Antonio A. Mignucci (born 1964 in

San Juan, Puerto Rico San Juan (, , ; Spanish for "Saint John") is the capital city and most populous municipality in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2020 census, it is the 57th-largest city under the ...

) is a biological

oceanographer Oceanography (), also known as oceanology and ocean science, is the scientific study of the oceans. It is an Earth science, which covers a wide range of topics, including ecosystem dynamics; ocean currents, waves, and geophysical fluid dynamic ...

and veterinary technician specializing in the biology, management and conservation of marine mammals. He is the founder of the international non-profit conservation organization Red Caribeña de Varamientos (Caribbean Stranding Network) dedicated to the care, treatment, and rehabilitation of injured or stranded marine mammals, sea turtle and sea birds. As a scientist, Mignucci is an expert in endangered tropical marine mammals and a specialist in the

West Indian manatee The West Indian manatee (''Trichechus manatus''), also known as the North American manatee, is a large, aquatic mammal native to warm coastal areas of the Caribbean, from the eastern US to northern Brazil. Living alone or in herds, it feeds on un ...

, and since 2009, the director of the Puerto Rico Manatee Conservation Center.

Early life and education

Antonio Mignucci was born in

in 1964. Mignucci graduated with a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...

Zoology Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, an ...

from

Colorado State University Colorado State University (Colorado State or CSU) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Fort Collins, Colorado. It is the flagship university of the Colorado State University System. Colorado S ...

in 1986. Subsequently, he received a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

in Marine Affairs in 1989 from the

University of Rhode Island The University of Rhode Island (URI) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Kingston, Rhode Island, United States. It is the flagship public research as well as the land-grant university of the state of Rhode Isla ...

. In 1996, Mignucci received a

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

Marine Sciences Oceanography (), also known as oceanology and ocean science, is the scientific study of the oceans. It is an Earth science, which covers a wide range of topics, including ecosystem dynamics; ocean currents, Wind wave, waves, and geophysical flu ...

Biological Oceanography Biological oceanography is the study of how organisms affect and are affected by the physics, chemistry, and geology of the oceanographic system. Biological oceanography may also be referred to as ocean ecology, in which the root word of ecolo ...

from the

University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez The University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus (UPRM) or Recinto Universitario de Mayagüez (RUM) in Spanish (also referred to as Colegio and CAAM in allusion to its former name), is a public land-grant university in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. UPRM ...

. He is a Post-Doctoral Fellow from the Sirenia Project affiliated with the Florida Caribbean Science Center. His doctorate research centers in marine sciences with emphasis in aquatic animal health. During his doctoral studies, he founded the international non-profit conservation organization Red Caribeña de Varamientos (Caribbean Stranding Network). In 2018, Mignucci earned an

Associate of Science An associate degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of qualification above a high school diploma, GED, or matriculation, and below a bachelor's degree. Th ...

Veterinary Technology Paraveterinary worker is the professional of veterinary science that performs procedures autonomously or semi autonomously, as part of a veterinary assistance system. The job role varies throughout the world, and common titles include veterinary n ...

from

Penn Foster College Penn Foster College is a private, for-profit online college headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona. It was founded in 1890 as International Correspondence Schools and presently offers bachelor's and associate degree programs in 22 certified pr ...

.Mignucci CV 2017
manatipr.org Academic positions include Assistant Professor of

Biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary ...

and

Environmental Sciences Environmental science is an interdisciplinary academic field that integrates physics, biology, and geography (including ecology, chemistry, plant science, zoology, mineralogy, oceanography, limnology, soil science, geology and physi ...

at the University of Puerto Rico (1996–1998), Professor of

Oceanography Oceanography (), also known as oceanology and ocean science, is the scientific study of the oceans. It is an Earth science, which covers a wide range of topics, including ecosystem dynamics; ocean currents, waves, and geophysical fluid dynami ...

and Environmental Sciences at the Universidad Metropolitana (1998–2005), Research Professor at the

Inter American University of Puerto Rico The Inter American University of Puerto Rico (Spanish: ''Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico''; often abbreviated to ''UIPR'' or ''Inter'') is a private Christian university with its main campus in San Germán, Puerto Rico. It also has c ...

(2009 to 2013). He is currently a full professor of

marine sciences Oceanography (), also known as oceanology and ocean science, is the scientific study of the oceans. It is an Earth science, which covers a wide range of topics, including ecosystem dynamics; ocean currents, Wind wave, waves, and geophysical flu ...

at the Inter American University of Puerto Rico at Bayamón.

Career

Research

As a scientist, Mignucci researches the

biogeography Biogeography is the study of the distribution of species and ecosystems in geographic space and through geological time. Organisms and biological communities often vary in a regular fashion along geographic gradients of latitude, elevation, ...

, stranding and mortality of marine mammals, and studies their ecology through boat and aerial surveys, and the use of satellite transmitters. He also researches marine populations with the use of genetic tools. He is internationally recognized for his work on

whales Whales are a widely distributed and diverse group of fully aquatic placental marine mammals. As an informal and colloquial grouping, they correspond to large members of the infraorder Cetacea, i.e. all cetaceans apart from dolphins and ...

dolphins A dolphin is an aquatic mammal within the infraorder Cetacea. Dolphin species belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontoporiidae (t ...

, manatees and

seals Seals may refer to: * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, or "true seal" ** Fur seal * Seal (emblem), a device to impress an emblem, used as a means of a ...

throughout the Caribbean. He has also lectured extensively in schools, universities and community-based non-profit organizations both in Puerto Rico and abroad. Mignucci serves as consultant to different public and private organizations on the development of holding facilities and on husbandry techniques for marine species, particularly manatees. He has also been scientific advisor to aquaria and research laboratories throughout the West Indies, Central and South America on medical treatment and husbandry techniques for captive manatees. In doing so, he has traveled extensively in the US, Caribbean, South America, Europe and Japan. He actively serves as environmental consultant to government agencies and private corporations throughout the world, on marine wildlife studies and recovery efforts of endangered species.

Publications

Mignucci has published extensively authoring with colleagues over 60 peer-reviewed publications in scientific journals He published his first book titled "El manatí de Puerto Rico," which details the natural history of Caribbean manatees in this tropical island. His second book was a children's book titled "Aunque viva en el agua," and his third book was an edited scientific compilation of conservation methods for manatees and dugongs around the world titled "Sirenian conservation: Issues and strategies in developing countries."

Community education and outreach

Through the Caribbean Stranding Network, Mignucci has applied his scientific and research experience on oceans and marine wildlife to outreach and community educational programs in Puerto Rico. He is the author of didactic materials, both in video, multimedia and printed formats, on information and conservation awareness about our seas and endangered marine wildlife. In 1994, he co-authored with the late singer

Tony Croatto Tony may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tony (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Gregory Tony (born 1978), American law enforcement officer * Motu Tony (born 1981), New Zealand international rugby leagu ...

the song and video "Moisés llego del Mar" about manatees and their protection. The song became a symbol for wildlife conservation in Puerto Rico. Since 1994, he is an executive member of the Sirenian Specialist Group of the

IUCN-The World Conservation Union The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natura ...

Gland, Switzerland Gland () is a municipality in the district of Nyon in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland. The city also is home to the IUCN and WWF headquarters. History Gland is known to have been a prehistoric settlement. During the Roman period a farm calle ...

. His work was featured throughout the globe in the Earthpulse II television series of the

National Geographic Channel National Geographic (formerly National Geographic Channel; abbreviated and trademarked as Nat Geo or Nat Geo TV) is an American pay television network and flagship channel owned by the National Geographic Global Networks unit of Disney General ...

, broadcast in 2002 and 2003, in ABC-TV's program Ocean Mysteries with Jeff Corwin in 2013, and PBS and England's Channel 4 program Born in the Wild in 2014.

Honors and awards

In 2004, he was awarded the Citizen of the Year Award by the

Puerto Rico Environmental Quality Board The Puerto Rico Environmental Quality Board —Spanish: ''Junta de Calidad Ambiental de Puerto Rico'' (JCA)— is the principal environmental protection regulator in Puerto Rico. The Board is attached to the Office of the Governor of Puer ...

, and the Environmental Quality Award by the

US Environmental Protection Agency The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent executive agency of the United States federal government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it be ...

in New York City.Degado JA. 2004. Reconocimeinto al impacto positivo sobre el Ambiente. El Nuevo Día, 24 April 2004

References

External links

Profile of Antonio A. Mignucci, ManatiPR.org

.:: Universia Puerto Rico - El portal de los universitarios ::.

Primera Hora

» Primera Hora

Universia Puerto Rico

En memoria de los manatíes fallecidos - CienciaPR

Cattle Identification: News & Information

Trichechus manatus (American Manatee, West Indian Manatee)

UNIVERSIA.pr
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mignucci, Antonio 1964 births Living people Colorado State University alumni University of Rhode Island alumni University of Puerto Rico alumni Scientists from San Juan, Puerto Rico Puerto Rican people of Corsican descent Puerto Rican scientists