowledgement
from the Cuban Environment Agency for his outstanding performance as
Scientific Advisor of a project titled "Protection and sustainable use
of the biodiversity in the Ecosystem Sabana-Camagüey," a joint effort
between the United Nations Development Programme and the Global
Environment Facility. He is also a permanent member of the National
Committee for Doctoral Degree in Biological Sciences.
Dr. Dalia María Salabarría Fernández:
Dr. Salabarría is a marine biologist and is Director of Center for
Environmental Information, Management and Education within the Cuban
Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment (CITMA). She is an
expert in sea turtle conservation, invasive species, and integrated
coastal zone management. Currently, Dr. Salabarría is the coordinator
of the Cuban National Group of Biodiversity and has also been involved
in the development of the CITES Convention program in Cuba. She is a
Senior Professor and the coordinator of the Master program in Ecosystem
Management at the School of Management, Science and Technology at the
Superior Institute of Technology and Science, CITMA.
