Tag: Tim Austin
Study will fill data gap on endangered local sharks
(CNS): The Department of Environment (DoE) has secured UK funding for pop-off satellite archival tags to study the movements of Caribbean reef sharks (Carcharhinus perezi) in the ocean around the Cayman Islands. Due to their ecological and socio-economic significance to Cayman, all sharks are protected species and are now considered endangered.
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 […]
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 […]
Sargassum presents challenge for environment and tourism
(CNS): An unprecedented amount of Sargassum that invaded the North Sound on Saturday is presenting a significant challenge for the Cayman Islands as the country tries to rebuild its tourism business two and a half years after the COVID-19 pandemic closed its borders. However, it is also a major environmental threat. Staff from the Department […]
Divers could be spreading fatal coral disease
(CNS): The deadly Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease has until very recently been advancing in a uniform path, but with reports of it appearing in random unconnected sites, the Department of Environment is now worried that divers and boat operators may unwittingly be spreading the disease. This latest fatal coral disease was first spotted in […]
Underwater cameras to watch-over UKOT sea life
(CNS): The UK is funding a network of underwater cameras across its overseas territories to keep a watchful eye on the sea life and collect data to help in the conservation battle. The Cayman Islands will be included in the rollout of non-intrusive stereo-Baited Remote Underwater Video Systems (BRUVS), which will be deployed in open […]
DoE predicts bad year for sargassum
(CNS): The troublesome seaweed that has plagued Caribbean beaches for several years now is back in Cayman and the Department of Environment predicts that this could be another very bad year for sargassum on the local shoreline. Last year government invested significant public cash into trying to keep beaches clean without eroding them and created […]
Reduced army of cullers reining back iguanas
(CNS): Measures taken by government to curb the spread of COVID-19 put the nationwide green iguana cull on hold for several weeks, just as the pesky reptile moved into its breeding season. With exemptions now in place for the consultants managing the cull and around 50 top cullers, war on this invasive species has restarted. […]
Fisherfolk credited for grouper project success
(CNS): One of the lead scientists behind the Nassau grouper conservation project in Cayman, which is receiving accolades all over the world, has credited local fisherfolk for their sacrifice, which enabled the conservation work. Department of Environment researcher Croy McCoy, one of the lead authors on the report published in the academic press this month, […]
Future of Boggy Sand Beach in jeopardy
(CNS): The shifting sand on one of West Bay’s most famous beaches has caused considerable public concern this summer as large parts of it disappeared. Beaches are dynamic, with sand coming and going depending on the time of year and seasonal weather conditions, but the recent disappearance of a swathe of Boggy Sand Beach has […]
DoE raises alarm over abuse of marine animals
(CNS): Following a number of reports of people abusing local marine animals in and around some of Grand Cayman’s favourite attractions, the Department of Environment (DoE) is urging people to follow the law in local waters regarding the handling of starfish, stingrays, turtles and other marine life. In the last month the DoE has received […]
