Marine Environment
DoE and coastguard contain sinking boat
(CNS): The Cayman Islands Coast Guard and the Department of Environment have teamed up to mitigate the potential spread of fuel and oil from a sinking vessel in the Governor’s Creek area. The 76-foot Cayman Mermaid was abandoned by its owners, Mermaid Cruises, several years ago. The DoE has deployed a 400ft boom to protect […]
Concerns raised as ship anchors close to dive site
(CNS): The Celebrity Equinox was anchored very close to the Devil’s Grotto dive site on Thursday, and local divers and operators were concerned that it could be damaging the reef and posing a danger to anyone diving in the area. While it turned out that the ship was within the port zone, the situation nevertheless […]
Local sea temperatures break records
(CNS): Local sea surface temperatures reached new highs this weekend, with Friday going down in the history books as the hottest 19 May since records began, according to figures from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The news comes as officials here begin hosting a series of public meetings to discuss the new draft […]
Dredging NS for cheap fill ‘unjustifiable’, says DoE
(CNS): The request by a speculative developer of a potential private retirement home to dredge the North Sound seabed to get cheap fill for the project should be rejected, the Department of Environment has urged in a review of the coastal works application. Technical experts detailed the environmental disaster such dredging would cause and said […]
Little Cayman is ‘national treasure’, says Premier
(CNS): Premier and Minister of Sustainability and Climate Resiliency Wayne Panton, who has officially endorsed the community-led nomination for Little Cayman to become a UNESCO World Heritage site, described the island as a national treasure. Thanking everyone involved in the bid, the premier said the existing protections on the island had helped in getting the […]
Little Cayman reefs on UK wishlist for UNESCO Status
(CNS): The United Kingdom has added Little Cayman Marine Parks and Protected Areas to its list of sites it is nominating to be given UNESCO World Heritage Status. About once per decade, the UK publishes its Tentative List of the sites believed to have the best chance of achieving this prestigious global status and joining […]
Endangered hawksbill turtle saved from poachers
(CNS): A large, critically endangered hawksbill turtle was found tied up on an undisclosed beach Sunday and rescued from poachers by DoE conservation officers and the RCIPS. The turtle was still alive when found, and thanks to the fast response of the rescuers, she was released back to sea after a health assessment.
No easy fixes for giant sargassum ‘blob’
(CNS): Dubbed the ‘great blob’, the ever-increasing sargassum belt that circulates in the Atlantic has grown to more than 5,500 miles across and is currently moving through our region. Government officials are warning that the belt is likely to wash ashore in the Cayman Islands again this year. But there is no easy fix. Officials […]
Hawksbill nest ends longest recorded turtle season
(CNS): The 2022 sea turtle nesting season has broken yet another record after the final group of baby turtles emerged from their long incubation on 22 February, almost 11 months after the first early nest was recorded in March last year. 2022 also saw the most nests counted in any season since records began. The […]
Little Cayman deep reefs help in adaption study
(CNS): Researchers at the Central Caribbean Marine Institute are involved in an important study about how coral can adapt to climate change. A team of scientists is seeking answers by studying the corals living down to 50m on the reef walls of Little Cayman. CCMI is partnering with the University of Haifa, Israel, where researchers […]
Turtle nests in Cayman reach decade high
(CNS): The Department of Environment recorded more turtle nests in 2022 than any single year over the last decade. A total of 858 nest were counted, 169 more than the previous high in 2017, when there were 689 nests. The increase resulted from a steep rise in the number of green turtle nests, which topped […]
