Marine benthic habitats of the south coast of Cuba were mapped using satellite imagery, aerial photographs and groundtruthing. The benthic habitat maps were then compared with the distribution of commercial species of fish, shrimp, and lobster. There are two main habitat classifications: seagrass/reef and estuarine/littoral. The abundance and diversity of marine organisms is related to the benthic habitat type.

The southwestern shelf (Gulf of Batabano) is dominated primarily by seagrasses and reefs (88%) and some estuarine/littoral (12%) habitats. Seagrasses, dominated by Thalassia tesudinum (67%), play an important role by providing habitat, food, and shelter for several commercial species. At least 78% of lobsters and 100% of sponges are caught in these areas.

The southeastern shelf (Ana Maria and Guacanayabo Gulf) is dominated by estuarine/littoral habitat consisting mostly of muddy sediments of terrestrial origin. Here, 98% of shrimp, 100% of oysters, and 94% of mullet are caught. In the Casilda area (Gulf of Ana Maria), significant rainfall from hurricanes and other storm events increased runoff causing a decrease in the quality and quantity of habitat. Because of this, the commercial capture of several species decreased, particularly lobster, which showed a reduction of 100 Tn per year.

These benthic habitat maps have been important for implementing sustainable fishery practices in Cuba. The maps help identify the location of important fishing grounds, identify suitable areas to place shelters that provide habitat for juveniles, and identify the best areas to place fishing gears and locate fishing vessels. Sustainable fishing practices like these provide additional habitat to increase commercially significant species and help promote more efficient catches for the fisherman.

The methodology proposed by Stephens et al. (1995) was developed for estimating the ocean atmosphere carbon dioxide fluxes in the Colombian Caribbean, using sea surface temperature (SST) data obtained from AVHRR images of the NOAA satellites. The results of the preliminary tests of the application of this methodology using SST data obtained during March, 1998 to February, 1999 are presented. The estimated magnitude of the CO2 fluxes is among the order of the magnitude estimated by Rojas and Pabsn (1997), considering just the physical processes. This indicates that the estimating method could be used operately, however it is necessary to adjust the relation between the SST and the oceanic CO2 partial pressure (pCO2w) with data of in situ measures in order to get the most confidence on the produced values.