A Reef Relief team that included Craig Quirolo, Dr. Brian and Mrs. Lee Lapointe, and Dr. Chuck Olson returned to Havana in June to pursue our agreement with the Cuban Institute of Oceanography to survey Cuban reefs. We met with scientists and educators at the institute to formulate a multi-year plan. The embargo presents some real difficulties for cooperative ventures. We are exploring various options, but he constraints on spending funds in Cuba makes it almost impossible to do much. Hopefully, by next year, we can find a way to do field work with our Cuban partners. In the meantime, we will provide educational materials, share the results of our coral surveys, and strive for greater cooperation between our country and Cuba.
Dr. Brian Lapointe gave a talk to the scientists at the Institute and Craig Quirolo provided full color reports of our survey work last year at Maria La Gorda, Playa Flamingo, and Cayo Cocos. Our discussions with the scientists revealed that although they are restricted from receiving and sending information in so many ways, they are quite well-versed in the latest scientific trends. Most were familiar with Brian's nutrient thresholds for coral reefs.
The students asked some of the most intelligent questions we had ever been asked, in a foreign language for them—English! We were honored when they presented us with Revista de Oceanologia y Ecologia Tropical for the years 1993_1997, containing scientific articles from the Institute.
For this year's field work, we elected to simply sail over on Stormy Weather, our 30' wooden sailboat, perform our surveys and then return to the institute to share our results. So, shortly after the rest of the crew left Havana, Craig and I headed west to survey the reefs of the Archipelago de los Colorados. This chain of keys with mangroves, seagrasses and coral reefs is uninhabited and stretches in a broad arc for almost 120 miles between Punta Gobernadora and Cabo San Antonia (the western tip of Cuba). At Punta Gobernadora the reef is less than a mile offshore; at Cabo San Antonio it is almost 25 miles out from the town of La Fe. The coastline features mangroves and many small cays. (From Cuba, a Cruising Guide by Nigel Calder).
We obtained eight video transects and 280 slides of reefs at Bahia Honda, Cayo Paraiso, Cayo Levisa, and Cayo Jutias. The experience was very sobering. The reefs we've seen are covered in algae and devoid of fish. We saw only two dolphins during our entire three weeks at sea in Cuba. Overfishing has occurred as a result of the food shortage and even sharks were missing. No sea turtles, no rays, no conch, no reef-fish. Just a few tropical fish so small they couldn't possibly be eaten. We saw fishermen in the coastal mangroves, fishing out the nurseries and breeder species that would migrate to the reef.. We saw fishermen on inner tubes many miles from shore. The corals were not as healthy as we had hoped either. We identified several coral diseases including black band, yellow band and nuisance algal overgrowth was abundant at many of the reefs. The agricultural and industrial runoff from the mainland tobacco farms or the lack of proper sewage treatment in the coastal towns could be contributing to this problem.
Some of the ports that we visited were heavily guarded by the military. The jefes in charge are generals who are now in the tourism business. The ports are heavily guarded by Guardia Frontera. Upon entering a port, the military would direct us to an approved anchorage, always under their telescopic vision so that they could monitor our every move. Permission to move about is not always granted. In Bahia Honda, we were told we could not go to the nearby town. In Cayo Levisa, we could only use our inflatable to get from the boat to the dock until we asked the general for a reprieve to survey nearby reefs. We were not allowed to visit Cayo Paraiso and our plans to depart Cayo Levisa were denied for 24 hours because of military maneuvers.
There are "touristic" areas where things that are largely unavailable to the people of Cuba can be hadample electricity, running water, cold beers, lobster dinners, and the beginnings of resort facilities. Cayo Levisa is a safe harbor nestled amongst mangroves. There's a single wooden boardwalk from the small boat dock that extends to the other side of the island. There you'll find seaside bungalows, a restaurant, bar, and a dive shopall in one story thatched buildings facing a long, beautiful, sandy beach that extends forever. There are lots of guys running about and you get the impression that they were all comrades in Angola. There's a distinctly military air about everything. Tourists from the mainland or Italy or Spain arrive on the dive boat that also serves as the daily ferry to the mainland.
In the coastal town of Arroyo, we found the school teeming with small children, we gave them school supplies and hygienic products such as toothbrushes, tooth paste, combs, soap, and shampoo and took pictures, but only after they had insisted that the children put on their shoes and socks and sit in rows on their wooden chairs. The people of Cuba are the most promising thing we encountered; they were very friendly and generous. We were hosted with aromatic Cuban coffee, homegrown fruits, and other gifts. Music and art abounded whereever we went and it was wonderful. It was as if we had been transported to another time; we were certainly in a different place.
Dr. Katy Muzik, coral reef scientist extraordinaire and friend, has established the isla* bela Institute to help protect coral reefs in Puerto Rico. The mission of her organization is to educate and inspire the people of Puerto Rico, especially youth, to conserve precious natural resources and protect the natural environment by encouraging consciousness of its value and pride in its beauty. The institute is launching several educational and scientific programs. With funding from Sea Grant, the Dune Restoration Program organizes community groups, such as the Boy Scouts, to measure dune changes and replant native flora on Puerto Rico's north coast. The Institute is also home to a nursery of native trees and plants, serve as a model of the natural beauty possible on the island, and a reminder that caring for plants on land helps guard the sea from pollution. Workshops for scientists and students are organized to study the health and diversity of corals in the Caribbean. The first workshop will be held in Venezuela in August, 1999. Dr. Muziks's beautiful and accurate multilingual children's books will also soon be available on cd-rom format. For more information, contact Katy Muzik at 787 872-1230 (phone/fax), email islabela@coqui.net or write isla*bela Institute, Bajuras 332, Isabela, PR 00662. And, check the Internet for the new website; touch the islabela Institute button at www.skymuzik.com.
from Negril Reef Rap, the official newsletter of the Negril Coral Reef Preservation Society
It is said that if you wait long enough, and keep a positive attitude, your hopes and dreams will eventually come true. This certainly proved true for Negril, Jamaica when Easton Douglas, the Jamaican Minister of Environment and Housing, officially signed declaration orders creating the Negril Environmental Protection Area (epa) on November 28, 1997, and the Negril Marine Park on March 4, 1998. Declaration of the epa was announced at a ceremony marking the opening of the Smithsonian Coral Reef Exhibition in Negril. The event was organized by the Negril Coral Reef Preservation Society (ncrps) and included many important local, national and international guests.
Minister Douglas noted that "The Negril community has the distinction of being one of the earliest groups to come together with the relevant agencies for structured reviews of the environmental concerns of the area.... A management plan for the Marine Park has been drafted by the Negril Coral Reef Preservation Society and is being reviewed by the National Resources Conservation Authority. It is intended to designate the ncrps as a local management entity to manage the Marine Park, one of the protected areas in the epa.
Congratulations to Katy Thacker and all the people at
ncrps who have worked so hard for so long; we at Reef Relief
are proud to be a part of your efforts. During the annual Reef
Relief membership meeting, President Brian Lapointe honored
Katy Thacker with our Conservationist
of the Year Award in the spirit of Marjory Stoneman Douglas for
her multi-year efforts to protect Jamaica's coral reefs.
This great news came on the heels of another visit by Dr. Brian Lapointe to Negril to continue the Coral Reef Monitoring Program begun in 1997. Lapointe and NCRPS Rangers collect monthly water quality samples from 41 sites throughout the Negril watershed. The study has documented that coral diversity and abundance increases significantly as one moves away from the Long Bay, Negril area.
It is interesting to note that in Long Bay is found the greatest density of sea urchins (diadema), but also the highest density of macroalgae. Participating scientists Drs. Karen and Jim Porter, who analyzed the data from the study noted that "The growth of the algae, which is accelerated by nutrients going into the water in Long Bay, overwhelms the ability of grazing sea urchins to control the abundance of the nuisance "weeds" there."
An educational map to help the residents and visitors of Guanaja, Bay Islands, Honduras, use and enjoy their mooring buoys has been produced and distributed with help from Reef Relief. The map includes information in English and Spanish about the coral reef ecosystem, how to use reef mooring buoys and where to find the buoys that were installed last summer in a cooperative project with Reef Relief. The project was funded by the Richard Monroe Foundation. Richard owns property on Guanaja and volunteered during the buoy installation project. Thanks for your help!
The latest news is that Guanaja has been hit by hurricane Mitch. We are asking help for the island, its reef and inhabitants. For more info, please contact us.
