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.

January 31, 2011: Our special guest this week is Jean-Michel Cousteau, who leads Ocean Futures Society, a nonprofit marine conservation organization which he founded in 1999 to honor his father’s legacy to carry on his pioneering work in exploring, filming and protecting the oceans.  Jean-Michel has produced over 80 films, received the Emmy and the Peabody Award among others. He was honored with the Environmental Hero Award by the White House. In February 2002, he became the first person to represent the Environment in the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. Jean-Michel led the effort to return Keiko, the captive killer whale of “Free Willy” film fame, to the wild. With his team, Jean-Michel has been working for months to document the impact of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster. Also: Our in-depth coverage of the National  Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill continues.

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This Week’s Guest: Jean-Michel Cousteau

This Week's Guest: Jean- Michel Cousteau (Photo: © Carrie Vonderhaar, Ocean Futures Society)

If you enjoyed the many films of Jacques Cousteau, then you saw him by his father’s side on many of those expeditions. Jean-Michel Cousteau has carried on Jacques Cousteau’s legacy, honoring his father’s heritage by founding Ocean Futures Society in 1999 to carry on this pioneering work.

Ocean Futures Society is a non-profit marine conservation and education organization serving as a “Voice for the Ocean” by communicating the critical bond between people and the sea and the importance of wise environmental policy. As its spokesman, Jean-Michel serves as an impassioned diplomat for the environment.

He has produced over 80 films, received the Emmy, the Peabody Award, and many others.

In 2006, Jean-Michel’s initiative to protect the Northwest Hawaiian Islands took him to The White House where he screened his PBS-KQED documentary, Voyage to Kure, for President George W. Bush. The President was inspired and in June 2006, he declared the 1,200-mile chain of islands a Marine National Monument—at the time; the largest marine protected areas in the world.

Jean- Michel Cousteau (Photo: © Carrie Vonderhaar, Ocean Futures Society)

In February 2002, he became the first person to represent the Environment in the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. In the first attempt ever to return a captive orca to the wild, Jean-Michel led the effort of research and care for Keiko, the captive killer whale of “Free Willy” film fame, and in 2002, Keiko was returned to the wild.

Jean-Michel has been honored with the Environmental Hero Award, presented to him by then-Vice President Gore at the White House National Oceans Conference in 1998.

Jean-Michel Cousteau and David E. Guggenheim (Photo: Holly Lohuis)

The list of achievements goes on and on. I’ve known him for more than 10 years. He’s as full of energy today as when I met him – perhaps more – and one of his principal messages today is especially important: Enough talk, we need action! He is ever-thoughtful and inspiring . I caught up with Jean-Michel at the National Conference on Science, Policy and the Environment a few hours before he delivered the John H. Chafee Memorial Lecture on Science and the Environment.

Also: Our In-Depth Coverage of the BP Deepwater Horizon Disaster Continues

National Oil Spill Commission Co-Chairs Bob Graham (L) and Bill Riley (R) at the National Conference on Science, Policy and the Environment (Photo: D. Guggenheim)

We continue to “go deep” in understanding the lessons revealed by the National Commission on the BP Oil Spill and Offshore drilling in its final report. Commission co-chairs Bob Graham and Bill Riley answered questions posed by PBS Newshour Senior Correspondent, Ray Suarez at the National Conference on Science, Policy and the Environment in Washington, DC.

Tip of the Week

Read Jean-Michel’s new book, “My Father, the Captain: My Life With Jacques Cousteau” published by National Geographic. It’s a touching, in-depth portrait of his father and colleague. To quote Jean-Michel about his book: “Captain Cousteau was a complicated man. He was a man of many different personalities, many different moods. But this is how it is with all great men, yes? We know the public mask, but it is the private face that reveals a man’s true character. It is the man we know when the cameras are not filming.”

Links:

Ocean Futures Society

National Commission on the BP Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling

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

December 6, 2010: Join The Ocean Doctor, along with Ocean Foundation Research Fellow, Fernando Bretos, on a field trip to Havana to visit with Cuba’s next-generation of marine scientists at the University of Havana’s Center for Marine Research (Centro de Investigaciones Marinas). We visit with the Center’s new director, Dr. Jorge A. Angulo Valdés. We also visit with Dr. Julia Azanza Ricardo who directs the Center’s unique sea turtle research and conservation program in the wilds of Guanahacabibes Biosphere Reserve on Cuba’s western tip. For these two and their colleagues, their passion for the sea runs deep, thanks in large part to two influential people in their lives: Jacques Cousteau and Fidel Castro.

The Ocean Doctor airs weekly on WebTalkRadio.net. Want to listen on your iPod, iPhone or mp3 player? Download the mp3 file or subscribe on iTunes and don’t miss a single episode. See the complete list of episodes.

Submit a question and I’ll try to answer it on the air. Even better, record your question or comment on our special message line and I might play it on the air. Call: (805) 619-9194. You can also leave questions and comments for this episode below.

Like the show? Learn how to become a sponsor.

This Week: Jacques Cousteau, Fidel Castro and Cuba’s Undying Passion for the Sea

The Calypso and Jacques Cousteau in Havana Bay

Since 2000, Americans Fernando M. Bretos and David E. Guggenheim have been working closely with their colleagues at the University of Havana’s Center for Marine Research (Centro de Investigaciones Marinas – CIM), which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. Following the death of the Center’s long-time leader, Dr. María Elena Ibarra (see “Cuba Loses Its Mother Ocean“) and the retirement of others, it is now time for the next-generation of Cuban marine scientists to take the helm. Many of the individuals that were students when Fernando and David met them nearly a decade ago are now CIM’s leaders, a generation influenced strongly by Jacques Cousteau and developing their career with strong collaboration — and friendship — with American colleagues.

Jacques-Yves Cousteau and Fidel Castro shared a love of the sea

The decade-long collaboration of Bretos and Guggenheim with CIM, now under the banner of The Ocean Foundation, includes Proyecto Costa Noroccidental, Project of the Northwestern Coast, the first ever comprehensive study of Cuba’s Northwestern coastal waters — its Gulf of Mexico coast — the least studied corner of the Gulf. (See various articles at 1planet1ocean.org.)

Fidel Castro enjoyed SCUBA diving and a friendship with Jacques Cousteau

The project was featured in the 2010-2011 premiere episode of the PBS Series, “Nature” entitled, “Cuba: The Accidental Eden” and can be viewed online. (See also the related post, “OMG, I Thought You Were Dead!” for a behind-the-scenes look at the filming.) In addition, The Ocean Foundation and CIM continue a long-standing collaboration on a unique sea turtle research and conservation project in Guanahacabibes.

Collaboration between the U.S. and Cuba has continued to grow, and in 2007, the Trinational Initiative for Marine Research & Conservation in the Gulf of Mexico and Western Caribbean was formed to elevate collaboration among Cuba, Mexico and the U.S.

CIM Director, Dr. Jorge A. Angulo Valdés

This week, join the Ocean Doctor, along with Ocean Foundation Research Fellow, Fernando Bretos, on a field trip to Havana to visit with Cuba’s next-generation of marine scientists at the University of Havana’s Center for Marine Research (Centro de Investigaciones Marinas). We visit with the Center’s new director, Dr. Jorge A. Angulo Valdés.

Dr. Julia Azanza Ricardo, Director of the Guanahacabibes Sea Turtle Project at CIM

We also visit with Dr. Julia Azanza Ricardo who directs the Center’s unique sea turtle research and conservation program in the wilds of Guanahacabibes Biosphere Reserve on Cuba’s western tip. For these two and their colleagues, their passion for the sea runs deep, thanks in large part to two influential people in their lives: Jacques Cousteau and Fidel Castro who became friends during Cousteau’s visit to Havana in 1985.

[Show as slideshow]

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Help Support The Ocean Foundation’s Collaboration with Cuban Marine Scientists Your tax-deductible contribution to The Ocean Foundation’s “Cuba Marine Research and Conservation Fund” will help us continue to work with our Cuban colleagues to conduct research and protect its marine ecosystems while providing the Masters’ and Doctoral thesis research for dozens of students at The University of Havana’s Center for Marine Research.

October 18, 2010: After 50 years without formal diplomatic relations and no end to the last vestiges of the Cold War in sight, marine scientists and conservationists have taken matters into their own hands to form the Trinational Initiative for Marine Science and Conservation in the Gulf of Mexico and Western Caribbean, a unique partnership of Cuba, Mexico and the United States that is working past political barriers to make a difference for the waters we share and forging new friendships along the way. The Trinational Initiative recently held its fourth meeting in Sarasota, Florida and after nearly a decade of the Administration denying visas, more than 20 Cubans received their visas and participated in the meeting. The Ocean Doctor leads the meeting and shares its successes.

The Ocean Doctor airs weekly on WebTalkRadio.net. Want to listen on your iPod, iPhone or mp3 player? Download the mp3 file or subscribe on iTunes and don’t miss a single episode. See the complete list of episodes.

Submit a question and I’ll try to answer it on the air. Even better, record your question or comment on our special message line and I might play it on the air. Call: (805) 619-9194. You can also leave questions and comments for this episode below.

Like the show? Learn how to become a sponsor.

This Week: Cuba, Mexico & the U.S. Together on the Gulf

On 1-2 November 2007, a group of 15 Cubans and 15 Americans met in Cancún, México in a historic meeting co-organized and led by the Washington, DC-based Center for International Policy and 1planet1ocean — a project of The Ocean Foundation, in order to take joint marine research and conservation activities between the U.S. and Cuba to a new level, with a goal of establishing a framework for collaboration between Cuba, México and the United States for ongoing joint scientific research and to develop a regional plan of action designed to preserve and protect our surrounding and shared waters and marine habitats.

Because of the decades-old 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 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.

The Trinational Initiative at its Fourth Meeting at Mote Marine Laboratory, Sarasota, Florida USA

Cuba and the U.S. have enjoyed a long history and tradition of scientific collaboration, dating back to the 1800s. This tradition continues today, despite the challenges, but 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 meeting established the framework for a plan of action by recognizing the following six priorities:

• 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 and extending the system of protected areas

Following the Cancún meeting, México was included as a full partner, making the Initiative truly trinational in scope. Subsequent meetings held in Veracruz, México (March 2009), Havana, Cuba (October 2009) and Sarasota, Florida USA (September 2010) have resulted in the creation of a Trinational Plan of Action — due to be finalized in the Fall of 2010. The Plan will serve as a blueprint for trinational collaboration over the coming years and has already resulted in unprecedented levels of collaboration.

Trinational Initiative Logo

The blue, tri-wave logo symbolizes the work and collaboration of the Trinational Initiative:

• The blue waves symbolize our work of research and conservation in the sea.
• There are three waves, one representing each country in the Trinational Initiative.
• The three waves are equally-sized, symbolizing that all partners are equal.
• The three waves in perfect sync, symbolizing the unity in our collaboration together.

Links

For more information about the Trinational Initiative for Marine Research & Conservation in the Gulf of Mexico & Western Caribbean, visit: TrinationalInitiative.org

The latest information and publications from the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling: oilspillcommission.gov

Tip of the Week

It’s the “Who’s Who” of the Gulf of Mexico. Visit Gulfbase.org, a project of the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. Visit: GulfBase.org

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.

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 Cuba’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 González Sansón 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 region’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

Cuba’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 project’s lead Cuban institution, the University of Havana’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 States’ economic embargo of Cuba.

CIM researcher prepares samples for reference collection during second expedition

Up until now, Cuba’s northwest coast has not experienced the levels of coastal development seen elsewhere on the island, but as the country is now among the world’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 Cuba’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 (Cuba’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.