Science & Nature
PR drive begins for three-year-old energy policy
(CNS): With the clock ticking on the ambitious goals set out in the National Energy Policy, which was adopted more than three years ago, the Ministry of Infrastructure is beginning a new public relations and education campaign to promote energy efficiency. However, government has not yet taken any meaningful action to achieve the goal of […]
Complaints about MRCU boss under investigation
(CNS): Complaints by staff of the Mosquito Research and Control Unit about the director, Dr Jim McNelly, are under investigation, Health Minister Dwayne Seymour and Acting Chief Officer Nelly Pouchie have confirmed. The complaints were set out in a letter to the ministry in July, signed by what is believed to be a significant number […]
Cross-entity director needed for climate policy
(CNS): If the Cayman Islands Government is to navigate its way through the impending negative impact of climate change, it will need a director dedicated to the issue who can coordinate policy across all of the relevant ministries. Department of Environment (DoE) Director Gina Ebanks-Petrie told Finance Committee last week that the issue of climate […]
Cullers back as green hatchlings emerge
(CNS): Following the suspension of the green iguana culling programme following the COVID-19 lockdown in March, a limited number of cullers returned to the job in June. But now that restrictions have largely been lifted, 171 officially registered iguana bounty hunters are taking down the invasive species just as the hatchlings begin to emerge, according […]
Green turtle rescued from cemetery
(CNS): An endangered green turtle was rescued from a cemetery on Sunday by a volunteer with the Department of Environment after the animal became disorientated and got trapped between graves. Amanda Brown found the turtle on her beach walk at the cemetery in West Bay. This is another example of how beachfront development and the […]
Gonzalo may become hurricane before it weakens
(CNS): As Tropical Storm Gonzalo was headed toward the Southern Windward Islands Friday morning, forecasters said the storm might increase to hurricane strength as it passes over those islands before dissipating in the Caribbean Sea next week. John Tibbetts, who heads the Cayman Islands National Weather Service (CINWS), said this storm does not pose a […]
Gonzalo emerges as seventh tropical storm of season
(CNS): Tropical Storm Gonzalo formed in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean Wednesday morning and is the earliest named seventh tropical storm of any Atlantic hurricane season. As of 9am, the storm was around 1,285 miles east of the Southern Windward Islands headed west-northwest at around 12mph, with winds of around 45mph. Both the intensity […]
Heat and salinity kill off fish in Brac pond
(CNS): Hot, dry weather in Cayman Brac, which missed out on last weekend’s rain, and a rise in salinity at the Westerly Ponds seem to be behind the death of dozens of fish. Early investigations by the Department of Environment point to a significant fall in the water level at the ponds due to the […]
Atlantic storm predictions increase for 2020
(CNS): Experts from the University of Colorado have released their revised prediction for this hurricane season, adding another named storm to what they believe will be an active period in the Atlantic. The world renowned hurricane forecasters said that current cool neutral ENSO conditions may transition to weak La Niña conditions later this summer.
New coral disease found off north coast
(CNS): Department of Environment researchers believe that Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD), a major threat to coral reefs in the region, has turned up in local waters. Following a potential disease report by Tom Byrnes from Cayman Marine Lab on 21 June, the department’s own marine experts visited the location off the north coast […]
DoE enlists divers to track coral disease
(CNS): The Department of Environment is asking divers and snorkellers, as they return to the water, to look out for any evidence of a new lethal coral disease. Scuba diving was allowed in Cayman this week for the first time since March, and researchers need people to report any signs of the latest threat to […]
