Report Contents

Cuba

Status and distribution

Extensive areas of shallow, protected coastal areas and many rivers on both the northern and southern coasts of Cuba constitute favorable manatee habitat (Lefebvre et al. 1989). Ecological changes in Cuba's rivers (contamination, damming, and deforestation along the margins, all affecting plant production) may have caused manatees to shift from a riverine (Cuni 1918) to more coastal marine habitat, where they occur most often along protected coasts with extensive shallow areas (Estrada and Ferrer 1987).

A comprehensive national survey (excluding the area between Jaimanitas and Punta Hicacos) involving 301 fishermen produced indications of continuous manatee presence along the coast. Twelve are the areas where manatees were sighted more frequently: Ensenada de Guadiana-Puerto Esperanza, Bahía de Cárdenas, Carahatas-Caibarién, Turiguanó, Nuevitas-Puerto Padre, Gibara-Cayo Saetía (northern coast), Siguanea and Punta del Este (Isla de la Juventud), Ensenada de la Broa, Casilda-Tunas de Zaza, Golfo de Ana María, Golfo de Guacanayabo-Ensenada de Mora, Baitiquirí (southern coast) (Estrada 1993 and Ferrer 1993). Manatees were reportedly more abundant in the complex Ensenada de La Broa-Río Hatiguanico in the southern coast of Zapata Peninsula, rich in estuaries and abundant vegetation (Ferrer 1993 unpbl. report). The Zapata Peninsula is not heavily populated and has suffered small environmental impact. Manatees are also present in the southern coast of Pinar del Río (between Cortés and La Coloma), the northern coast of the Villa Clara province (north-central Cuba), north coast of the Las Tunas province (northeastern region), and southern coast of the Sancti Spiritus province (south-central Cuba) (COMARNA 1993 unpbl. report). Despite alarming news of decreasing populations because of illegal hunting and pollution in the late 1970's (Lefebvre et al. 1989) 58% of interviewees reported seeing a manatee in the 12 months prior to survey, and the same percentage thought that manatee numbers have been increasing in the past 10 years; only 11% considered manatees "rare" in Cuba. This apparent improvement may result from fishermen's awareness about legislation and law enforcement (Ferrer 1993 unpbl. report).

A few aerial surveys have been conducted in Cuba (Estrada and Ferrer 1993 unpbl. report). Between October 1985 and January 1986, 8 flights covering the Casilda-Tunas de Zaza area (between the mouths of rivers Jatibonico del Sur and Agabama-Manati, south of Sancti Spiritus Province, approximately 93 km total) produced 44 sightings; in November 1986 and July 1987, 4 flights were conducted each time in western Zapata Peninsula and Ensenada de La Broa and Rio Hatiguanico (approximately 96 km), with counts of 21 and 39 manatees, respectively; in July 1992, 4 flights covering all coasts of Zapata Peninsula and Rio Hatiguanico basin and Laguna del Tesoro produced a count of 20 manatees.

Major threats and conservation problems

The level of threats on manatees is believed to have remained stable at least between 1959 and 1989 (Ferrer 1993 unpbl. report). As a result of protective measures, illegal hunting has practically been eliminated in Cuba (COMARNA 1993 unpbl. report.). Although mortality is said not to be high, coastal fishing activities are the main identifiable cause of manatee deaths in Cuba, due to suffocation when animals become entangled in various net types. Contamination and loss of natural condition especially in the lower reaches of 90% of the rivers have dramatically reduced manatee habitat. In 1981 approximately 8 manatees died due to exposure to residues from the sugar cane industry. The Bahía de Nipe, Cuba's largest, is said to have been abandoned in the past 20 years because of contamination which also affected the shrimp fishery. An increase in tourism, accentuated in the past 3 years and translated into maritime construction such as roads and bridges in low coastal areas, and hotels and nautical bases for yachts, may add to the dangers (Estrada and Ferrer 1993). A smaller proportion of manatee deaths is attributed to collisions with boats, harpooning, underwater explosions produced by petroleum prospection, and shark attacks (Estrada 1987, Ferrer 1993 unpbl. report).

National legislation and conservation measures

Manatees have been in Cuba's threatened species list since 1973 (Estrada and Ferrer 1993). They have been protected since 1936 by Decreto-Ley 707; its article 39 prohibited manatee captures and prescribed 500-pesos fines and/or imprisonment for 180 days. In 1955 Decreto 2724 ("Reglamento de la Ley General de Pesca") in its article 75 declared the manatee an animal under permanent closed season. In 1982 the Ministry of Fisheries created Decreto 103, permanently prohibiting the capture of manatees in all national territory with fines of 100 pesos, and confiscation of the captured animals, fishing gear, and boats. There is no authorized market for commercialization of manatee meat. Cuba is a Party to the CITES Convention and has signed the SPAW Protocol.

Only in the past 30 years these laws have been enforced (Ferrer 1993 unpbl. report), but it is suggested that both the population and the governmental institutions possess a high level of awareness relative to manatees' situation (COMARNA 1993 unpbl. report). Nevertheless it is hard to evaluate the effects of these regulations due to an extensive coast with many areas of difficult access (Estrada and Ferrer 1993).

Limitations on economic development in Cuba prevent the implementation of management and protective measures. The large development in scientific investigation in the past 30 years has been directed towards production, medicine, and fishing technology. Cuba promotes the need to protect nature, with many radio and TV campaigns for the conservation of flora and fauna, although none specific for manatee. In addition economic limitations have reduced such campaigns in the past 3 years (Estrada and Ferrer 1993 unpbl. report).

Despite being the largest Caribbean island, Cuba has no programme directed to the study, evaluation, protection and management of its marine fauna and their habitat, and only in the last few years has a consciousness for its need begun to show. There is no national conservation programme (Estrada and Ferrer 1993). Environmental awareness programmes about wildlife protection are often produced by the T.V., radio and newspapers (Ferrer and Estrada 1993 unpubl. report). The only two limited research programmes include a) aerial surveys to estimate the size of the population occupying vicinities of Zapata Peninsula, by Institute of Forestry Research of the Ministry of Agriculture (affected by the lack of funds) ; b) a similar project for the study of coastal ecosystems of the cays of Sabana-Camagüey on the north coast of Cuba as part of a UNDP Programme (not yet started) (Estrada and Ferrer 1993).

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