Ocean Doctor » David E. Guggenheim

VIDEO: 60 Minutes – Anderson Cooper and David E. Guggenheim Explore Cuba’s Coral Reefs

Ocean Doctor — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 15:49:12 +0000

(CBS News) 60 Minutes cameras take you on an underwater adventure off the Cuban coast to one of the world’s most pristine and vibrant coral reefs, known as the Gardens of the Queen. Anderson Cooper scuba dives with marine biologist David Guggenheim, dodging giant groupers and sharks, to explore this increasingly rare oasis. Scientists estimate that 25 percent of the world’s reefs have died off and much of what’s left is at risk.

Watch on YouTube

Cuba Marine Research & Conservation Program at The Ocean Foundation

Ocean Doctor — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 20:39:22 +0000

Because of the decades-old U.S. economic embargo of Cuba, scientific collaboration between U.S. and Cuban scientists has been exceedingly 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 successful collaborative projects in Cuba.

The Cuba Marine Research and Conservation Program has been based at The Ocean Foundation (TOF) since 2008 and is built on more than 12 years of work in Cuba by TOF Senior Fellow, Dr. David E. Guggenheim, who directs the program, and TOF Research Associate, Fernando Bretos. The program is a regional effort to study and conserve the shared marine resources of the Gulf of Mexico and Western Caribbean.

DEEP in Enemy Territory: A New Book by Dr. David E. Guggenheim (Fall 2012)

Ocean Doctor — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 20:02:10 +0000

Coming in 2012: Deep in Enemy Territory: An American Marine Scientist’s Mission to Promote Conservation and Friendship in Cuba by David E. Guggenheim.

Synopsis: Marine scientist and conservationist Dr. David E. Guggenheim (the “Ocean Doctor”) tells the story of his decade-long effort to bring collaboration in science and conservation between Cuba and the U.S. to a new level. He tells the story against a backdrop of Cold War-era politics, maddening bureaucracy, and the daily challenges of Cuban life while introducing us to Cuba’s unimaginably beautiful underwater ecosystems and the Cuban scientists dedicated to protecting them. His story is timely, illustrating how marine biologists have succeeded where diplomats have failed in bringing the two countries closer together. Deep in Enemy Territory brings a personal, in-depth view of an enchanted yet troubled island that few Americans have seen for half a century.

A portion of profits will support The Ocean Foundation’s Cuba Marine Research and Conservation Program.

www.DeepInEnemyTerritory.com

Excerpt from Deep in Enemy Territory by David E. Guggenheim

My tired eyes panned frantically but in vain for even the slightest evidence that I was in my lane — or any lane — as we sped toward an awaiting vessel in a tiny coastal village I had never heard of. Our deadline was nightfall, which had been ominously enveloping us. The Cuban Coast Guard officials at our destination would soon pack up and return home to their families, decreeing it was too late for the Reina to leave port.

We were hours late, stymied by typical Cuban obstacles, including trying to rent a pair of reliable cars for the journey from Havana, an ordeal which took fully half a day, punctuated by bursts of exhaustive negotiations, fists full of cash, and cross-town dashes to promised vehicles that didn’t exist. We were also slowed by the inevitable breakdown of one of our “reliable” vehicles along the highway. Thanks to a pair of tie wraps and Cuban-inspired ingenuity, we were able to jury rig a repair.

The six-hour drive east along Cuba’s major axis became increasingly harrowing with every minute as a determined sun slid steadily into the mountains behind us. My grip on the wheel tightened until my hands throbbed. In Cuba, darkness transforms a drive in the countryside from simply a challenging journey into a nail-biting adventure, especially on this final stretch of highway leading into Ciego de Ávila Province.

As the pale gloaming gave way to darkness, oncoming headlights scattered across our filthy windshield, causing momentary night-blindness and frustrating whatever hope I had of being sure I was in my lane. Such certainty would have provided a morsel of desperately-needed comfort, though far from a guarantee of safety.

This stretch of autopista had three narrow lanes, impossible to discern in the darkness. “Which direction is the middle lane?” I asked my Cuban friend and colleague who lived somewhere beyond the far end of this highway. His matter-of-fact response confused and terrified me. “It’s both directions. It’s a passing lane,” he replied. I protested, “You’ve got to be kidding!”

Eighteen-wheelers with blinding headlights barreled toward us in the center lane, seemingly inches away, their explosive wake — together with my own instinctive reaction to steer away — lurching our small station wagon toward the dirt shoulder, where invariably our headlights would reveal the rapidly approaching rear end of a horse and the unlighted cart it was pulling. And so I’d veer to the left and hold my breath, hoping we weren’t coming up upon a slow-moving vintage 1950s Chevy without working tail lights.

This maddening dance down the highway continued into the early evening as the autopista slowly gave way to the narrow two-lane secondary roads that wound through acres upon acres of sugar cane. When I finally released my death grip at a small town service station, an American reporter observed of the bizarre mix of horse-drawn buggies, bicycles, decrepit old American cars, rusted Russian Ladas and Moskvitches, and modern Asian and European vehicles we had encountered, “It’s like the whole history of human transportation on one road,” he observed.

This moment — and countless more throughout each of my 60 visits to this unusual island – seemed to be the realization of a science fiction book I had enjoyed as a teenager. In Gordon Dickson’s, Time Storm, swirling storms in time criss-cross the planet, leaving in their wake a world divided into a patchwork of different time periods. The story’s protagonist must journey through the often-bizarre juxtaposition of different time periods in close proximity.

And so to the outsider does Cuba seem to be caught in its own time storm, with relics of a century past coexistent with early 21st century modernities: Horse-drawn buggies stopped at a traffic signal alongside modern Hyundai sedans; sixty-year-old rotary phones still in regular use alongside shiny new iPhones. It is disorienting to travel through an island where so much is still frozen almost as it was more than a century ago, with more than half of century of isolation and crushing economic embargo from its nearest neighbor, the United States.

Little did I have any inkling when I first set foot on this exotic island what lay in store over the next decade. I underestimated everything, from this island’s relentless gravitational attraction that would pull me back time after time, even after I had given up hope of succeeding there. Nor did I appreciate what difference I could possibly make, a gringo from Washington, DC without a drop of Latin blood in his veins and little memory of the Spanish he had struggled with during his undergraduate studies decades earlier. But I would soon discover — and treasure — my newfound Latin soul.

Neither had I anticipated that I would be swept away within my own “time storm.” As we resumed our mad dash to the tiny coastal village of Jucaro before the Coast Guard officials left, the awaiting Reina, a converted fishing boat, was to be my shiny silver DeLorean, destined to take me on a 500-year journey though time that I can still barely believe.

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PBS “Nature” 2010-11 Premiere Features The Ocean Foundation’s Bretos and Guggenheim in Cuba

Ocean Doctor — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 22:34:28 +0000

Cuba: The Accidental Eden features The Ocean Foundation's Fernando M. Bretos and David E. Guggenheim

With the episode, “Cuba: The Accidental Eden,” the 2010-11 season premiere of the acclaimed PBS series, “Nature” features The Ocean Foundation’s own Fernando M. Bretos and David E. Guggenheim, along with other Cuban and American colleagues. Bretos and Guggenheim have worked together in Cuba for more than a decade and head up The Ocean Foundation’s “Cuba Marine Research and Conservation Program. ” Their work includes joint research expeditions in Cuba’s Gulf of Mexico waters and a major sea turtle conservation project with the University of Havana’s Center for Marine Research (Centro de Investigaciones Marinas). The episode can be viewed in its entirety online (see below) and is now available on DVD and Blu-ray disc.

From Partisan Pictures: Cuba may have been restricted politically and economically for the past 50 years, but its borders have remained open to wildlife for which Cuba’s undeveloped islands are an irresistible draw. While many islands in the Caribbean have poisoned or paved over their ecological riches on land and in the sea in pursuit of a growing tourist industry, Cuba’s wild landscapes have remained virtually untouched, creating a safe haven for rare and intriguing indigenous animals, as well as for hundreds of species of migrating birds and marine creatures. Coral reefs have benefited, too. Independent research has shown that Cuba’s corals are doing much better than others both in the Caribbean and around the world.

Scientific research in Cuba on creatures such as the notoriously aggressive “jumping” crocodile, and the famous painted snails, paired with long-term ecological efforts on behalf of sea turtles, has been conducted primarily by devoted local experts. Conservation and research in Cuba can be a constant struggle for scientists who earn little for their work. But their work is their passion, and no less important than that of those collecting larger salaries. NATURE follows these scientists as they explore the crocodile population of Zapata swamp, the birth of baby sea turtles, and the mysteries of evolution demonstrated by creatures that travel no more than 60 yards in a lifetime.

As the possibility of an end to the U.S. trade embargo looms, Cuba’s wildlife hangs in the balance. Most experts predict that the end of the embargo could have devastating results. Tourism could double, and the economic development associated with tourism and other industries could change the face of what was once a nearly pristine ecosystem. Or Cuba could set an example for development and conservation around the world, defining a new era of sustainability well beyond Cuba’s borders.

“Cuba: The Accidental Eden” premiered Sunday, September 26, 2010 on PBS

Watch the full episode. See more Nature.

Learn More

Behind the Scenes: OMG, I Thought You Were Dead!
Read posts about our work in Cuba
The Ocean Doctor Radio Show: Jacques Cousteau, Fidel Castro and Cuba’s Undying Passion for the Sea

Farmed Salmon Exposed: Washington, DC Premiere

Ocean Doctor — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:44:05 +0000

On Thursday, November 12th, 2009 at 11:00 AM, 1planet1ocean president Dr. David E. Guggenheim will join a panel discussion following the Washington, DC premiere of the new documentary, Farmed Salmon Exposed: The Global Reach of the Norwegian Salmon Farming Industry, produced by the Pure Salmon Campaign. The 20-minute film illustrates the major environmental problems and impact of global salmon farming industry operations in Canada, Chile, Ireland, Norway, and Scotland.

A panel discussion immediately follows the film, including the following panelists:

Chef Barton Seaver: Washington, DC chef, writer speaker, advocate – www.bartonseaver.org
Marianne Cufone: Fish Campaign Director, Food and Water Watch
Dr. David E. Guggenheim: President, 1planet1ocean, a project of The Ocean Foundation
Chilean Enrique Yuri: Former employee of the Chilean salmon farming industry

When: Thursday, November 12th at 11:00 AM (lunch will be served)
Where: E Street Cinema, 555 11th St NW, Washington, DC 20004

RSVP for this event by Tuesday November 10th to Sam Haltiwanger at Shaltiwanger@pewtrusts.org or 202-887-1353.

Please feel free to forward this invite to your members and local networks.

PREVIEW

The Pure Salmon Campaign, is a global project with partners in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Australia and Chile, has organized one week each fall to expose the problems with the farmed salmon industry. This year, the Global Week of Action runs from November 9 – 13, 2009. As a coalition member, the Pew Environment Group joins other organizations this year in calling on industry leaders to adopt more sustainable, environmentally-friendly practices.

Roz Savage Solo Row Across the Pacific Now Underway

Ocean Doctor — Sat, 31 May 2008 20:18:58 +0000

On May 25, 2008, Roz Savage rowed beneath the Golden Gate Bridge and into the Pacific Ocean, which she is now attempting to cross — rowing solo. She has already completed such a journey across the Atlantic, and is using her adventures to raise awareness of environmental issues and inspire others to rise to their own challenges. Our friends at Blue Frontier Campaign, including its founder, David Helvarg, have been keenly engaged in Rozâ€™s journey and working with Roz to make sure that her journey brings strong awareness about the oceans. (1planet1ocean president David E. Guggenheim is a member of Blue Frontier Campaignâ€™s Advisory Council).
As a courtesy to Roz and her many fans around the world, 1planet1ocean has assembled a special tracking page to help you track and participate in Rozâ€™s incredible journey. You’ll find an interactive Google map, and you can even track her adventures using Google Earth. The map has links to Rozâ€™s photos and to her blog posts, which she is continuing to provide via satellite from sea. For more information, please be sure to visit Rozâ€™s web site.

Bering Sea Expedition Continues on Dry Land

Ocean Doctor — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 01:19:22 +0000

The brilliant pink coral, Swiftia pacifica, found at 1,300 feet in Pribilof Canyon, Bering Sea, Alaska (Photo by David E. Guggenheim)

BERING SEA, Alaska — This past summer, the Greenpeace ship M/V Esperanza carried two manned submersibles, a remotely-operated vehicle (ROV) and an international research team to the Bering Sea for a three week survey of Zhemchug and Pribilof Canyons,to map and document deepwater corals living at depths of more than 1,000 feet. The expedition was conceived of and was led by Greenpeace. 1planet1ocean president David E. Guggenheim participated as a sub pilot and scientific consultant. Pribilof and Zhemchug Canyons revealed diverse and complex ecosystems, rich with corals, sponges, fish and other marine life. They also revealed striking human impacts from trawlers, damage that was documented during the expedition. More than a terabyte of video data and numerous biological specimens are now being analyzed and results are being shared with a range of decisionmakers and decisionmaking bodies, including the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council.

Exploring, Studying Cuba’s Gulf of Mexico

Ocean Doctor — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 14:38:30 +0000

Proyecto Costa Noroccidental research team aboard Cuban research vessel Boca del Toro, second expedition

The Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies (HRI) at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and the University of Havana’s Center for Marine Research (CIM) [Centro de Investigaciones Marinas] are leading a collaborative effort, Proyecto Costa Noroccidental [Project of the Northwest Coast], a comprehensive multi-year research and conservation program for Cubaâ€™s Gulf of Mexico coast. Dr. David E. Guggenheim, president of 1planet1ocean, is a member of HRI’s Advisory Council and also serves as HRI’s Cuba Programs Manager and is co-principal investigator of the project with Dr. Gaspar GonzÃ¡lez SansÃ³n of CIM.

Proyecto Costa Noroccidental is assessing northwestern Cuba’s marine habitats, identifying and describing the principal human uses and threats, providing recommendations for the conservation of the regionâ€™s ecosystems, and establishing a framework for long-term cooperative research and monitoring. The project is designed to provide fundamental data on this understudied region of Cuba while also providing new insights regarding biological connectivity and conservation in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean. The project is expected to help secure science-based conservation policies in advance of the inevitable wave of development in the region.

Proyecto Costa Noroccidental is the first comprehensive study of Cuba’s Gulf of Mexico region

Cubaâ€™s northwest coast has not been comprehensively studied, and the results of this project are providing an important advance to the natural sciences in Cuba and conservation of costal ecosystems in the Gulf of Mexico. This research is gaining attention and participation from numerous Cuban institutions and is providing the basis for the research theses and dissertations for 16 students at the projectâ€™s lead Cuban institution, the University of Havanaâ€™s Centro de Investigaciones Marinas (CIM) [Center for Marine Research], the only Cuban institution where marine scientists are trained. Our understanding of the Gulf increasingly points toward a vast web of linkages throughout the ecosystem, linkages that span international borders. Collaborative scientific research is a permitted activity under the long-standing United Statesâ€™ economic embargo of Cuba.

CIM researcher prepares samples for reference collection during second expedition

Up until now, Cubaâ€™s northwest coast has not experienced the levels of coastal development seen elsewhere on the island, but as the country is now among the worldâ€™s fastest growing tourist destinations, there are growing pressures of tourism in the region, accompanied by accelerating impacts from fishing, agriculture, and now, offshore petroleum development.

The project is collecting data on corals and invertebrates, fish populations, and water quality. Ecotoxicological analysis is also being conducted to assess land-based pollution impacts. In 2007, a shark research component will be incorporated, including a planned October 2007 shark tagging expedition. Northwest Cuba has seen a ten-fold reduction in shark landings since the 1960s.

CIM researcher measures green sea turtle nesting at Guanahacabibes, Cuba

The project also includes a comprehensive sea turtle research and conservation component focused at Cubaâ€™s westernmost point, Guanahacabibes. Through strong community involvement and education, it has dramatically reduced turtle poaching.

In 2007, in collaboration with several Mexican institutions, the project will include a genetic analysis of Cuban sea turtle populations in order to gain new insight into population dynamics. Also planned for 2007 is a broadening dialogue with Cuban policymakers to make use of the data obtained from this project.

At the December 2006 MARCuba conference in Havana (Cubaâ€™s triennial marine research conference) a total of 22 presented papers and posters were based on the research outcomes of this project. Publication efforts will continue and intensify over the coming year.

Students from the school â€œHermanos SaÃzâ€ in the Guanahacabibes region who participate in the community outreach components of the sea turtle monitoring and conservation project.

Esperanza Heads South to Dutch Harbor with New Insights

Ocean Doctor — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 18:11:00 +0000

Location of Pinnacles Remains a Mystery

A Dall's porpoise (top) gives Michelle Ridgway in DeepWorker a sendoff before her dive to 1,700 feet at Zhemchug Canyon in this surreal looking image. Hundreds of Dall's porpoises were present around the ship during the expedition. (Video still by David E. Guggenheim)

The Esperanza began its 2-day steam south and endured gale-force winds and 15-foot seas along the way, but all are well and grateful for the successes along the way. The team achieved a total of 25 sub dives during the expedition, well-exceeding expectations for this part of the world where weather is typically unforgiving.

The team collected nearly a Terabyte (1,000 Gigabytes) of high-definition video, photographs and other data, now being archived, cataloged and distributed. Also collected were numerous coral, sponge, and other invertebrate samples which are being prepared for distribution to scientists around the world for further analysis.

Despite intense effort and late-night searching, the Esperanza was never able to locate the pinnacles reported to be in the Zhemchug Canyon area, pinnacles which are reported to rise within 20 feet of the surface. The team was prepared to scuba dive and video/photo-document these features, however this mystery will have to wait for a future expedition.

Zhemchug Canyon has revealed a diverse ecosystem with interesting and complex interrelationships. It’s also a location where large numbers of squid can be found at depth. Read more on David Guggenheim’s OceanDoctor blog.

The Esperanza is carrying two manned submersibles, a remotely-operated vehicle (ROV) and an international research team to the Bering Sea for a three week survey of Zhemchug and Pribilof Canyons,to map and document deepwater corals living at depths of more than 1,000 feet. The expedition was conceived of and is being led by Greenpeace.

Images from Dive #24 in Zhemchug Canyon

Video stills by John Hocevar, 9 August 2007

Track the Bering Sea Expedition: Esperanza’s Current Location, Weather & Live Webcam

Exploration of Pribilof Canyon Now Under Way, Revealing Rich Ecosystem, Corals

Ocean Doctor — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 10:52:40 +0000

Deepwater corals, like this sea whip (Halipteris willemoesi) photographed on Sunday by Timo Marshall, thrive in the deep waters of Pribilof Canyon

Thanks to great weather, state-of-the-art equipment and a top-notch crew, it has been a productive weekend for the team aboard Esperanza which arrived on site at Pribilof Canyon Saturday morning (July 28) when David Guggenheim and Michelle Ridgway made the first tandem dive in two DeepWorker submarines into Pribilof canyon to a depth of just over 1,000 feet and began to document a fascinating diversity of life, including a variety of corals, anenomes, sponges and fish. On Sunday, the ship visited a second site in Pribilof Canyon where John Hocevar and Timo Marshall completed a successful tandem dive, documenting more corals and successfully collecting a number of specimens with DeepWorker’s manipulator arm for analysis by scientists around the world.

John Hocevar (Greenpeace Senior Oceans Specialist) pilots DeepWorker at 1,100 feet in Pribilof Canyon

(Video still by Timo Marshall – 29 July 2007)

Already, the Greenpeace-led team has accumulated nearly 16 hours of bottom time (8 hours per sub), more than all of the previous research done in this region combined. The subs’ high-definition video cameras have already collected over 120 Gb of data. The subs are performing linear transects which will then be analyzed on the video. Twin lasers spaced 20 cm apart allow accurate analysis of the size of organisms encountered.

The tumbling anenome, Liponema brevicornis, photographed here by David E. Guggenheim on Saturday, July 27 at a depth of 620 feet in Pribilof Canyon (The two red dots are from onboard lasers used to assist in estimating size. The lasers are 20 centimeters apart.)

Track the Bering Sea Expedition: Esperanza’s Current Location, Weather & Live Webcam