THE SCCN

The Southern Caribbean Cetacean Network, SCCN, is a non-profit foundation dedicated to promoting research while enhancing awareness and protection of marine mammals and their habitats. The SCCN works with the support and cooperation of Dolphin Academy/Sea Aquarium, Curacao, Netherlands Antilles, Mote Marine Laboratory, Sarasota, Florida, and the Central Government Department of Nature and the Environment, MINA, of the Netherlands Antilles.

Key collaborators also include the Eastern Caribbean Cetacean Network, (ECCN), and the Smithsonian Marine Mammal Laboratory, Washington, D.C.

SCCN's mission: to promote knowledge, research, and protection of whales and dolphins worldwide; with an emphasis on the populations and habitats of the Southern Caribbean.

The goals of the foundation are:
a. To promote the expansion of knowledge with respect to cetaceans in the Southern Caribbean.
b. To promote the protection of cetaceans and their habitats in the Southern Caribbean.
c. To promote and facilitate research toward assessing the status of cetacean populations and their habitats in the Southern Caribbean.
e. To establish and promote a cetacean stranding response network in the Southern Caribbean.

These goals are in line with the priorities identified in the Marine Mammal Action Plan (MMAP) for the Wider Caribbean region, recently adopted by the Parties to the Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife (SPAW) Protocol.

SCCN intends to develop specific regional and national management plans for cetaceans and develop a strong capability for the co-ordination of information exchange, training and technical support. By introducing practical science programs and providing empirical data, SCCN will inform decision makers and affect how human activities impact some of our nations' natural treasures - the whales and dolphins of the Southern Caribbean.

Of course, the southern Caribbean is a big place, so SCCN aims to develop in moderate steps. As it is headquartered in Curacao . . . contact with Bonaire and Aruba will be relatively easy and the initial focus will be on establishing strong communication and information exchange with immediate neighbors. Also, in addition to Aruba and Bonaire, sister Dutch Caribbean islands St. Maarten, St. Eustatius, and Saba will send trainees to Curacao as part of a cetacean stranding workshop. (See SCCN Year Plan)
Cetacean researchers from Surinam and Venezuela have already expressed an interest in networking with SCCN!