The major fisheries in terms of monetary value for Cuba involve exports of spiny lobster, penaeid shrimp and tuna. In the lobster fishery, 245 vessels up to 18 m in length supply seven industrial plants with a total annual production of more than 9 000 tonnes. In the shrimp fishery, 92 trawlers of 18-23 m in length catch about 1 800 tonnes of shrimp per year, with a bycatch of 12 000 tonnes which is used for human consumption and animal feed. The tuna fleet consists of 35 vessels up to 19 m long catching skipjack and yellowfin with live bait, pole and line.
Aquaculture and capture fisheries for other species of finfish supply the domestic market. Five hundred thirty vessels up to 18 m in length catch about 22 000 tonnes per year. The main species are snappers, groupers, grunts and sharks. Fishing gear includes traps, beach and boat seines, gillnets and other entangling nets, hook and line.
The Government has actively supported fisheries development since 1959 with projects aimed at improving fishermen’s working and living conditions, building fishing vessels and processing plants. Fishery research, management and regulation fall under the authority of the Ministry of Fisheries (Ministerio de la Industria Pesquera, MIP). Within this Ministry, there are two agencies concerned with research in fishing technology.
One of these agencies, the Fisheries Research Centre (Centro de Investigaciones Pesqueras, CIP), has a responsibility to conduct scientific studies and advise the MIP regarding development policies for the exploitation, management, culture, and processing of fishery resources as well as the conservation of the aquatic environment. The CIP’s main activities include the following:
The CIP has a staff of approximately 150 as well as an experimental processing plant, laboratories, a mariculture station and two research vessels. Library services and publication of results to support and enhance research are high priorities. For some time the CIP published the Cuban Journal of Fisheries Research (Revista Cubana de Investigaciones Pesqueras). As of 1996 there was a four-year interruption in the printing of this journal, but plans were in the works to revive it with the support of a FAO/DANIDA project. Since 1995, CIP has been the national partner of ASFA (Aquatic Science and Fisheries Abstracts). Fishery engineers as well as biologists from the Division of Marine Fisheries have also worked in fishing technology research and development, with positive results in the fields of gear selectivity, environmental impacts, evaluation of fishing effort, and fishing economics.
The Centre for Marine Technology and Projects (Centro de Proyectos y Tecnologia Naval, CEPRONA) is another agency in the MIP responsible for projects involving vessels, equipment and technology for marine fisheries. Its funding comes from contracts with both the MIP and the fishing industry. Its staff of about 100 work mainly in research and development in mechanical, naval and electrical engineering. It designs vessels as well as a variety of other oceanic and maritime structures. CEPRONA is a partner of the Panamerican Institute of Naval Engineering (Instituto Panamericano de Ingenierķa Naval, IPIN). Like CIP, CEPRONA used to publish a scientific journal, but shortages of funding forced the cessation of publication some years ago.
Most recent research has focused on capture technologies for the most valuable species - spiny lobsters and shrimp. In the lobster fishery, considerable research has been conducted to improve the gear - mainly shelter traps, seines, and fish pots. Hauling devices to lift the gear have also been developed. Trap studies have included selectivity, environmental impacts, replacement of wire mesh with polyamide, ghost fishing, biodegradable components and escape vents.
In the shrimp fishery, researchers have studies fuel efficiency, selectivity, introduction of twin trawls (now common), and measurement of fishing effort.
A recent innovation in the tuna fishery is the introduction of floating fish aggregating devices (FADs). With regard to other finfish, studies of selectivity and catch per unit effort have been conducted.
Vessel construction has evolved over the past 30 years from wood to ferrocement, steel and plastic. Development and introduction of new vessel types in the 10-20 meter range is still going on.
Cuba has experienced specialists in the construction of small vessels, fishing gear and methods, selectivity, bycatch, environmental impacts and evaluation of management strategies. Cuba has supported research for the development of lobster fisheries in Mexico, Belize and the Republic of Yemen, and it is prepared to provide such assistance to other Latin American countries which harbor similar species. In turn, Cuba would be interested in receiving additional training for its specialists in naval engineering and industrial fishery engineering to maintain the continuity of these fields.
