Latino Conservation Week

What does the National Marine Sanctuary System mean to you?

Imagine if we had no Yellowstone or its iconic Old Faithful geyser and American bison, no Statue of Liberty or its history, no Grand Canyon that was carved into the red rock by the Colorado River. The national parks have helped ensure these special places will still be there for future generations to enjoy. That is what national marine sanctuaries do for special places that are underwater.

Sanctuaries help preserve and protect iconic coral reefs, protect nursery habitat essential for many fish and other marine life, preserve historic and culturally-important sites that are part of this nation's history, and more. National marine sanctuaries help ensure that we will be able to enjoy these special places for generations to come and that we can continue to use these resources in a sustainable manner.

How do you help protect the ocean and Great Lakes?

Here are a few of the way I try to help out the most:

I make sure to make sustainable seafood decisions. When buying any seafood, I make sure they were caught sustainably by either buying locally and asking the fishermen how they caught it (this of course requires a bit of research on what are sustainable fishing practices), or you can check through Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch list or look for certified sustainable seafood by the Marine Stewardship Council.

I also make sure to try and recycle everything, and use least amount of plastics possible. For example I never buy disposable single-use plastic water bottles and always carry my refillable, reusable stainless steel water bottle. In my family we also use small mason jars and re-fill them with juice instead of buying juice boxes that also create a lot of waste, and have a few stainless steel straws at home which we use instead of plastic ones. We always use paper bags or reusable bags when going to the grocery store. It has been well documented that many marine life die because of ingesting plastic materials, such as plastic straws or plastic bags.

Beach clean-ups and dive clean-ups are also a great way I like to help out ocean. Every piece of plastic or other marine debris removed from our beaches and ocean make a huge difference. We are now learning about the effects of microplastics on our ocean, and just picking up one single-use plastic water bottle (which eventually breaks into thousands of microplastic pieces) can make a huge difference! Anyone can help pick up a few pieces of trash anytime they visit the beach.

How does your heritage inform your experience in the outdoors?

I grew up in Ecuador surrounded by amazing marine and aquatic ecosystems. Since I was quite young, I was drawn to the Galapagos Islands and the Amazon region. Being part of this vast and unique biodiversity gave me an unbounded curiosity and enthusiasm for nature, for animals, and for our water resources. I saw their inherent beauty, and early on recognized what an important resource our waterways were to all living things and how much we owed them in return.

At a young age, I also realized that there were issues troubling our ocean, and it was then that I made it my goal to dedicate my life to finding ways to protect them. When I was little, my mom would take me to the beach in Ecuador, and I remember always going to the fishermen's boats as they would come in early in the morning after spending all night fishing and looking at all the fish they caught and being fascinated by all the unique life that lived just beneath the surface.

My whole life since I was little I always thought of myself as a mermaid, mean to live life in the ocean, beneath the waves. The first time I dived into the deep blue I could not see the bottom. I was in a very special marine protected area off the coast of Ecuador called Machalilla, Isla de la Plata. My heart started racing with a mixture of excitement, curiosity, and a slight fear of the unknown. As I slowly started to descend I began to see the wondrous life that surrounded me; I could hear the fish pecking at algae on the reef, I saw a wall of fish dance and change forms as other fish swam around them. A baby sea lion playfully came close to me, blew bubbles in my face, and ran off to bring back its toy piece of algae. I felt like my heart skipped a beat, that moment I knew that is where I was meant to be, I have to come back as often as possible to visit the most beautiful places on Earth.

Although I began scuba diving later in life, I was able then to observe our impact on coral reefs and other marine habitats, and how we have decimated so much of our marine life. As I have grown, I have learned that marine ecosystems and the fisheries they support are some of our most priceless legacies, but if not handled properly they may soon be irreparably damaged. I cannot remember ever having a different life goal than to dedicate myself to preserving these special places.

As an optimist, I believe that change is possible and this is my motivation. It is a common misconception that conservationists, scientists, and fishermen must forever be embattled over "to fish or not to fish." Rather I believe that we have a common goal: to ensure best practices so that this source of livelihood and cultural heritage does not decline over time, and that our descendants may enjoy and benefit from it too. It is possible to have both a healthy ecosystem and a prosperous economy.

What is your favorite way to enjoy the ocean and Great Lakes?

When I was little I loved to go tide-pooling and see all the cool little critters that make the rocky shoreline their home. I also love bodyboarding and hope to learn how to surf. It wasn't until recently that I was able to experience the joy of diving. Diving has given me the opportunity to become a mermaid and to interact with the most amazing marine life. I have had the opportunity to go diving with sea lions and sharks in the Galapagos, dolphins and manta rays in Hawai‘i, and I hope to be able to go diving in kelp forests off the Oregon and Washington coastlines and see the rockfish that I am studying first-hand in their natural environment.

What does the National Marine Sanctuary System mean to you?

Paraphrasing Wallace Stegner's quote for the U.S. national parks, for me the national marine sanctuaries are this nation's best idea for our oceans and Great Lakes. The system is a world-class group of marine protected areas, an approach to effective ocean conservation, and a model and an inspiration for many people in this and other countries. Professionally, it allows me to say where I work and what I do with "humble pride."

How do you help protect the ocean and Great Lakes?

Practicing, as much as I can, what I preach. For almost 20 years I have worked in international marine conservation activities, which has allowed me to learn from many cultures, develop partnerships, promote ocean conservation cooperation, facilitate capacity building, and share best practices. When I have the chance, I also enjoy presenting scientific evidence and arguing with people who still believe sharks are human eaters and climate change is a hoax.

How does your heritage inform your experience in the outdoors?

Personal heritage gives everyone different values on how to respect and appreciate nature. I learned I was classified as a Hispanic or Latino only when I came to the United States – before that, I was simply a Chilean, no different than anyone else who respects and cares for the ocean. I descend from generations of Spanish and Lebanese immigrant families, and growing up I never thought it was anything special. Although I grew up in a big city, I spent most of my childhood summers in the countryside and at the beach, being in contact with animals and nature. This taught me to appreciate nature and how important is to protect it as well as to enjoy it.

What is your favorite way to enjoy the ocean and Great Lakes?

Since I was a kid I have enjoyed watching the ocean. Simply put your feet in the sand, right where the water reaches up the beach, and you can feel the backwash and look at the crests of the waves and the horizon. I enjoyed (and still do) thinking that the ocean connects us all, that there are no borders, closing my eyes and thinking that a kid like me standing on the beach of Las Cruces in Chile, could be enjoying the Pacific Ocean at the same time as someone Japan, Rapa Nui, or far up the coast in California.

What does the National Marine Sanctuary System mean to you?

The National Marine Sanctuary System for me means compromise, hope, and respect for our ocean. In the face of climate change, the protection of many special and ecologically important areas around the U.S. and its territories has become essential and has proven to be beneficial for all marine ecosystems and associated organisms. The amount of people from different backgrounds and interests involved in the National Marine Sanctuary System with the compromise of protecting our oceans inspires so much hope for the building of a better future for all through healthier oceans. The respect, acknowledgement, and love towards our oceans and the communities that rely on marine resources is something that characterizes the National Marine Sanctuary System and for me that is powerful.

How do you help protect the ocean and Great Lakes?

As a Dr. Nancy Foster Scholar, I help protect the ocean through the conservation and restoration of coral reef ecosystems. These are very important ecosystems, especially for coastal communities and islands such as Puerto Rico, because they provide coastal protection, food, income for the local economy, and have high cultural value. The combination of climate change, human actions, and biological factors such as diseases have resulted in the deterioration of coral reefs, thus they are currently in desperate need of help. I study the demographic dynamics of stony coral tissue loss disease in Puerto Rico. This disease affects over 20 coral species in the Caribbean including important reef-building species such as brain corals (Pseudodiploria spp.), pillar coral (Dendrogyra cilyndrus) and star corals (Orbicella spp.). The goal of this research is to understand disease behavior for the development of informed management strategies and restoration alternatives for the Caribbean and Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. The restoration of disease-affected corals is very important for the conservation of species and the functionality of the ecosystem.

How does your heritage inform your experience in the outdoors?

As a Puerto Rican islander, I have been close to the ocean ever since I can remember. The ocean is part of our culture, is part of who we are, and our livelihood depends on it. I have a beautiful memory of my mother taking me to the beach as a child, and as I sat in the sand close to the waves I picked small clams and wondered what they were and what else was underneath the ocean water. This was the start of my interest in the ocean and as I grew, I started to understand the importance of all marine resources for me, my people, my ancestors, and future generations. The Indigenous "Taíno" people depended on the ocean and coastal ecosystems within the island for food, coastal protection, and recreation. Hundreds of years later, we still conserve these customs. In Puerto Rico we say "las playas son del pueblo" meaning the beaches belong to the people, it's the heritage that our ancestors left us. The people acknowledge the ocean, take care of their resources, and educate communities on the importance of all marine ecosystems and their sustainable management for the sake of our survivorship and future generations. I am proudly one of those people that aims to inspire individuals to experience the outdoors respectfully and in a sustainable way.

What is your favorite way to enjoy the ocean and Great Lakes?

Among all the ways that I love to enjoy the ocean, I think my favorite is to put on a mask and snorkel, and just swim around, observe and listen. In those moments, I feel peaceful, grateful, and blessed to be an islander, coral reef ecologist, and protector of our wonderful oceans.