Félix Guillermo Moncada Gavilán helped move Cuba from sea turtle fishing to protection

A Cuban marine biologist's four-decade career documented the transformation of Cuba's sea turtle policy from an 836-metric-ton annual legal catch in the 1980s to a complete fishery closure in 2008, followed by a 2011 ban on all capture except research and conservation. His research on nesting grounds, migrations, and population trends helped recommend successive restrictions and connected Cuban populations with wider Caribbean conservation networks.

Poaching and accidental capture in fishing gear continued after the ban, with enforcement varying across protected areas and a black market persisting.