Mote applauds U.S.-Cuban agreement facilitating ocean science and stewardship
On Nov. 18, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Park Service (NPS) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Cuba’s Ministry of Science, Technology, and Environment (CITMA).
The MOU aims to facilitate joint efforts concerning science, stewardship, and management related to Marine Protected Areas, and it includes a sister Marine Protected Area program to foster conservation and understanding of natural marine resources in both countries, sharing technical and scientific data, and promoting education and outreach initiatives.
- Read NOAA’s press release
Mote Marine Laboratory scientists — who have focused on Cuba’s marine environment and worked with Cuban researchers for more than 10 years — applaud this new development because it facilitates scientific exchange for the benefit of all.
“This is a win-win-win: It’s a win for each country and a win for our oceans.” said Dr. Michael P. Crosby, President & CEO of Mote — an independent marine science institution whose research exchanges with Cuba are benefiting from the warming relations between the two nations.
“This agreement between governments regarding marine protected areas helps bring together years of science and natural resource management experience from both nations, and it facilitates partnerships to help conserve and sustainably use our shared ocean resources,” Crosby said. “The oceans are not a barrier between people; they don’t divide us, they connect us.”
According to NOAA, the initial sister MPA relationship will focus on Guanahacabibes National Park in Cuba, including its offshore Bank of San Antonio, and the Flower Garden Banks and Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuaries, managed by NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, and the Dry Tortugas and Biscayne national parks managed by the National Park Service. Collectively, these Marine Protected Areas host and benefit thousands of marine and coastal species and their ecosystems, including stunning coral reefs, reef fishes and invertebrates, sharks, sea turtles, marine mammals, seagrasses and mangroves.
While Mote, an independent, non-profit marine research and science education organization, did not participate directly in the development of this governmental MOU, Mote scientists do provide objective, expert advice to Cuban and U.S. natural resource managers on matters of similar positive impact. For example: In October 2015, Cuba released its National Plan of Action for Sharks with the goals of conservation and sustainable management of these ecologically and economically important fishes. Dr. Robert Hueter, Director of Mote’s Center for Shark Research, is a senior advisor and reviewer for the new National Plan of Action. The plan was adopted by the Cuban government and prepared by Cuban scientists working together with many international institutions, particularly the U.S.-based Environmental Defense Fund (EDF).
“As environmental partnerships and coordination between the U.S. and Cuba grow, Mote will have more opportunities to do what it does best — push the frontiers of science for long-term conservation and sustainable use of our oceans,” Crosby said. “We’ve already worked in partnership with our Cuban colleagues to put out the first tracking tags on sharks in Cuba and document them moving between Cuban and U.S. waters. With corals, there is a significant need for Cuba and the U.S. to move forward with Mote’s innovative methods for restoration of coral reefs, and we’re excited to learn why some isolated species of corals have survived in Cuban waters when they’ve been decimated in other parts of the Caribbean.”
“Mote’s 25 diverse research programs have even more to offer Cuba’s marine ecosystems, and our Cuban counterparts are continually teaching us new things as well. We see enormous potential for eco-friendly aquaculture (fish farming) to benefit Cuba’s people and its economy. Mote also has a history of working closely with the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary to restore and manage sanctuary resources, and we’re working with our Cuban colleagues in their marine protected areas as well.”
More about Mote’s work in Cuba:
Beginning in the last century, Mote scientists have built relationships with the National Aquarium of Cuba and a diversity of marine researchers in other Cuban institutions, which have formed the foundation of the U.S.-Cuba-Mexico Trinational Initiative for Marine Science and Conservation in the Gulf of Mexico and Western Caribbean. This partnership conducts joint research and monitoring of key species and threats to the Gulf of Mexico’s and Western Caribbean's biodiversity and critical habitats.
Cuban marine scientists and students work closely with Mote’s coral researchers through workshops that bring Cuban coral reef scientists to Mote’s Florida facilities. Mote’s shark scientists have worked with colleagues from the University of Havana, Cuba’s Center for Coastal Ecosystems Research and other key Cuban institutions for more than 10 years to address key questions in shark research, often with the vital assistance of EDF.
In February 2015, Mote scientists and their Cuban and U.S. partners placed the first satellite tags on sharks in Cuban waters, conducted the first coral transplant in Cuban waters and more. A rare longfin mako shark tagged during that expedition was tracked into U.S. Atlantic waters.
Read Mote’s 2015 stories about Cuba-focused research: