Ocean Doctor » next generation

Cuba Loses its Mother Ocean

Ocean Doctor — Wed, 06 May 2009 12:47:29 +0000

Cuba has lost its Mother Ocean. Dr. María Elena Ibarra Martín, director of the University of Havana’s Center for Marine Research (Centro de Investigaciones Marinas, CIM) since 1981, passed away yesterday afternoon after a month-long struggle following heart surgery. CIM is the only academic institution in Cuba where marine biologists are trained, and her loss is mourned by hundreds of her students, many of whom grew up to become her colleagues — and friends. Her selfless, tireless dedication goes far beyond words, and the impact she has made on education, conservation, and her unique model of personal integrity will no doubt endure for centuries to come. When I last saw Doctora in February, she was as busy as ever, wrestling mountains of paperwork on her desk while never letting go of her visionary perspective about conservation and education. Nor did she ever let go of her special fondness for sea turtles and her love for and dedication to her students.

I first met Dr. Ibarra in 2000 while I was Vice President at Ocean Conservancy (OC), and the work we have done together has continued to blossom nearly nine years later (now under the auspices of The Ocean Foundation). During the summer of 2003, I nominated Dr. Ibarra for the “Local Hero” section of OC’s magazine, Blue Planet Quarterly to honor her many contributions to marine science and conservation. I can still remember the challenge of convincing her to allow me to write the article. She was always uncomfortable with accolades and recognition, and in this case she tried to encourage me to write about the institution and students rather than her. She complied only when I convinced her that the article could help her students by bringing recognition to her institution. And to snap the photo above required inviting her out to a local cafe for refrescos, then quietly pulling out the camera and engaging in yet more negotiations. Thankfully, she finally complied.

I managed to track down a copy of that article and I believe reprinting it here today offers the best way I could pay homage to this incredible woman:

Patience and Persistence

Despite numerous setbacks and hardships, Dr. Maria Elena Ibarra Martin has advanced marine science and conservation in Cuba with an unwavering will.

by David E. Guggenheim, Ph.D.

Originally published in Blue Planet Quarterly, Fall 2003
Download the original article (PDF)

It was called the “White Hurricane,” the “Storm of the Century.” The freak 1993 winter storm paralyzed each city it passed, from the Gulf Coast to New England. But before the first snowflake ever fell in the U.S., the storm was already well-known by Cubans. The monstrous waves of “La Tormenta del Siglo” assailed Cuba’s north-facing shoreline, destroying the University of Havana’s Center for Marine Research (Centro de Investigaciones Marinas, CIM). It was a devastating loss for marine conservation since every marine scientist in Cuba is trained at the Center. Fortunately, Dr. María Elena Ibarra Martíin, CIM’s director since 1981, was not about to let a little thing like the total destruction her Center stop her from her life’s mission to train the next generation of marine scientists and advance the conservation of Cuba’s environment.

“Maybe for you in the U.S. it would be nothing to rebuild a building, but here in Cuba, it is the work of a giant,” said Dr. Gaspar González Sansón, a professor and biologist at CIM and its former vicedirector who was a student of Ibarra more than 35 years ago.

The task was indeed daunting, occurring during Cuba’s “Special Period,” the economic nightmare left in the wake of the Soviet Union’s sudden demise and withdrawl from Cuba. But thanks to Ibarra’s trademark persistence, the Center was rebuilt just a few blocks away. Together with its wellspring of students, CIM stands as a monument to a woman with a vision who simply won’t take “no” for an answer. “She built an institution that has endured the good and the bad; it is well-known, with respect from all over the country,” says Dr. Rogelio Díaz-Fernández, CIM biologist and chief biologist for its Guanahacabibes sea turtle project (see Where Conservation Meets Education, inset below).

Today, CIM teems with approximately 40 postgraduate students and more than 200 undergraduate students. Thanks to Ibarra’s leadership, the profile of marine science in Cuba has been elevated dramatically over the past 30 years. The Center maintains strong ties not only with other Cuban institutions, but has built strong international ties to universities and nonprofits abroad, including The Ocean Conservancy.

With Ibarra as its matriarch, CIM feels much more like a family than a university. Its faculty consists of many of her former students, and the next generation of students already appreciates Ibarra’s passion and selfless dedication to her students above all else. She breaks bread at the same table as her students and sleeps in the same room when in the field. She has even refused coffee if there was not enough for her students. Her students love her, admire her and draw great inspiration from her.

Daylin Muñoz Nuñez, a student of Ibarra’s who graduated in 2001, continues to take classes from the woman who is her role model. “She pays attention to everybody. You don’t have to be a doctor or an experienced person. She pays attention to young people, too.” Fellow student Julia Azanza Ricardo, who recently completed her Master’s, is equally inspired. “She’s a woman of great ideas with a lot of energia. When she has an idea she always has a way to accomplish it.”

At 70, Ibarra’s impossibly packed calendar belies that she is 15 years past the recommended retirement age for women in Cuba. Among her myriad of accomplishments, she helped found the Natural Botanical Garden of Cuba, is Professor Emeritus at the University of Havana, and was president of the Cuban Zoological Society for 16 years. She co-founded Pronaturaleza, the Cuban Society for the Protection of the Environment, and since 2000 has been its president. “Prior to its establishment in 1993, Cuba had no organization whose main goal was to address environmental issues in Cuba,” says Ibarra. Under her leadership, the organization is a major conservation force in Cuba.

Ibarra attributes her inspiration for education and biology to her parents. Her father ran two private schools in Santiago de Cuba, and her mother was a professor of natural science. Ibarra moved to Havana in 1950 to pursue her studies at the University of Havana, but the strikes against the Batista regime left the universities closed, so she returned to Santiago to teach natural science in her father’s schools. After Fidel Castro took power in 1959, she returned to Havana and worked at the Cuban Institute for Petroleum. Following the revolution, there was a severe shortage of teachers, and the government sought volunteers to teach. She jumped at the opportunity, and taught nights at Havana schools. In 1964, she joined the faculty of University of Havana, where she eventually became Dean of the Faculty of Biology, a position she held until taking the reigns at CIM in 1981.

The years have taught her that it takes more than biology to achieve conservation, and she’s intent on seeing that her students’ training reflects this. “Economic, social, cultural, and political issues are all factors. Nowadays, this information is entangled for any university graduate.” She welcomes students from other disciplines, hoping to build environmental awareness in the undergraduate students of engineering, architecture and economics who work shoulder-to-shoulder with her biology students on the Guanahacabibes sea turtle project.

In Cuba, Ibarra faces a daily fight to keep the lights on – literally. “She barely finishes one battle and another begins,” sighs Díaz. Despite the obstacles, Ibarra remains undaunted. Through her determination the Center not only endures many hardships, but continues to grow.

Ibarra is admired internationally as a leader, a director and a visionary. But she will be always be a teacher first, something her legion of loyal students feel intensely. “Sometimes I call her ‘doctora,’ but I prefer ‘profe,’ [professor]. I will always be able to learn from her,” says Muñoz, “For me she is an example…I would like to be like her some day. She is persistente. I think she’ll never give up.”

Download the original article (PDF)

Where Conservation Meets Education

Exemplifying Dr. María Elena Ibarra Martín’s vision for combining conservation and education is CIM’s sea turtle conservation project at Cuba’s Guanahacabibes Peninsula. For the past five summers, hundreds of students have participated in the grueling task of monitoring nesting beaches while working and living in stifiling heat among mosquitoes and sand fleas. Before this project there was no intensive monitoring of sea turtles on the main island of Cuba. Ibarra has built strong ties with local schools and residents, involving them in the project. With their help, she has drastically reduced poaching of turtles and their eggs. Her vision is truly farsighted. “Environmental education is about challenging minds, something that is very difficult if you don’t plant a seed early in peoples’ lives. That’s why we started the Guanahacabibes project. We are there now, but what will happen there is ultimately their responsibility.”

Post Script: Within the next few weeks, both of the students I quoted in the article will make Dr. Ibarra very proud. Julia Azanza Ricardo will receive her Doctorate from the University of Havana and she now oversees the Guanahacabibes Sea Turtle project. Daylin Muñoz Nuñez will receive her Master’s degree from Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment and soon begins work with Environmental Defense Fund.

A green sea turtle hatchling in Guanahacabibes Peninsula, Cuba

At her request, Dr. Ibarra’s ashes will be spread among the sands of the beaches of Cuba’s Guanahacabibes peninsula. Per her wishes, there will be no formal ceremony or funeral. If you would like to pay tribute to Dr. Ibarra’s memory, a contribution to The Ocean Foundation’s “Cuba Marine Research & Conservation Fund” will go directly to the Guanahacabibes Sea Turtle project and research expeditions to Cuba’s Gulf of Mexico Coast, both collaborative programs with CIM that are supporting the research of nearly 20 students.

Free Speech(es): 50 Years, 50 States, 50 Speeches

Ocean Doctor — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 22:45:33 +0000

Fresh from the Eisenhower Administration era, your friendly neighborhood Ocean Doctor turned 50 today. In doing so, I outlived my father, William L. Guggenheim, who tragically died at 49 when he was lost at sea. It was my days as a boy, fishing with my dad off of Cape May, New Jersey, that I truly inherited his passion for the sea, and I feel lucky to have been able to spend much of my life near, in, or best of all, under the water.

To celebrate my 50th, I’d like you to send me on a journey this year, a journey to visit our next generation, in their schools, and share with them some of the awe and wonder of my experiences in the sea, including the important lessons that go along with them. So I’ll be donating one speech to one school in every state and U.S. territory (accredited schools, public or private, K through college level). I’m waving my speaking fee and travel expenses. I don’t require anything except an enthusiastic audience and maybe a glass of water. (I would encourage a class project to find creative ways to offset my travel’s carbon footprint to your school.) I’ll show my videos, share my adventures, and my enthusiasm for the wonder of the deep blue part of the planet.

I’ll honor the first request I receive from each state and U.S. territory (Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa) and, of course, the District of Columbia. If you or someone you know would like to take me up on this offer, just fill out the Book a Speaker Form on the 1planet1ocean web site and indicate that you’re submitting the request for the “Free Speech” project.

I look forward to this adventure and wish all of you a happy 50th, whenever it arrives, or whenever it was.

Oceans Day Message from the Next Generation

Ocean Doctor — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 13:26:28 +0000

If you know the history of my “OceanDoctor” moniker, then you know my daughter, Anna, had everything to do with it. This weekend marks two significant events: World Oceans Day and the one year anniversary of the OceanDoctor blog. These events have given me a moment of reflection.

I spend a lot of time worrying about the future of Anna’s generation and the environmental legacy they will inherit from us. I also am perpetually curious about the next generation’s perceptions and attitudes about the environment around them.

Anna is a world away this summer, in the heart of the Middle East in the tiny country of Bahrain, nestled in the Persian Gulf just north of Quatar off the eastern Saudi Arabian peninsula, where she is completing her college studies. To commemorate this special weekend, I thought it would be most appropriate to hear a few words from the next generation, specifically from Anna, to hear firsthand how her young eyes are perceiving her day-to-day life living beside the aquamarine Persian Gulf. I’m pleased to share Anna’s words with you:

“This summer, I find myself traveling in the Gulf region of the Middle East. The people here are extraordinarily friendly, warm, and generous. However, I donâ€™t notice this goodness being shown only towards visitors such as myself. As I drive on a bridge over the ocean, I see people fishing, enjoying a stroll by the water, or simply sitting down, marveling at the infinite stretch of blue and turquoise in front of them. In their faces I can see a sense of appreciation. It is in these moments that I find myself realizing that while I may look different from the locals or be accustomed to different traditions than them, we are no different from each other when it comes to loving and protecting that which we are so fortunate to have. The oceans are no exception. The Middle East may still be catching up to my home country, the US, when it comes to anti-pollution measures and other ways to protect our seas. However, it is clear to me that the Middle East is not indifferent. With this in mind, I begin to think that the miles and miles that I flew over here will not succeed at creating a barrier between the hearts of people where I am from and where I find myself now.” — Anna Pavlichenko

May World Oceans Day bring you happiness and fulfillment, wherever your ocean lies.

Making Aquaculture Green

Ocean Doctor — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 17:54:37 +0000

The July/August 2007 issue of National Geographic’s: The Green Guide features guest editor Sylvia Earle, renowned oceanographer, conservationist and National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence. The issue examines solutions for dealing with the global crisis facing the world’s oceans. Among the solutions: Sustainable aquaculture.

1planet1ocean president, David E. Guggenheim was interviewed by The Green Guide about next-generation aquaculture technologies featuring land-based, recirculating, enclosed systems.

“I’m convinced that land-based recirculating systems are the future of aquaculture.,” states Guggenheim, who also consults to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based Aquaculture Developments, LLC. “These systems are being rapidly embraced in Asia and Europe as cleaner, more secure, and ultimately more profitable solutions. Unfortunately, these systems have been largely overlooked in the United States and the Americas…until now.” Read the National Geographic Green Guide Article…

The Americas are now taking notice of the benefits of next-generation recirculating aquaculture systems, evidenced especially by Canada’s British Columbian legislature committee on sustainable aquaculture which has recommended an end to salmon farming as it is now practiced in Canada’s northwest, requiring that all such facilities convert to land-based, closed recirculating systems within 5 years. Read the CBC Article…

Next-Generation Aquaculture: The Future of Fishing on Planet Earth

Ocean Doctor — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 17:27:41 +0000

This next-generation land-based recirculating aquaculture facility in northern Denmark supplies 20 percent of the eel consumed by the European market. (Photo courtesy of Aquaculture Developments, LLC)

After being nearly ignored for decades, marine conservation issues are increasingly at the forefront of the environmental agenda today, thanks in large part to the report of the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy and subsequent U.S. Ocean Action Plan as well as the results of the independent Pew Oceans Commission, and current actions of the Joint Ocean Commission Initiative. The similarity of the findings of these efforts has been striking, recognizing that urgent steps are required to restore marine ecosystems. Among the most serious problems cited is overfishing and the recognition that U.S. fisheries are increasingly unsustainable and many populations will take decades to recover.

Of course, this trend is not limited to the U.S. and global overfishing is viewed as one of the principal causes of the loss of integrity of marine ecosystems and is considered a major factor in the decline of coral reef communities.

There is increasing recognition that sustainable aquaculture can play a key role in the transition toward safer, more environmentally and economically sustainable seafood production, offering a viable and sustainable alternative to fishing wild stocks and one that can bring strong economic benefits.

Next-generation facility growing barramundi in Malaysia. Such systems are based on land, completely enclosed, recirculate 97-99% of their effluent, and are more than 10 times more efficient than open pond systems. (Photo courtesy of Aquaculture Developments, LLC)

Land-based, next-generation closed-loop recirculating aquaculture systems (represented in the Americas by companies such as Aquaculture Developments, LLC) offer a unique combination of conservation achievements, socioeconomic benefits, and potential for scalability. Such technology could lead the way toward a revolutionary transition of fish production in the U.S., the Americas and the world, leading to the large-scale â€œdomesticationâ€ of fish just as has been done for many centuries with terrestrial animals.

Next-generation recirculating aquaculture systems represent a key, if not central part of the solution to meet future demand for protein from the sea while reducing and eventually eliminating the overfishing of wild fish stocks. This is because they excel across a broad range of environmental and socioeconomic issues where other forms of aquaculture fall short:

Water Pollution: Land-based recirculating systems recycle 97-99% of their water and create virtually no discharge (including nutrients, chemicals) to natural water bodies, either marine or fresh water.

Coastal Habitat Alteration, Destruction: Unlike coastal systems, especially shrimp farming practices, recirculating systems are inland-based and have no impact on coastal habitats.

Disease: As a closed system allowing no contact with natural populations, coupled with strict protocols for disease detection, prevention and control, there is virtually no risk of introducing disease to the natural environment from closed-loop recirculating systems.

Escapement: Again, as a closed system with no contact with natural waters, recirculating systems eliminate risk of farmed populations mixing with wild populations.

Use of Antibiotics, Chemicals: In accordance with strict operating protocols, no antibiotics or chemicals are used in raising farmed fish in either UNI-Aqua or Fish Protech systems.

Use of Fish Meal in Feed: Even todayâ€™s state-of-the-art aquaculture facilities are unable to completely eliminate fish meal as a dietary component for predatory/piscivorous finfish. This is an issue that will necessarily be resolved over the coming years and is a challenge that affects all forms of aquaculture. However, closed systems have one profound advantage over ponds and other open (flow-through) aquaculture systems in this regard: Tremendous efficiency. Because closed systems exercise complete control over their environment, they realize food conversion efficiencies and growth rates more than 10 times higher than comparable open systems, meaning that less than 1/10th the feed is required per unit of biomass of fish in closed systems. This, of course, means that less than 1/10th of wild-caught fish are needed to supply the fish meal fraction of the feed. Food conversion ratios of less than 0.8 have been demonstrated for barramundi and halibut, among others, in climates ranging from tropical to northern temperate.

Profitability: Increasingly, the conservation community is aware that sustainable conservation and economics go hand-in-hand. Unless economic benefits can be demonstrated for an environmental solution, serious barriers to implementation will exist. The fact that land-based recirculating systems have demonstrated consistent profitability (and at a significant level of return) in Asia and Europe means that this type of technology has the strongest chance of moving forward.

Community/Local Benefits/Scalability: Conservation often means helping communities solve problems in their own back yards. Land-based recirculating technologies are scalable, and therefore can be introduced to many different types of communities ranging from rural agricultural to urban brownfields. Helping local communities advance through a sustainable â€œlocally grownâ€ enterprise such as this is a goal that conservationists, business leaders and political leaders share.