Cuba's Northwestern Coast Along the Gulf of Mexico

For the most up-to-date information on the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill’s potential impacts on Cuba, please visit our special “Cuba at Risk” page.

Since its discovery of oil and natural gas reserves in the Florida straits, Cuba’s preparations for full-scale offshore oil and gas development has raised alarm in the United States, particularly in Florida where it is estimated that much of a catastrophic spill originating in Cuba would be swept by Gulf currents.  Ironically, it is now Cuba that faces the threat of a massive oil spill by the United States. The disastrous oil spill from the BP Deepwater Horizon now threatens Cuba, the largest and most biologically diverse island in the Caribbean, due to those same Gulf currents. To make matters worse, the economic embargo imposed upon Cuba by the United States decades ago makes collaboration and coordination exceedingly difficult during this crisis.

Research area in Cuba's Gulf of Mexico waters

For the past decade we have been working with our colleagues at the University of Havana’s Center for Marine Research (Centro de Investigaciones Marinas, CIM) to conduct research and conservation projects in Cuba’s coastal areas. Since 2002, our work has focused in Cuba’s Gulf of Mexico waters where CIM has been conducting the first-ever comprehensive studies of this little-known area. What we are learning is that this region is incredibly rich with healthy corals, fish and serves as critical habitat for imperiled species such as sea turtles, manatees and sharks.

Oil from the BP Deepwater Horizon threatens Cuba's marine life and habitat. (AP Photo)

The catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico from the BP Deepwater Horizon presents a potentially grave and unprecedented threat to Cuba’s marine life and coastal areas. Not only would this be devastating to Cuba’s marine life, but given the biological connections present in the Gulf of Mexico, such an impact could affect a myriad of species, including fish, sea turtles, dolphins, manatees, sharks, corals inhabiting the waters of the U.S., Mexico and beyond.  Currents  carry fish larvae from Cuba into U.S. waters, making protection of Cuba’s coastal ecosystems vital to the health of U.S. fish populations.

The Gulf of Mexico "Loop Current" (Source: NOAA)

The primary risk to Cuba comes from the trajectory of the “Loop Current,” a prominent but very variable feature of the Gulf of Mexico. Should the oil become swept up by the swift Loop Current, it could end up in Cuban waters within a matter of days, impacting coastal areas still recovering from the impacts of 2008 hurricanes, Gustav and Ike.

In 2007, a tri-national collaboration was formed among the three countries bordering the Gulf of México (Cuba, México and the United States) to elevate collaboration in marine research and conservation to a new level. Sharing of information is central in this collaboration and since the scope of this disaster became evident, our collaboration has mobilized in order to provide our Cuban colleagues with the best information possible in order to plan for potential impacts and deal with them should they occur. A related page on this site has been set up for the purpose of sharing detailed information, including technical reports and satellite imagery and interpretation.

Learn More:

A Blueprint of Collaboration — and Friendship — With Cuba

Expedition to Cuba’s Gulf of Mexico

Historic Meeting Unites Cuba and the U.S., Taking Collaboration on Ocean Research & Conservation to a New Level

Blog Post: OMG, I Thought You Were Dead!

Blog Post: Cuba Loses Its Mother Ocean

Blog Post: Can Cuba’s Mysteries Help Save the World’s Coral Reefs?

Nearly 60 representatives from Cuba, Mexico and the U.S. convened in Havana in October 2009 to finalize a "Plan of Action" for future collaboration in marine research and conservation focused in the Gulf of Mexico and Western Caribbean Sea

HAVANA, Cuba — On October 25-26, 2009 the third meeting of a growing partnership of U.S, Cuban and Mexican institutions dedicated to strengthening collaboration in marine research and conservation convened in Havana, Cuba and has resulted in the near-finalization of a new five-year “Plan of Action,” a blueprint for future collaboration. The ongoing effort, led by The Ocean Foundation, the Center for International Policy, the Cuban Ministry of Science, Technology and the Environment, and the Mexican Secretariat of the Navy has set the stage for an unprecedented level of collaboration among the three nations, including the creation of new projects and partnerships along with additional funding to support them.

The Plan of Action focuses on research and conservation priorities in the Gulf of Mexico and Western Caribbean, priorities considered nearly impossible without the concerted collaboration of all three nations. Because of the U.S. trade embargo imposed against Cuba, participation on the U.S. side has thus far been limited to nongovernmental organizations. The Havana meeting was the largest yet, bringing together a total of nearly 60 participants representing the three countries.

In November 2007, an international conference in Cancún, Mexico brought together high-level scientists and decision makers from Cuba and the United States for the first time to agree on marine research and conservation priorities. These priorities, covered in detail in the meeting proceedings and summarized below, establish a new framework for collaborative Cuba-U.S. research and conservation activities for the foreseeable future. The Cancún meeting was covered by the New York Times as the cover story in its Science section: Conserving Cuba After the Embargo and by 1planet1ocean: Historic Meeting Unites Cuba and the U.S., Taking Collaboration on Ocean Research & Conservation to a New Level.

Because of the U.S. economic embargo of Cuba, collaboration between U.S. and Cuban scientists has been difficult. Even though research is a permitted activity and U.S. scientists are allowed to travel to Cuba, the harsh logistical and political realities have prevented all but a few U.S. institutions from maintaining successful collaborative projects in Cuba. Recognizing the critical need for more scientific research in the Gulf of Mexico and Western Caribbean – and the key role that Cuban waters play in the ecosystem – the Cancún meeting brought together major institutions from both countries to establish research priorities and chart a way forward toward stronger and more comprehensive collaborative activities.

Three members of the Shark Research & Conservation Group discuss the Plan of Action: Left to right: Dra. Consuelo Aguilar Bentacourt (Centro de Investigaciones Marinas, Universidad de La Habana); Dr. Robert Hueter (Mote Marine Laboratory); Dr. Fabián Pina Amargós (Centro de Investigaciones Ecosistemas Costeras, Cuba)

Scientists from both countries recognize that there is a need to step up collaborative activities in order to more effectively address the growing research and conservation needs of the Gulf of Mexico and Western Caribbean.  It has become especially important to study these areas with a regional perspective in order to understand biological linkages and inform sound conservation policies at a regional level. The principal goal of the November 2007 Cancún meeting was to establish a set of consensus scientific priorities that would serve as the framework for a plan of action. Six key priority areas were identified and discussed:

• Research and conservation of coral reefs
• Research and conservation of sharks
• Research and conservation of sea turtles
• Research and conservation of marine mammals
• Research, conservation and management of fish resources
• Strengthening of marine protected areas

Working groups were formed around each of these priorities. Recognizing that better international communications are essential to the effort’s success, a committee was also formed to address Internet and telecommunications issues.

Following the successful prioritization process at the Cancún meeting, the group committed to a follow-up meeting to build on its efforts, transforming the list of priorities into a Plan of Action to identify specific projects and activities designed to advance the priorities. Such a Plan would serve as a road map and planning document for implementing new collaborative efforts.
The follow-up meeting was held successfully in Veracruz, Mexico in March 2009 and broadened the scope of the project to include full Mexican participation. A draft Plan of Action – based on the priorities established at the Cancún meeting – was drafted at the Veracruz meeting and a third meeting would be used to finalize the Plan and begin its implementation.

Panel Discussion on funding perspectives. Left to right: Steve Cornelius (John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation); Shari Sant Plummer (Code Blue Foundation; Summit Foundation; Deep Search Foundation); Tom McMurray (The Ocean Foundation); Mark Spalding (The Ocean Foundation)

The Havana meeting included the participation of members of the U.S. funding community, including the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Summit Foundation, Code Blue Foundation and The Ocean Foundation, to provide their perspectives and advice for the finalization of the Plan and ongoing efforts of the partnership. The meeting was coincident with the first-ever joint congress of the Latin American Association of Marine Sciences Investigators (ALICMAR) and the Cuban National Oceanographic Committee (NOC).  This  “double congress,” entitled ColacMarCuba 2009, included the 13th Latin American Congress on Marine Sciences (COLACMAR) and the 8th Cuban Congress on Marine Sciences (MarCuba 2009), held October 26-30, 2009 and included nearly 1,500 participants representing nearly 40 countries.

ColacMarCuba 2009 provided an ideal venue for the project team to meet and take the first concrete steps toward implementation of the Plan of Action by building specific projects and partnerships from the Plan’s identified prioritized actions and activities. The large, diverse audience present at COLACMAR provided an important setting to formally announce the group’s recommendations and planned activities to the international scientific community for the first time, with the hope of building additional partnerships and projects. This special session was presented by Dr. David E. Guggenheim who has organized and led the three conferences. A fourth meeting is in the planning stages for 2010, to take place in Sarasota, Florida.

Participating institutions included:

Cuba: Acuario Nacional de Cuba; Centro de Investigaciones Pesqueras; Centro Nacional de Áreas Protegidas; Centro Nacional de Áreas Protegidas; Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnologia y Medio (co-organizer); Ministerio de la Pesca; Universidad de La Habana, Centro de Investigaciones Marinas; Centro de Investigaciones Ecosistemas Costeras

Mexico: Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas; Comission Nacional de Areas Naturales Protegidas; Instituto Nacional de Pesca; Instituto Politécnico Nacional; Secretaria de Marina (co-organizer); Universidad Nacional Autonoma de México; Universidad Veracruzana

USA: The Ocean Foundation (co-organizer); Center for International Policy (co-organizer); Environmental Defense Fund; Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies; Mote Marine Laboratory; Chicago Zoological Society; The Nature Conservancy

Recent Media Stories About the Havana Meeting:

• Global Post: Can U.S. and Cuba work together to protect shared marine ecosystem?
• Reuters: U.S, Cuban scientists plan joint Gulf research
• NPR: Listen for a special NPR story to air in November/December 2009

You’ve seen it in the faces of infants when they recognize their mother’s smiling face above. You’ve seen it on the face of an old friend across the room when she suddenly recognizes you…after all those years. And Doug Shulz, producer at Partisan Pictures, saw it clearly on my face, when he tapped me on the shoulder and pointed toward an old friend I hadn’t seen in nearly 35 years.

When we humans recognize a friend, our faces convey it with a distinctive widening of the eyes. Combine that with the surprise of seeing someone we aren’t expecting to see, our eyes grow even wider, often accompanied by a cartoon-like jaw drop. Judging from Doug’s expression while observing my face, I can only imagine how wide my eyes were. Since we were 20 feet beneath Cuba’s Gulf of Mexico waters, it must have been difficult for him to discern between an expression of surprise and delight versus a textbook example of wide-eyed diver panic. My eyes were transfixed on my old friend with a funny name whom I hadn’t laid eyes on since I was a teenager. Larger than life, vibrant, and embracing the sun, my friend was very much alive and healthy, clearly enjoying the good life in Cuba.

Underwater cinematographer, Shane Moore films an enormous stand of healthy Elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata) near Cayo Levisa, Cuba

At times I had doubted I would ever see Acropora palmata again — known to most as Elkhorn coral — but here it stood as dramatically and triumphantly as it had a generation ago, before most of its kind vanished from the Caribbean. Acropora has been described as the “poster child” for decline in the Caribbean, decimated by bleaching, white band disease, hurricanes, and other factors. Recent scientific papers, pointing to the nearly 95 percent loss of this genus in areas like the Florida Keys, have pointed out that such a grave loss has seriously altered “the fundamental dynamics of shallow-water community structure.” So emblematic is Elkhorn coral to the healthy coral reef, and so heart-wrenching has been its loss, that, while Vice President of Ocean Conservancy, I lobbied hard — and won — to have its image included in the organization’s redesigned logo. You can’t miss it, at the bottom, to the left of the humpback whale.

Healthy brain corals were abundant near Cayo Levisa, Cuba

I knew from data and photos taken by colleagues that such corals flourished in Cuba. And on previous expeditions, I had even glimpsed small patches of Acropora, clinging to reef crests, standing tall before the breaking turquoise waves. But in my wide-eyed encounter, I was breathless. I beheld not just a small patch of healthy coral. I saw stand after stand — a forest of glorious, healthy mustard-brown Acropora, as far as my eyes could see in the fading afternoon sun in the blue-green beneath the waves. Doug, along with renowned cinematographer Shane Moore, had found it before me and were already capturing frame after frame of video for the PBS series, “Nature,” an episode on Cuba scheduled to air sometime in 2010. But all I could do was sit and stare…and occasionally breathe.

Denuded mangroves evidence the power of 2008's Hurricanes Gustav and Ike, which passed through here within a week of one another

Producer Doug Shulz of Partisan Pictures (L) and Underwater Cinematographer Shane Moore (R) on location filming for the PBS series, "Nature"

What made this sight even more incredible is what we had just seen above the surface. Nearly a year ago to the day, not one but two major hurricanes — Gustav and Ike — converged on this area within a week of one another, causing tremendous damage. The storms tore millions of leaves from the islands’ protective mangroves, leaving a tangled fringe of rotting, brown branches along the coastline. What were formerly aids to navigation are now, as Shane pointed out, hazards to navigation, bare wooden posts protruding from the channel, stripped by the winds of their painted markers and lighted beacons. And there was damage underwater, too. The storms toppled dozens of corals, especially Acropora, which lay on their sides or broken into small piles of coral rubble. Some of them were massive, surely many decades old. But even among such wreckage there was cause for joy. Already the Acropora were growing back, and rapidly so. Many of the dark-brown, algae-covered dead branches were tipped with bright, mustard and white extensions several inches long, healthy, young coral exhibiting a quality that conservation biologists long to see in organisms like corals: Resilience. The ability of species to rebound from untold stress, to endure while others perish, we look for areas in the world where corals are resilient. Sadly, despite our efforts, the situation for corals will likely get worse before it gets better. Finding and protecting resilient areas is akin to emergency room triage — protecting those areas with the best chance of survival that may, in turn, help neighboring and downstream areas to recover when conditions eventually improve.

So why Cuba? Why do corals here flourish while just 90 miles to the north in the Florida Keys, and points east throughout the Caribbean, corals lie dead and dying? There are theories, which I’ve covered in an earlier post, “Can Cuba’s Mysteries Help Save the World’s Coral Reefs?” Decyphering this mystery is central among the goals of our ongoing collaborative research efforts with the University of Havana’s Center for Marine Research (Centro de Investigaciones Marinas), where nearly 20 graduate students are using this research as the basis of their Master’s theses and doctoral dissertations.

A lobster fisherman near Cayo Paraíso (Paradise Key), so-named by Ernest Hemingway

It’s also a top priority identified by a unique tri-national (Cuba, Mexico, USA) effort I’m helping to lead to elevate international collaboration in marine science and conservation to a new level. (See related articles at 1planet1ocean and the New York Times.)

As we rested aboard our boat between dives, a lobster fisherman paddled into view in a tiny pneumatico rowboat buoyed by rubber inner tubes. Gliding upon the warm emerald waters against the backdrop of a small, tranquil key, beneath the dramatic mogotes of Pinar del Río province along the mainland, it seemed a scene conjured up by the pen of Ernest Hemingway. As if reading my mind, our captain and guide, Rolando, pointed toward the key and identified it as Cayo Paraíso, Paradise Key, so-named by Ernest Hemingway himself. It’s not the official name of the tiny island, but the locals and the nautical charts all refer to it as Cayo Paraíso. Rolando reminisces about camping on the island with his father. The hurricanes of the past year have washed away nearly half of the island, and I detect a bit of sadness on Rolando’s face. But at the same time I can’t help but think about the paraíso I had just seen beneath our feet. It might be one of a handful of places in the Caribbean that still looks as it did when Hemingway plied these waters. I imagine him returning, wide-eyed, to greet his old friends.

Discussing the amazing background behind his love of the ocean and its stewardship, Dr. Guggenheim will draw from his lifelong experiences as a friend to Mother Earth including his roles as current president of 1Planet1Ocean and past vice president at The Ocean Conservancy. Guggenheim is also current expedition leader of the Ocean Doctor’s 50 Years, 50 States, 50 Speeches Tour to educate American children about the ocean’s critical importance to our futures.

But, one of Guggenheim’s most important projects involves not only America, but Cuba and Mexico, too. He’ll discuss his very unusual work and very special good news in Cuba about the Cuba Marine Research & Conservation project – “Proyecto Costa Noroccidental.” In cooperation with the Ocean Foundation, the Cuban project is a collaborative effort with the University of Havana’s Centro de Investigaciones. Studying and preserving the irreplaceable, rich marine and coastal wildlife of Cuba and the Gulf of Mexico, Dr. Guggenheim has observed some fascinating findings with invaluable implications for our little Earth.

Guggenheim discovered that Cuba’s coastal areas are in ecologically-sound shape. How can this be so since Cuba is only 80 miles from Florida’s Keys, where most coastal areas and coral reefs are dying or dead? Can the United States do the same things Cuba did to preserve its vital coastal areas? Is there anything you can do to help? Tune in on 8-24-09 at 8 AM Pacific [11 AM Eastern] to HealthyLife.net radio to find out!

After the live air date, Blue Planet Almanac radio will also be available in archive at Blue Planet Almanac radio archives – listeners can hear David by clicking the link next to his name and the show date of 8-24-09. The show will later be archived at Blue Planet Almanacs news site.

Read more at: http://www.blueplanetalmanac.com/

The research vessel will depart from Havana in early- to mid-August for a planned 20-day expedition. Look for an expedition tracking page that will allow you to keep tabs on the expedition’s progress.

Last week, results from the first two expeditions were presented at the 11th International Coral Reef Symposium in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Unfortunately, out of five invited Cuban researchers, only one was granted a visa to attend the conference.