Tag: coral reefs
Minister paints false picture on coral relocation
(CNS): Tourism Minister Moses Kirkconnell has said that CI$10 million has been earmarked for coral relocation from the $200 million budget for the proposed cruise and cargo facility in George Town, despite warnings from the Department of Environment and the Central Caribbean Marine Institute (CCMI) that such a venture is doomed to fail. Kirkconnell has […]
Key West bans harmful sunscreen
(CNS): Key West has introduced a ban on some types of sunscreen products that contain chemicals which studies have found can be damaging to coral and marine organisms. According to a press release from the mayor’s office, the Key West City Commission voted during a meeting last week to prohibit the sale or distribution of […]
Pirate tour boat crushed coral colonies
(CNS): A number of small coral colonies were damaged when The Jolly Roger, a pirate-themed tour boat, ran aground in the George Town Harbour last week. Following a survey by marine researchers, the Department of Environment said that two colonies of starlet coral (Siderastrea sidera) and four colonies of brain coral (Diploria strigosa), as well as a […]
Divers urged to report coral bleaching
(CNS): Following the launch of the Coral Watch Programme by the Department of Environment last year to help monitor the impact of bleaching on Cayman’s reefs, the DoE is urging divers and snorkellers to look out for and report any changes to the reef they see over the coming weeks that could suggest a bleaching […]
Hawaii first place to ban toxic sunscreen
(CNS): The governor of Hawaii, David Ige, signed legislation last week prohibiting the sale or distribution of suntan lotions that contain toxic chemicals in the state from 2021, becoming the first place to ban oxybenzone and octinoxate. Researchers say these toxins are linked to widespread coral reef damage and are harmful to marine life. A press […]
Marine park expansion under review again
(CNS): Almost six years after a public consultation made it clear that the people of the Cayman Islands wanted to see the local marine parks enhanced, the environment minister has reportedly asked for another review of the proposals. The Department of the Environment has consulted, reviewed and reshaped the original proposals, which were based on […]
Caribbean reefs too weak to survive sea-level rise
(CNS): Marine researchers have found that coral reefs in the Caribbean region are no longer capable of growing quickly enough to survive even the most conservative estimates of sea-level rise, in the latest dire prediction about the future of reefs in our area. As disease, coral bleaching, sea temperature increases, over-fishing, pollution and acidification of […]
Disease strikes rare coral at 7MB dive site
(CNS): The Department of Environment has begun investigating a case of disease which is infecting a rare type of coral that is recognised as a threatened species. What is believed to be an outbreak of black band disease, possibly white plague and even red plague, though the exact cause has not yet been confirmed, has […]
World without reefs will be costly, study finds
(CNS): A new scientific study has revealed a bleak and expensive world without coral reefs to protect our shores. The latest research raising the alarm about the decimation of reefs across the globe was published Tuesday in the journal, Nature Communications, and focuses on the cost to governments and tax payers from flooding as sea […]
Coral bleaching ‘new normal’ say scientists
(CNS): Scientists have found that the time-lapse between coral bleaching events has decreased rapidly over the last forty years, reducing the time reefs have to recover and making bleaching the “new normal” for the delicate marine ecosystems. In the latest bad news about the fate of the earth’s ocean-life, researchers found that the average time […]
Conflicts emerge over cruise project
(CNS): The tourism ministry’s chief officer outlined a precise timeline for the progress of the cruise berthing project when he answered questions in Finance Committee Wednesday. But conflicting messages from the premier on the unresolved talks with the cruise lines, which were revealed Friday, and environmental questions over coral relocation throw the timeframe into question. […]
