Guarding Cuba's Gardens of the Queen, the Caribbean's Healthiest Shark Sanctuary

Jardines de la Reina, an archipelago of more than 250 mangrove cays off Cuba's southern coast, has been a strictly no-take marine reserve since 1996 and is the largest fully protected marine park in the Caribbean. Ocean Doctor partners with Cuban marine scientists to research and safeguard the park, where a 2014 study found fish biomass and shark abundance up to ten times higher than in unprotected waters nearby. Visitor numbers are capped to limit pressure on the ecosystem, helping elkhorn coral and populations of Caribbean reef sharks, silky sharks, and Nassau grouper persist here even as more than 75% of Caribbean reefs remain threatened elsewhere. In 2021 the park earned Blue Park Gold status, recognizing it as a global model for marine protection.