Marine cooperative efforts

The Environmental Defense Fund is sending U.S. scientists to Cuba today to discuss ways to eliminate overfishing, protect coral reefs, conserve coastal areas, and tap potential ocean energy. Last month, EDF secured Treasury licenses for Cuban scientists to come to Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, and this is a similar exchange—in the opposite direction.

Ocean waters and marine resources are shared by both countries to some extent. So the discussions that will take place this week on how to protect and harness the benefits of these resources while mitigating and/or eliminating the costs associated with human interaction with the environment only make sense. And as Daniel Whittle of EDF points out, “Fishing, coastal development, and offshore oil and gas exploration in Cuba can have impacts in the United States, and vice-versa. The sooner we work together to manage shared resources and find solutions common problems, the sooner we’ll see benefits for the people, the environment and the economy in both countries.”

In fact, EDF holds that the healthy maintenance of Cuba’s coastal waters are vital to the well being of fisheries and fishing communities along the southeastern coast of the United States. With 4,200 islets and keys, Cuba supports reef fish like snapper and grouper, as well as other marine life (manatees, turtles and dolphins, for example). And Cuba and the United States share a deep water coral system, recently discovered, that stretches from the island to North Carolina.

The two nations may be estranged, but environmental resources and threats know no borders. Organizations in both countries are acting accordingly.