Marine Environment
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, […]
Appeal court knocks back CPA’s Privy Council bid
(CNS): The Cayman Islands Court of Appeal has rejected an application by the Central Planning Authority to take the controversial ‘Boggy Sand Cabana’ case to the Privy Council. But the government v. government courtroom battle that pitched the CPA and the National Conservation Council against each other on the public purse’s dime is probably not […]
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 […]
CPA taking Boggy Sand case to Privy Council
(CNS): The courtroom battle over the redevelopment of a controversial cabana and seawall in a marine park area on Boggy Sand Beach in West Bay that has pitched two government boards against each other is headed to London. In a surprising turn of events, given that the Central Planning Authority has lost a judicial review […]
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 […]
Coral spawns in new specialist DoE lab
(CNS): The Department of Environment’s new Coral Spawning Lab was introduced to the community last week with an unexpected spawning event after laboratory adjustments of annual temperature in line with solar and lunar cycles triggered corals to spawn. The two coral labs were set up just a few weeks ago and filled with 256 gallons […]
UK offers support to protect Cayman’s deep ocean
(CNS): An upcoming workshop will explore opportunities for expanding deep-sea marine conservation efforts in the Cayman Islands with support from the United Kingdom’s flagship Blue Belt Programme. The workshop is part of a week-long series of events where local agencies will develop plans for safeguarding Cayman’s Exclusive Economic Zone waters from pollution, illegal fishing and […]
Sea temperatures put local coral at more risk
(CNS): The record-breaking local sea temperatures this summer have already gone beyond the threshold that coral reefs can comfortably tolerate, more than a month ahead of the expected seasonal peak. Department of Environment (DoE) Deputy Director Tim Austin, a marine scientist, has said this is causing real concerns. The DoE has been monitoring the marine […]
Fish return to Little Cayman but reefs still at risk
(CNS): The number of fish on the reefs off Little Cayman has nearly doubled since 1999, when the first marine protections were rolled out, according to the Annual Reef Report Card by the Central Caribbean Marine Institute. Research scientists at CCMI also found that the waters now contain roughly three times the total biomass of […]
