Tag: Central Caribbean Marine Institute
Little Cayman reefs devastated by marine heatwave
(CNS): A survey of reefs around Little Cayman has revealed a shocking decline in coral cover from 26% at the start of 2023 down to less than ten percent by this summer. The devastating loss of coral is down largely to the global bleaching event fuelled by last year’s marine heatwave. The survey by the […]
LC reefs may fare better in face of bleaching event
(CNS): As coral reefs around the world, including those in Cayman Islands waters, face another bleaching threat this year, scientists at the Central Caribbean Marine Institute believe the reefs around Little Cayman may prove more resilient than others in the region because they are healthier and face fewer stressors than other reefs.
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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
CCMI to explore 12-Mile Bank and Pickle Bank
(CNS): The Little Cayman-based Central Caribbean Marine Institute has received a grant and a donation totalling more than CI$1 million, which will be used to explore two well-known seamounts (submerged islands) near the Cayman Islands. Collaborating with the Department of Environment, the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, CCMI researchers will […]
Protections are buffering Little Cayman reefs from threats
(CNS): Little Cayman’s coral reefs are subject to the same pressures of climate change and disease as those around the world, but the latest survey of the reefs by the Central Caribbean Marine Institute (CCMI) shows that local marine protections have provided a buffer from the impact of those threats. Fish populations around the island […]
CCMI gets €258k grant to expand coral restoration
(CNS): The Central Caribbean Marine Institute (CCMI) has received a grant of €257,949 (CI$228,228) from RESEMBID, the same European Union-funded organisation that recently awarded a grant to the UCCI. The money for CCMI, which has a research facility on Little Cayman, will be used to expand its coral restoration research.
