Researchers write policy paper for Gulf
HRI Postdoctoral Research Associate Ivonne Cruz and HRI Endowed Chair in Marine Policy and Law Richard McLaughlin recently published a research paper in the journal Ocean and Coastal Management. The paper was entitled, “Contrasting marine policies in the United States, Mexico, Cuba and the European Union: Searching for an integrated strategy for the Gulf of Mexico region.” After reviewing current marine policy initiatives in all four areas, the paper suggests that the European initiative may provide guidance for future integrated management policies in the Gulf of Mexico.

HRI takes lead in Saba Bank volume
A new peer-reviewed, open-access journal from Public Library of Science called PLoS One will publish a special volume on the marine biodiversity of Saba Bank, Netherlands Antilles, with HRI's Dr. Tom Shirley as lead editor. Saba Bank is the largest submerged platform in the Caribbean Sea with a fringing coral reef nearly 40 km in length. The sunken atoll supports small local fisheries for lobster and snapper, but the habitat is threatened by anchor damage. The intention of the volume is to support a Particularly Sensitive Sea Area designation. Shirley, as well as his PhD students Peter Etnoyer and Morgan Kilgour, will be authors. Other contributors include the Netherlands Antilles Department of Environment and Nature, Conservation International and the Smithsonian Institution.

Gulf Guardian Award to HRI
HRI Associate Director and Professor of Biology Dr. Wes Tunnell and his colleague Dr. Ernesto Chavez from Mexico recently received the 2008 Gulf Guardian Award in the Bi-National Category for their book Coral Reefs of the Southern Gulf of Mexico. Drs. Chavez and Tunnell began working together on the Veracruz coral reefs in the early 1970s and then spent a year working on the Campeche Bank reefs when Tunnell lived in the Yucatan for a year on a Fulbright Scholar Award in 1985-86. The recent award was given at the annual Gulf Guardian Awards Ceremony and 20th Anniversary Celebration of the EPA's Gulf of Mexico Program in New Orleans on 29 October 2008.

Project: Habitat Management Plan for the Corpus Christi Bay
The Ecosystems Studies and Modeling Group at HRI led by Dr. Paul Montagna has been contracted by the Coastal Bend Bays and Estuaries Program (CBBEP) to develop the first phase of a Habitat Management Plan. The Plan would be used to direct habitat conservation, protection and restoration activities in the Corpus Christi Bay and Nueces Bay area. Following the individual meetings with various stakeholder groups in the region, CBBEP and HRI will convene the participants and others in a workshop to complete the initial planning for the project. The workshop will take place at HRI in mid-February 2009 and participants will define the range and scope of activities that should be part of the overall plan.