South Atlantic / Caribbean Meeting March 21, 22, 2013 UNC Wilmington, Wilmington North Carolina Final Report Introduction On March 21 and 22 the South Atlantic Council held a meeting to address issues common to the South Atlantic states and the Caribbean area. Participants included North Carolina State officials, a variety of faculty and scientists from Cuba and Barbados. The meeting was seen as an initial opportunity for sharing information on common problems and best practices. All sessions were held at the University of North Carolina Wilmington and included formal presentations as well as social and mix and mingle / networking opportunities which were attended by elected officials from North Carolina as well as interested citizens. Attendance ranged from 30 to more than 100. Feedback from both American and foreign participants indicated great enthusiasm both for the presentations and the opportunities for informal contact and look forward to further collaboration. Valuable assistance was rendered by Environmental Defense Fund which has long had contact with Cuba on environmental issues; they assisted both in organizing the conference and by actively participating. 1 Background Although the political winds have separated the United States and Cuba for many years, there has been one common denominator—the sea. The tropical waters of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and Southeast coast of the U.S. have freely flowed between the two countries. The marine ecosystems in one of the countries can have an effect on the other and are part of our common heritage. Currents can carry the eggs and larvae of many marine organisms from one place to another, so if there is a lack of understanding of a species life history or there are bad management practices in one country it could affect the recruitment of the species elsewhere. The eggs and larvae of Spiny lobster, for instance, can stay in the open ocean for months and therefore affect the population dynamics of the species over a wide area of the Caribbean. We recognize that coral reefs and associated tropical and subtropical marine communities are among the most biologically complex and diverse ecosystems in the world. These systems are inextricably linked to healthy coastal waters in the U.S. and all tropical coastal regions of the Caribbean basin and wider West Indies. It is therefore imperative that all nations bordering tropical seas join together to address the decline of reefs, our fisheries and other common issues such as water quality and Hurricane prediction. The South Atlantic/Caribbean meeting at the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) is designed to bring together experts on these issues thereby promoting further cooperation between the United States, Cuba and other nations. 2 Agenda Outline 
Meeting at a Glance: o Will be held at UNC Wilmington, Wilmington, NC. A block of rooms has been reserved at the Holiday Inn Sunspree at Wrightsville Beach (see registration) o Begins at 4:00 p.m. with registration on March 20 and concludes after lunch on Friday, March 22. Sessions will include: 
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Marine Fisheries Management Coral Reef Preservation Hurricane / Disaster Mitigation We hope that through formal sessions on these topics and informal interactions, new ideas and new opportunities for cooperation will emerge. Wednesday, March 20 6:30 – 8:30 Welcome Reception / Dinner at the home of Edward and Lee Graham (Directions provided in packet) Thursday, March 21 ‐ Location: UNCW Campus Fisher Building / Wrightsville Beach Room (#2017) 3 Please note, there will be reserved parking in Lot E located in front of the Fisher Center 8:15 – 9 a.m. 9:00 9:30 – Opening Remarks by Chris Russo, Governors’ South Atlantic Alliance Using Science to build bridges between and U. S. and Cuba, presented by Dr. Doug Rader and Dan Whittle of Environmental Defense Fund Session I Coffee and Registration Lobby / Fisher Center on the Campus of UNCW Marine Fisheries Management Objective: Many of our fish stocks are under stress or declining. Since fish move up and down our coast, actions taken in one area may impact a far larger region. How do we explain the need for fisheries restrictions to commercial fisheries and the public? Are there successful stock regeneration projects underway? What is the future of commercial fishing in 10 years? 50 years? Session Format: 20 minute presentations followed by Q&A (10 minutes after each presentation, 30 minutes total) with additional 15 minutes for general Q&A at the end of the session. 9:30 – 10:00 Dr. Fabian Pina, Scientist with the Center for Coastal Ecosystems Research in Cayo Coco, Cuba, whose work has been recognized internationally through awards and collaboration. Dr. Pina has recently been named a Pew Marine Fellow. 10:00 10:15‐ 10:45 Break / Greetings by UNCW Chancellor Gary Miller Dr. Louis Daniel, Director of the North Carolina Division for Marine Fisheries 4 10:45 11:15 – 12:15 Discussion and Questions Break / mix, mingle 12:15 Lunch 1:30 – 3:30 Session II Coral Reef Preservation Objective: Much has been written about the degradation of the reefs around the world. Reefs are dying with long term but little understood consequences. What do the best researchers in our area have to say about this problem? What can be done by local officials to prevent further decline or promote recovery? What are the threats to reefs that cross state and national boundaries? Session Format: 20 minute presentations followed by Q&A (10 minutes after each presentation, 30 minutes total) with additional 15 minutes for general Q&A at the end of the session. 1:30 – 2:15 Dr. Patricia Gonzalez, Professor and researcher at Marine Research Center, Havana University “Cumulative Effects of Multiple Stress Agent on Hermatipic Corals of Coral Reefs of Western Cuban Region”. David Gill, Professor – Fisheries Biology and Management University of West Indies at Cave Hill “Economic Value of Reef Dependent Fisheries” Dr. Alina Szmant, Professor, UNCW 3:15 Questions and Discussion 5 6:30 ‐ Reception Oyster Roast Location – Parsley Woods Clubhouse / directions in packet Friday, March 22 Location – UNCW Center for Marine Science 8:30‐ 9:00 Coffee 9:15 Announcements Session III Hurricane/Disaster Mitigation Objective: Hurricane Sandy began in the Caribbean and morphed into a storm devastating vast areas of the Atlantic’s northeast. Articles today are being written stating the Northeast could have taken many actions that would have mitigated the effects. What are those actions? Have officials in the larger South Atlantic region learned things that would help other communities? Does sea level rise pose increased threats from tropical storms? Session Format: 20 minute presentations followed by Q&A (10 minutes after each presentation, 30 minutes total) with additional 15 minutes for general Q&A at the end of the session. 9:45 Jose Rubiera, Scientist and meteorologist well‐known in Cuba for his work on hurricane reporting “Hurricane Risk Reduction on Cuba” "
Tropical storms and hurricanes form and strengthen over the ocean waters. A strong hurricane may hit Cuba today and then hit Florida, the Gulf coast or the Eastern seaboard of the United States tomorrow: Thus, Cuba and the USA share the same 6 hurricane threat and cooperation, and exchange of experiences, could lead to save lives and properties in both countries. Spencer Rogers, North Carolina Sea Grant 11:30 Discussion and Questions 12:00 Lunch and closing and summary panel moderated by Doug Rader and Jim Leutze Location: UNCW Center for Marine Science For those interested we can tour the Center for Marine Science facilities as well as the new Marbionic Building 7 8 Presentation Summaries Day 1 – University of North Carolina Wilmington Fisher Student Center Dr. Doug Rader, Chief Scientist with North Carolina’s Environmental Defense Fund and Dan Whittle, Cuba Program Director – Oceans began the meeting by talking about their extensive experience working in Cuba and provided information on research opportunities. Session I Marine Fisheries Management Presentation by Dr. Fabian Pina, Scientist with the Center for Coastal Ecosystems Research in Cayo Coco, Cuba, whose work has been recognized internationally through awards and collaboration. Dr. Pina has recently been named a Pew Marine Fellow. Summary of Presentation: Presentation by Dr. Louis Daniel, Director of the North Carolina Division for Marine Fisheries. Summary of Presentation: Dr. Daniel’s presentation focused on US Marine Fisheries management. There are a number of regulatory bodies that work to protect fish stocks both at the state, multi‐state and federal levels. In North Carolina, these regulatory bodies include the Atlantic States Fisheries Commission (multi‐state) the National Marine Fisheries Service, which is federal, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service. It is also the case that there is state and federal governing legislation with the Atlantic Coastal Act and the Magnuson‐Stevens act at the top of the list. 9 Acting with guidance from these various bodies, the NC Division “recommends” rules and policies. There are 321 staff members who collect data and contribute to the recommendations. The Division has little direct authority. They follow the law as laid down in the Fisheries Reform Act, but the Marine Fisheries Commissions are the entities that ultimately decide which laws to follow. The Commission is a body made up of both commercial, recreational and at‐large members. They approve management plans as proposed by the Division and have rule‐making authority from shore out to three miles. The Atlantic States Commission is a multi‐state commission representing all east coast states and they also manage waters from shore out to three miles. There are three members from each state , but they cast only one vote. The Federal Fisheries Council manages waters from 3 ‐ 200 miles off shore. There are three members from each state and, again, they cast only one vote. The US Fish and Wildlife Service control the Anadromous species which are fish that migrate from salt water to fresh water. They also maintain hatcheries and otherwise protect the resource. Public involvement in fisheries management comes through the Marine Fisheries and federal councils. Obviously this is a complex series of groups who need to work together in order to adopt policy that is both supported by research data and can gain public support. It is also the case that there are many steps before any plan can be adopted and implemented. The Division of Marine Fisheries manages 23 different species. There have been improvements in several of these including summer flounder, spiny dog fish and bluefish, but challenges remain in fish, snapper/grouper and sheepshead. One successful program has been red drum – the state fish. This improvement was accomplished by reducing the bag limit from 5‐1 as well as putting a limit on commercial trips and limiting size to nothing over 27‐inches. Improvements of fish stocks show that the goals set have been met, but now the challenge is to manage a recovering fishery. River herring are a more problematic case. A “no harvest” policy 10 has been implemented with funding for research on spawning and migratory patterns as well as sampling water quality. The fishery was closed in 2007 but the impact of that closure is still unknown. There are many challenges facing our fisheries with pollution, over‐fishing and competition between recreational and commercial fishermen leading the list of issues. Whereas we can be cheered by the success in managing some species, our ability to do so successfully in the future remains problematic. Session II Coral Reef Preservation Presentation by Dr. Patricia Gonzalez, Professor and Researcher at Marine Research Center, Havana University. “Cumulative Effects of Multiple Stress Agent on Hermatipic Corals of Coral Reefs of Western Cuban Region” Presentation Summary: (Full presentation can be found online at ( _______) Dr. Gonzales focused her remarks on the Research Station at Cay de Coco in The Garden of the Queens. The mission of the station is to carry out research and monitor and report protection and sustainable use of coastal ecosystems and resources. Founded in 1991 there are 75 workers focusing on 20 scientific areas including geography, coastal dynamics and meteorology. Additionally, they monitor and manage the coastal health of the southern coast of Cuba. Organized with a director, a board and a project manager, there is a teaching department and administrative department with research groups coming under a vice director. Their primary research vessel has a capacity of 20 teachers and students. Their teaching consists of undergraduate and graduate programs with 25 graduate courses, two master degree programs and since 1974 one PhD in biological sciences. They are currently involved in six different lines of research centering on marine biology and aquaculture. They 11 collaborate with other environmental studies programs through Cuba as well as many international groups from Spain, Mexico, Brazil, France, Canada, Belgium and the US. In the US their primary partners include HART Institute HI, the Smith MOPE Marine Lab. Presentation by David Gill, Fisheries Biology and Management, University of West Indies, Cave Hill “Economic Value of Reef Dependent Fisheries” Summary of Presentation: (full presentation can be found online at: _______) David Gill presented a paper on the FORCE (Future of Reefs in a Changing Environment) which is a four‐year European Union research project centered at the University of the West Indies. The object is to assign an economic value to reefs for fishing and tourism. At the same time, they want to understand threats to the reefs in the region and understand how reef management has been done in the past. The Caribbean has 26,000 kilometers of shallow reefs. These reefs protect 20 percent of the shore line. The net economic value is between $3.1 and $4.5 billion with income coming from fisheries and dive tourism, and then putting a dollar value on shore protection. Aside from this, the reefs shelter a food resource with an income value of $375 million where there often is no other available food resource. In the Caribbean, tourism is 14 percent of GDP and provides employment to 12 percent of the population. Approximately 25 million tourists come to the Caribbean primarily to dive and see the fish on the reefs. There are significant declines in reef viability where some reefs have lost as much as 80 percent of their cover – globally 19 percent of reefs have lost significant cover with a potential for a loss of another 15 – 20 percent in the next 20 years. In the next 20 years reefs will have been degraded by land based pollution, coastal development, physical damage, over‐fishing, disease and climate change. All of these things have reduced the number of high value fish with a huge economic loss to coastal communities. 12 David Gill’s research centers on Honduras, St. Kits, and Nevis, and Barbados. He is attempting a complex process of an economic evaluation of the reefs value and their sustainability. He has discovered that data collection is labor intensive with little base line data on coral reef fisheries. He depends largely on interviews with fishermen and fish purveyors. In order to complete his study, he will need biophysical, social and economic data in hopes that this will provide information that will drive policy. Dr. Alina Szmant, Professor and Researcher, UNCW, facilitated comments and discussion for this session. 13 Day 2 ‐ The University of North Carolina Center for Marine Science Session III Hurricane / Disaster Mitigation Presentation by: Dr. Jose Rubiera, Scientist and meteorologist well‐known in Cuba for his work on hurricane mapping and reporting “Hurricane Risk Reduction on Cuba” Tropical storms and hurricanes form and strengthen over the ocean waters. A strong hurricane may hit Cuba today and then hit Florida, the Gulf coast or the Eastern seaboard of the United States tomorrow. Thus, Cuba and the USA share the same hurricane threat and cooperation, and exchange of experiences could lead to save lives and properties in both countries. Summary of Presentation: (full presentation can be found at ____________) The 17 years from 1995 to 2012 have seen the most hurricane activity since record keeping began in 1896. There have been two and a half times more major hurricanes which appear to be related to the increased surface water temperature. The trend is expected to continue as temperatures have increased and there has been more rainfall. Hurricanes are a major disaster risk for Cuba as they are in the U.S. as well. Cuba’s Early Warning System (EWS) is based on a series of laws, including those relating to national defense, civil and environmental law. The main elements of EWS are the National Forecast Offices at different levels of government, media and social organizations, with the common purpose of keeping the average citizen well informed, organized and prepared. The Cuban National Forecast Center (NFC) monitors weather and issues early warnings through media outlets and TV. The intent is to keep the public educated and aware. Meteorologists at NFC are involved in all early warning steps with strong partnerships between Civil Defense and 14 media. There are 15 provincial forecast departments, 68 meteorological stations, 8 radars and one satellite ground station. Thus, there is a network of weather stations all over the island as well as websites and free phone service for updates. A major finding is that people respond when they trust the messenger and over time, the NFC has won public confidence. This is a good thing since there have been 19 named storms since 1996, nine of which were Category 3‐
5. There has been huge economic damage, but minimum loss of life. Hurricane Sandy which also struck the East Coast of the U. S. hit Cuba between October 24‐25, 2012 and provides a good example of Cuban preparedness. This storm hit Santiago, which has only been struck by two major storms since 1851. Santiago is a city of 500,000 people. This hurricane was particularly dangerous because it went from a Category 1 to a 3 in 12 hours. The forecast tracking was accurate beginning 72 hours in advance and although there were high waves of up to 24 feet and 200 mm of rain, there were only nine deaths in Santiago. Conclusions are that we are living during periods of high activity that may get worse with climate change. Cuba has already linked the NFC with Civil Defense and media with the intent to educate and mobilize public support. Presentation by Spencer Rogers, North Carolina Sea Grant, Coastal Construction and Erosion Specialist. For more than 30 years, Rogers has helped private property owners, builders, designers and governmental agencies to develop hurricane resistant construction methods, understand shoreline erosion alternatives and implement marine construction techniques. He serves on the faculty at UNCW’s Center for Marine Science and as adjunct faculty in the department of civil, construction, and environmental engineering at North Carolina State University. Summary of Presentation: (Full presentation can be found at _________) Spencer Rogers reported on reducing hurricane damage in the US. Using dramatic pictures in his presentation, Mr. Rogers highlighted the destruction of some houses where others nearby or next door had survived. There are varying hazards including storm surge with erosion from waves, wave impact in low elevations with consequent flooding, and, of course there is always 15 the wind. Higher elevations suffer primarily from erosion and wind rather than flooding. Improved construction techniques including simple things like extra roof ties help. Additionally, there is a national standard for flood risk which takes into consideration the 100‐year flood plan. Waves driven by 125 mile per hour winds can over wash entire barrier islands, but houses that are elevated can avoid wave damage. Storms like Ike in 2006 can affect communities far inland. The problem of implementing hurricane resistant construction has much to do with the cost, but no matter the cost, there appears to be no perfect hurricane resistant construction. # # # # # # # # # # # # # # After lunch there was general discussion moderated by Jim Leutze and Doug Rader. There was broad agreement that the meetings had gone well and served as a good launching pad for further discussions. It was clear that the reduction in grant funding for research made it much more difficult to do work anywhere outside the US. Many states have put restrictions on travel funds and grants from NOAA and other federal agencies have been significantly reduced. However, there still are opportunities for individual and groups to travel to the Caribbean region and it is hoped that further discussion will result in more exchanges. 16 Other Activities On Tuesday evening dinner was hosted at a small local restaurant by Alex Hall, former member of the NC Legislature, NC Board of Governors and UNCW Trustees. The restaurant (Rx) specializes in southern food and allowed us to introduce our guests to our local traditional country style food. It was an informal dinner which included, besides our Caribbean guests, eight members of the Wilmington community. On Wednesday morning, Dr. Leutze conducted a tour of the UNCW campus. Our Caribbean visitors seemed very interested and impressed with UNCW and commented favorably on the natural beauty and the condition of our buildings. They were particularly impressed with our School of Education and the Computer Science building. Following a light lunch, Danny McComas, former NC Legislator, and his wife Betty provided a private bus tour of Wilmington which included downtown area attractions and the Battleship North Carolina. Wednesday evening concluded with Professor Edward Graham of the UNCW’s Cameron School of Business hosting a dinner at his home. This was a wonderful and well‐attended occasion with more than 60 people in attendance. There was lots of opportunity for informal conversation between members of many UNCW programs, our visiting Caribbean scientists, as well as the community at large. On Thursday evening, the University hosted an Oyster Roast/buffet dinner, including barbecued pork and all the fixins. This event was attended by approximately 70 people including as before, members of the community at large and conferees. Our headline entertainment was a trio that included Clyde Edgerton (noted author and UNCW professor), Phillip Gerard (author and chair of Creative Writing), and Dargan Frierson (UNCW professor) who played country style music and some of Clyde’s original songs. 17 Following Friday’s presentations and lunch there was a tour of the new Marbonic public/private facility and the Center for Marine Science. From all indications the objectives for the conference were fully met. We had interesting presentations, plenty of opportunity for discussions of various issues and certainly a better understanding of the similar problems facing Cuba, the Caribbean and the South East Coast of the United States. Conclusion As stated initially, the conference was “designed to bring together expertise on common issues to promote further cooperation between the United States, Cuba and other Caribbean nations to exchange research efforts that address our common interests.” There are already efforts underway to bring more academics from the Caribbean region to UNCW so that we might explore opportunities for collaborative research, student exchanges and possibly research activities in the Caribbean region. UNCW is interested in actively pursuing these opportunities in hopes of promoting 18