Tag: coral reefs
Global coral bleaching will degrade local reefs
(CNS): The Cayman Islands is facing the possibility of further degradation of its reefs as another coral bleaching event is impacting reefs around the world this year. According to experts at the Department of Environment, our coral reefs are slowly dying, and every year we can expect fewer of them to bounce back for another […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Scientists demonstrate new measures for coral disease
(CNS): As scientists continue to research the causes of stony coral tissue loss disease, they are developing various measures to help control its spread. Last week during a workshop on Grand Cayman for scientists on the front line of the fight against SCTLD, a devastating pathogen attacking reefs across the region at an alarming rate, […]
Over 42,000 corals treated in SCTLD crisis
(CNS): Dr Croy McCoy, a senior marine biologist at the Department of Environment, has warned that coral reefs are in crisis and the current generation of scientists may be the last people who can do anything about their survival. A team of divers has treated over 42,000 corals in Cayman Islands waters with an antibiotic […]
DoE works on reef damaged by boat at Eden Rock
(CNS): Divers from the Department of Environment Marine Unit are working to re-attach damaged corals to the reef at Eden Rock following a recent unreported grounding by a large ship at the popular dive site. The damage was reported by local environmental activist Rory McDonough, who contacted the DoE, the premier and the port authority […]
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 […]
