Marine Environment
NOAA: World on brink of mass coral bleaching event
(CNS): The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has warned that the world is on the brink of a fourth mass coral bleaching event in which a significant amount of tropical reefs might die. After months of record-breaking ocean heat resulting from climate change and the El Niño climate pattern, Derek Manzello, the coordinator of […]
Fish in quiet waters increased threefold during lockdown
(CNS): When compared to data from 2018, there was a significant increase in reef fish biomass in the waters off Grand Cayman during the COVID-19 lockdown, according to research published in the scientific journal Nature Scientific Reports. Researchers from the Central Caribbean Marine Institute found that fish in and around the George Town Harbour increased […]
Beachgoers warned to watch out for toxic man-o’-war
(CNS): The Department of Environment is warning people that it has received a number of reports of Portuguese man-o’-wars (Physalia physalis) washing up on South Sound beaches as a result of the recent weather conditions. The highly toxic siphonophores, which are not jellyfish but complex colonies of organisms, should never be touched.
CCMI partners with bank in blue carbon off-set scheme
(CNS): The Central Caribbean Marine Institute (CCMI) is collaborating with Butterfield Bank to find out how a carbon offset and ecosystem-based restoration scheme can be put into practice in the Cayman Islands to mitigate climate change. The negative effects of the increasing temperatures and other changes are becoming more visible, especially in vulnerable habitats like […]
CCMI reveals biodiversity of 12-Mile Bank reefs
(CNS): The Central Caribbean Marine Institute’s (CCMI) Expedition Hope has collected a wide range of data to describe the benthos and biodiversity of the previously unexplored seamount, 12-Mile Bank. CCMI secured a grant from the UK Government’s Darwin Plus Programme and is working with project partners the Department of Environment, the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation, […]
Over 1,000 turtle nest recorded this season
(CNS): The Department of Environment and its team of volunteers have recorded over 1,000 turtle nests on beaches across Grand Cayman this season, the first time since official monitoring began some 25 years ago. With at least 1,003 nests documented and more unrecorded ‘surprise’ nests turning up after they have hatched, the final count for […]
Local conch back on the menu as season opens
(CNS): Residents can once again enjoy fresh local queen conch and whelks until the end of April, as the fishing season opens today. However, conch is still endangered, and the Marine Park rules and boundaries remain in full effect at all times. No conch or whelks may be taken from within the Marine Reserve, even […]
Over 500 reef and nurse sharks in local waters
(CNS): Scientists from the Department of Environment have published the first estimates of population sizes and home ranges for Caribbean reef sharks and nurse sharks in Cayman Islands waters and the first estimate of the reef shark population globally. Footage from baited underwater video systems (BRUVS) and photo ID, used as a non-invasive alternative to […]
Blue Belt will help conservation effort
(CNS): The Cayman Islands’ marine environment and ecosystems have an estimated value of at least $1.1 billion, according to Premier Wane Panton, and becoming the latest British Overseas Territory to join the UK’s Blue Belt Programme will help expand the necessary conservation and protections in the face of climate change, which is predicted to exacerbate existing […]