Fished out
of water
Long thought to be a limitless, global resource,
the Earth's fish are disappearing at an alarming rate.
Off the coast of Alaska, the Pacific halibut stock has been so decimated
that the commercial fishing season has been cut from four months to one
day. Off the coasts of Peru and Chile, periodic changes in ocean temperatures
combined with intense fishing pressure threaten to wipe out the annual anchovy
harvest. Meanwhile, off the coast of Miami, unchecked fishing and habitat
degradation has driven the majority of economically and ecologically important
coral-reef fish stocks, like grouper and snapper, and the once-abundant
Biscayne Bay red drum population, to near total collapse.
 One reason for the problem is that man has likely reached
the upper bound on these new resources, and existing resources must now
be better managed. According to a recent United Nations report, nearly 70
percent of the world's conventional fish species have been fished up to,
or beyond, their natural limits. What's more, despite a steady increase
in fishing capacity and a more widely dispersed worldwide fleet, the annual
global catch has remained stagnant for nearly a decade.
Who is to blame for our declining fish populations? All of us. Until
recent years, most nations had few, if any, regulations on catch sizes or
fishing techniques. High-seas drift nets, some as wide as 30 miles, combed
the waters pulling in everything in their path. Much of the catch of non-target
species was discarded; only portions of the commercially desirable species
were kept. The drift nets are now banned, but highly mechanized "long-lines"
are, in some ways, equally as devastating.
Habitat degradation also contributes to declines in fish populations.
In the Chesapeake Bay, a century of habitat destruction and over-fishing
has reduced habitat to less than 50 percent, and catches to less than 1
percent of historical levels. In the Philippines, the use of cyanide and
explosives by local fishermen has damaged many of the region's coral reefs.
In South Florida, a massive network of man-made dikes and levies to support
agriculture and human development have deleteriously affected fresh water
deliveries flowing into Florida Bay, which is thought to be a contributing
factor to the substantial reductions in the productivity of many popular
inshore and coral-reef game fishes.
Global environmental change is another concern. The depletion of the
ozone and rising levels of greenhouse gases are believed to be causing changes
in water temperatures in some regions. Even minute changes can disrupt spawning
and migration patterns.
So where does hope lie? It might begin with a better understanding of
the mechanisms that affect global fish populations. Such data can help policy
makers gain support for controversial initiatives to protect and conserve
our dwindling resources. A better understanding of the causal factors of
Florida Bay's degradation, for example, has helped state and federal lawmakers
push through hard-fought measures to restore much of the historic fresh
water surface flow into the bay.
There is also a need to switch to less destructive and wasteful fishing
methods to protect critical and sensitive habitats from development and
overexploitation. Additional research in the field of aquaculture and hatchery
science is also needed. Work being conducted at the University of Miami's
Center for Sustainable Fisheries has shown that many fish species can be
successfully bred in captivity and released in the wild. To date, the Center,
working in conjunction with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection,
has raised and released nearly 300,000 red drum into Biscayne Bay. Other
work may explore the possibility of raising farm-bred yellowtail snapper,
dolphin fish, and sea trout.
Work on studying new breeding techniques for fish is also continuing.
However, science alone will not solve the problem of global fish stock declines.
To assure sustained, equitable access to our fish populations for generations
to come, we must be willing to make whatever sacrifice necessary to protect
this critical resource. The fish are disappearing from the world's oceans.
If we don't respond soon, it might be too late. |
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New diplomat
brings expertise on Cuba
Rolando Bonachea, deputy director of the
International Broadcasting Bureau's Office of Cuba Broadcasting and former
director of Radio Martí, has been appointed as Diplomat in Residence
at the North-South Center.
His appointment to the center, which began October 1, 1997, will last
for at least one year and up to a maximum of two years, and was set up through
a mutual agreement between the center and the United States Information
Agency.
 "I'm very pleased to be at the North-South
Center where, in the company of many colleagues, I will undertake research
and lectures on matters related to communications and the Cuban revolution,"
says Bonachea. "Miami offers tremendous resources for those of us who
are interested in Cuba and Cuba-related issues."
While in the position, Bonachea, a specialist on Latin America and Cuba,
will lecture on the impact of radio and television on the Cuban people,
work extensively on research projects, write papers on Cuba-related issues,
and give lectures on similar topics to faculty.
"I will be conducting research related to the U.S. policy toward
Cuba," says Bonachea. "I will also be looking at Radio and Television
Martí and the role of the media in a free society."
The assignment to the center is also beneficial in that it will help
enhance the understanding of the International Broadcasting Bureau and its
role in the international broadcasting and public diplomacy arenas, but
more importantly, how these issues relate to Cuba, Bonachea says.
Bonachea has enjoyed an impressive career in both the private and public
sectors and also brings extensive academic experience to the position.
He has written several books on the Cuban revolution including Fidel
Castro: the Making of a Revolutionary, and Cuban Revolution: 1959-1979. |
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Visiting
Latin American Journalist Fellowship launched
CBS TeleNoticias has teamed up with the School
of Communication to establish a fellowship to help future reporters in this
country learn firsthand about the many challenges involved in covering news
in Latin America. Part of the Westinghouse/CBS Broadcast Group, CBS TeleNoticias
is the leading Spanish-language news channel in Latin America.
 In a ceremony on October 8, Edward Pfister, dean,
School of Communication, and Francisco de la Torre, president, CBS TeleNoticias,
announced the innovative program before members of the University's Board
of Trustees, the media, and local dignitaries. The CBS TeleNoticias Latin
American Visiting Journalist Fellowship was endowed through a grant from
the CBS Foundation, enabling the School of Communication to bring six different
journalists to campus for stays of up to ten days.
The only one of its kind in the United States, the year-long program
will bring leading print and broadcast reporters from throughout the region
to the University's Coral Gables campus to conduct workshops for students
and faculty, serve as guest lecturers, and meet with local government, media,
and business leaders.
"To have six top journalists here over the span of one year is absolutely
extraordinary," says Pfister. "We commend the CBS Foundation for
its farsightedness, and we welcome the foundation and CBS TeleNoticias to
our University family."
"As the leading pan-regional Spanish-language news network in Latin
America, CBS TeleNoticias is proud to be associated with a program designed
to bring University students face to face with some of Latin America's most
prominent journalists," de la Torre says. "I can think of no better
way to instill in future journalists a firsthand understanding of the cultural
and political issues facing the region."
The first visiting fellow was award-winning Peruvian writer and broadcaster
Cesar Hildebrandt Peres Trevino, who discussed a number of issues including
the current freedom-of-the-press battle that has been brewing in Peru. Other
prominent journalists slated to visit in coming months include Argentine
columnist and television journalist Mariano Grondona and Ramon Alberto Garza,
managing editor of the Mexican newspaper, Reforma. |
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 Film series embodies Israeli culture
The third annual Miami Israeli Film Series
premiered November 20 with Over the Ocean at the Bill Cosford Cinema.
This year's series honors Israel's 50th anniversary, showcasing five contemporary
Israeli films, one each month from November through March 1998. All films
are in Hebrew with English subtitles.
The series is presented by Temple Beth Or, the Consulate General of Israel,
and the University of Miami's Judaic Studies Program and is supported by
the Metro-Dade County Board of County Commissioners and Community Investment
Services of Homestead.
"Our aim is to offer the best of Israeli films to the South Dade
community to bring greater understanding of Israeli culture," says
Norma Salz, coordinator and series founder. "We've designed the series
to be affordable and accessible so that everyone can benefit from this cultural
resource."
The remaining scheduled films are The Flying Camel, December 11;
The Italians are Coming, January 22; Cup Final, February 19;
and Hamsin, March 19. For more information, call 305-598-5340. |
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School of
International Studies to open next year
Capitalizing on its reputation as a Pan-American
university, the University of Miami will establish a School of International
Studies and will formally begin accepting students in the fall of 1998.
At that time, students will have a choice of enrolling in an undergraduate
program, a professional master's program, or a research-intensive Ph.D.
program in international studies.
The new school will be formed by merging the existing Graduate School
of International Studies with the departments of geography and regional
studies, which are currently part of the College of Arts and Sciences.
"The new school represents a more focused effort to develop a strong,
interdisciplinary international program at the undergraduate level, in addition
to our already existing graduate program," says Roger Kanet, dean of
the Graduate School of International Studies and future dean of the new
school. "The School of International Studies will provide an opportunity
for the University of Miami to draw upon and use its excellent faculty resources."
What's more, the creation of the new school is a project that is long
overdue, especially as Miami continues to act as the gateway to the Americas,
and increasingly, the capital of the Americas. In 1994, for example, Miami
hosted the Summit of the Americas, a hemispheric-wide conference which brought
heads of state from across Latin America to South Florida to discuss political,
economical, and social strategies for the region.
"We are in an ever more global environment, and nowhere is this
more visible than in the City of Miami and the University of Miami, located
at the crossroads of Latin America, North America, and the Caribbean,"
says Luis Glaser, executive vice president and provost. "The long-standing
interest and commitment of this University to international studies will
be expanded by this new school, which will provide unique and important
educational opportunities to our students." The new school will also
work closely with the University's North-South Center, a public policy institute.
University officials are also hopeful that the new school will help attract
a larger number of students, particularly from Latin America, to the University. |
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Gardner to
chair Department of Medicine
Laurence B. Gardner, professor and interim
chairman of the Department of Medicine at the School of Medicine, was recently
named permanent chairman of the department.
 Since joining the University
of Miami in 1974, Gardner has led the development of teaching and patient-care
programs for the department. He also served as program director for eight
years, chief of general medicine for 20 years, and vice chairman of the
department for ten years.
"Dr. Gardner has led the department extremely well over the past
three years and certainly has earned this position and has proven to be
a superb leader for our entire school," says John G. Clarkson, dean
and senior vice president for medical affairs.
In addition to his University roles, Gardner is a member of the National
Board of Medical Examiners and has served as the chairman of the Step III
Committee of the United States Medical Licensing Exam for the past three
years. He also is an active member of the Association of Professors of Medicine
and serves on the program committee for its annual meeting.
Gardner received his bachelor's degree from the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology and holds a medical degree from Harvard Medical School. He
received his post-graduate training at the Massachusetts General Hospital
and at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. |
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Veritas goes online
Now much of the useful information and spellbinding
articles of Veritas can be found on the web.
 Veritas' new web site
address is http://www.miami.edu/veritas/. It can also be accessed through
the "Visitor's Guide" and "Faculty/Staff Resources"
menu buttons found on the University's main web site.
The cover of the latest issue appears on its home page, with a list of
options to choose from. The "under construction" signs have been
replaced by the main features of Veritas. These include the front
page, "What's News," "To Your Benefit," and the "Top
of the Class" sections. Articles listed on the cover may also be accessed
by clicking on the headlines.
For added convenience, past issues beginning with November 1997 may be
accessed through the "Veritas Archive" option also located on
the home page.
Now anyone who visits the University of Miami web site can easily peruse
an issue of Veritas online to find out what we're all about. Our
readership is now virtually limitless! |
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 Braving the open Osceola
It was win, sink, or swim for these students,
who competed in the University's Annual Cardboard Boat Race sponsored by
the School of Architecture and the American Institute of Architecture Students.
Always a crowd pleaser, the wet 'n' wild event features a host of creative
cardboard vessels designed by University students in attempts at seaworthiness.
Awards were given to the fastest boat and crew to make it across the lake,
most creative boat, and most dramatic failure. |
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