Tag: Department of Environment
Marine parks input needed now
(CNS): As experts at the Department of Environment move towards the much-needed enhancement of the country’s marine parks, officials are making a final call for submissions from the public as the consultation period ends Friday. The DoE said many people have spoken to them at the district meetings. but they want to make sure that everyone […]
Turtle Farm critics take aim at ‘curtain of conservation’
(CNS): The international animal rights charity, World Animal Protection, and the conservation body, Sea Turtle Conservancy, have described the Cayman Turtle Farm’s position on its role in protecting wild green sea turtles as nothing more than a “curtain of conservation”. Following the recent publication of a study on turtle meat consumption that found just one […]
East End dive shop plans coral nursery
(CNS): The co-owner of East End dive operation, Ocean Frontiers, has revealed plans to create a coral nursery in the area to repair and replenish threatened reef systems in the waters around Cayman. As the tourism minister proceeds with cruise berthing plans that may destroy more than 35 acres in the George Town Harbour, the ministry […]
Local shark numbers declining warns, DoE
(CNS): Marine researchers have found that the number of sharks found in local waters are lower than expected when compared to research conducted just a few years ago. Sharks have a key role to play in keeping reefs healthy with strong fish numbers and work is underway by a team from the Department of the […]
70% of residents not eating turtle
(CNS) Documents now attached: A new report that examined turtle consumption habits in the Cayman Islands has found that less than a third of the population is eating the national dish and that most tourists do not indulge when they visit. Only 30% of residents ate turtle over the last 12 months and just 1% […]
Environmental protection set up at East End cop shop
(CNS): Environmental enforcement officers now have a permanent operational base in East End as a result of a partnership with the police. The RCIPS have joined forces with the Department of Environment and have given office space to the DoE for operational purposes at the East End Police Station. Deploying from there, enforcement officers will […]
Diver rescues tangled turtle from fishing line
(CNS) A diver from Don Foster’s Dive Cayman saved the life of a critically endangered hawksbill turtle this week by untangling it from a discarded fishing line. Joaquin Puig rescued the turtle at the Meridian Drop Off, a dive site on Seven Mile Beach. “I spotted the turtle and I thought she was eating but when I arrived […]
Care urged during beach seaweed clearance
(CNS): Westerly winds are bringing an influx of sargassum seaweed to Seven Mile Beach but the Department of Environment is urging people to take care when cleaning beaches, especially since it is still turtle nesting season. Officials said that any attempts to clean sargassum must be undertaken extremely carefully as its removal can have a […]
Turtle hatchlings burned in abandoned bonfire
(CNS): Around two dozen turtles that hatched on a South Sound beach were killed in a bonfire Wednesday night. Researchers believe the green turtle hatchlings were attracted to the embers of the unauthorized beach bonfire after emerging from their nest nearby. “When they emerge from their nests, hatchling turtles move in the direction of the brightest light they can see,” […]
Clock ticks on future of GT harbour
(CNS): Cabinet will be making a decision on the development of the controversial cruise berthing facilities in George Town harbour in a matter of weeks, the tourism minister has said. A separate seabed survey commissioned by the tourism ministry has been completed and once consultants, PricewaterhouseCoopers, complete the business case, the PPM government is expected […]
Marine park expansion needed now
(CNS): The Cayman Islands needs to act and implement expanded and enhanced reserves now because threats to the local marine environment are increasing and becoming more severe. The current marine parks have served Cayman well but they are no longer enough to protect against the global as well as local pressures on the marine habitat surrounding […]
