How One Biologist Helped Cuba Ban Sea Turtle Fishing
Affiliate Disclosure
Hey fellow impactful ninja ?
You may have noticed that Impactful Ninja is all about providing helpful information to make a positive impact on the world and society. And that we love to link back to where we found all the information for each of our posts.
Most of these links are informational-based for you to check out their primary sources with one click.
But some of these links are so-called "affiliate links" to products that we recommend.
Why do we add these product links?
First and foremost, because we believe that they add value to you. For example, when we wrote a post about the environmental impact of long showers, we came across an EPA recommendation to use WaterSense showerheads. So we linked to where you can find them. Or, for many of our posts, we also link to our favorite books on that topic so that you can get a much more holistic overview than one single blog post could provide.
And when there is an affiliate program for these products, we sign up for it. For example, as Amazon Associates, we earn from qualifying purchases.
What do these affiliate links mean for you?
First, and most importantly, we still only recommend products that we believe add value for you.
When you buy something through one of our affiliate links, we may earn a small commission - but at no additional costs to you.
And when you buy something through a link that is not an affiliate link, we won’t receive any commission but we’ll still be happy to have helped you.
What do these affiliate links mean for us?
When we find products that we believe add value to you and the seller has an affiliate program, we sign up for it.
When you buy something through one of our affiliate links, we may earn a small commission (at no extra costs to you).
And at this point in time, all money is reinvested in sharing the most helpful content with you. This includes all operating costs for running this site and the content creation itself.
What does this mean for me personally?
You may have noticed by the way Impactful Ninja is operated that money is not the driving factor behind it. It is a passion project of mine and I love to share helpful information with you to make a positive impact on the world and society. However, it's a project in that I invest a lot of time and also quite some money.
Eventually, my dream is to one day turn this passion project into my full-time job and provide even more helpful information. But that's still a long time to go.
Stay impactful,
At Impactful Ninja, we curate positive and impactful news for you. Add Impactful Ninja as a preferred source on Google or sign up for our free newsletter to get these delivered straight to your inbox—just like our expert roundup below!
📰 The quick summary: Cuban marine biologist Félix Guillermo Moncada Gavilán spent over 40 years guiding Cuba’s shift from commercial sea turtle fishing to full legal protection, leaving behind a legacy of research and conservation that continues to shape Caribbean turtle policy.
📈 One key stat: Cuba’s annual legal sea turtle catch dropped from an average of 836 metric tons in the 1980s to below 15 metric tons by 2008, when the country finally closed the fishery entirely.
💬 One key quote: “A review of Cuban sea turtle research between 1994 and 2021 identified him as its most prolific author, with contributions to 40 of the 78 publications examined.”
1️⃣ The big picture: For most of the 20th century, Cuba commercially harvested sea turtles for meat and shell, landing hundreds of metric tons each year. Over decades, growing scientific research and conservation advocacy pushed the country toward stricter regulations, culminating in a full ban on sea turtle capture in 2008 and a broader prohibition in 2011. Cuban marine biologist Félix Guillermo Moncada Gavilán was at the center of that transformation, spending more than 40 years at Cuba’s Fisheries Research Center studying nesting grounds, migrations, and population trends. He helped design the step-by-step restrictions that led to the final closure and trained a new generation of researchers along the way. His work also extended beyond Cuba’s borders, connecting Cuban nesting populations with the wider Caribbean through tagging, monitoring, and regional cooperation via the WIDECAST network.
2️⃣ Why is this good news: Cuba’s full legal ban on sea turtle capture, supported by decades of scientific work, gives threatened species like green turtles and hawksbills a real chance to recover in Caribbean waters. Moncada’s research helped build a policy framework grounded in data rather than guesswork, making conservation decisions far more effective. By training students, leading workshops, and co-authoring dozens of national assessments, he ensured that Cuba’s conservation capacity grew well beyond any single researcher. His emphasis on regional cooperation reflects an important truth about migratory species: protecting them requires international collaboration, not just national rules. The institutional knowledge and networks he helped build continue to benefit sea turtle populations across the wider Caribbean.
3️⃣ What’s next: Researchers and conservation authorities in Cuba still face challenges including poaching, accidental bycatch, and inconsistent enforcement in protected areas. Ongoing monitoring of nesting populations and migratory routes remains essential to measuring the impact of the 2008 fishing closure. Strengthening regional cooperation through networks like WIDECAST will be key to ensuring that conservation gains inside Cuba translate into broader population recovery across the Caribbean.
Read the full story here: Mongabay – Félix Guillermo Moncada Gavilán helped move Cuba from sea turtle fishing to protection
