10 G Street NE Suite 800
Washington, DC 20002
http://www.wri.org

Read this post online at: http://www.wri.org/publication/content/7880

Cayman Islands

Cayman Islands The Cayman Islands are a British Crown Colony to the southwest of Cuba, made up of the small low islands of Grand Cayman, Little Cayman, and Cayman Brac. Grand Cayman is the largest and most populous. The islands are situated on the Cayman Ridge, which extends from southeastern Cuba into the Bay of Honduras and is flanked by the 6,000 m deep Cayman Trench 6 km to the south. [1] The islands have well-developed fringing reefs on the narrow insular shelves around them, which end as steep walls dropping to great depths. [2] The reefs in the Cayman Islands are managed under strict marine conservation laws establishing a zoned system of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). However, this has not prevented overfishing of conch and lobster, and increased human usage is a major concern. [3] The analysis found that an estimated 80 percent of the reefs are threatened, predominantly from overfishing as well as from coastal development. Coastal development is a result of population growth and intensive tourism, including impacts from cruise ships. [4] Tourism is growing rapidly and exceeds 1 million visitors each year, accounting for about a third of the GDP. [5] Many of these visitors go diving, the most popular dive sites receiving over 15,000 visitors per year. [6] Tourism-related developments have resulted in damage to the reefs, including habitat destruction, increased suspended sediment loads from dredging and mangrove removal, sewage, oil pollution, and destruction by cruise ship anchors and anchor chains. [7] However, AGRRA surveys in 1999 and 2000 found the reefs themselves to be in generally good condition. [8] Diversity and abundance of reef fish remains high, although larger individuals are becoming scarcer. [9] Reliance on the natural resources in the Cayman Islands has been traditionally limited because of its strong economy derived from offshore financial services. Coral reef fishing is limited to low-volume recreational and subsistence fishing (in 1999, 500 residents of Grand Cayman were licensed to snorkel with spear guns) [10], but in the analysis this activity represents a relatively high impact, because of the limited habitat area. Five spawning aggregations of Nassau grouper have been heavily harvested (during the 2002 spawning season, all but one aggregation had been depleted). [11] Conch and lobster are also subject to intensive recreational and subsistence fishing and are over-exploited, despite conservation regulations. [12] To address these issues, legislation regulating fish traps, minimum size of fish, a greatly reduced (by 50 percent) catch quota for lobster, conch, and speared fish, and a new closed season for conch was recently passed in an effort to reduce this pressure. Also there are now eight officially designated Nassau grouper spawning areas, and fishing in these areas during grouper spawning season has been banned for 8 years. [13] There was large-scale coral bleaching in 1987 and more severe bleaching in 1995-96 and again in 1998. [14] Coral bleaching in 1998 was as severe as in 1995, when 10 percent mortality was measured in affected Montastraea annularis colonies. [15]Acropora species were severely impacted by white-band disease, although healthy strands still exist. Black band disease has been locally significant, and most other coral diseases have been reported. [16] Marine conservation laws are strict and designate four areas of protection. [17] The level of management is high, and all the laws are being enforced, albeit not enough in some areas. There are currently 8 marine enforcement officers (6 for Grand Cayman, 1 for Little Cayman, and 1 for Cayman Brac). [18] [1] UNESCO, CARICOMP - Caribbean Coral Reef, Seagrass and Mangrove Sites (Paris: UNESCO, 1998), p. 35 [2] J. Woodley et al., “Status of coral reefs in the south-central Caribbean,” in Status of Coral reefs of the World: 1998. C. Wilkinson, ed. (Townsville: Australian Institute of Marine Science, 1998), p. 147 [3] C. Manfrino et al,. 2003. “Status of the Coral Reefs of Little Cayman, Grand Cayman and Cayman Brac, British West Indies, in 1999 and 2000,” in Status of the Coral Reefs of the Western Atlantic: Results of the Initial Survey, Atlantic and Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment (AGRRA) Program . J.C. Lang, ed. Atoll Research Bulletin 496:204-226. [4] D. Linton et al., “Status of Coral Reefs in the Northern Caribbean and Atlantic Node of the GCRMN,” in Status of Coral Reefs of the World: 2002. C. Wilkinson, ed. (Townsville: Australian Institute of Marine Science, 2002), p. 287 [5] See Reefs at Risk in the Caribbean: Appendix A, Table 3 [6] C. Manfrino et al.. 2003. “Status of the Coral Reefs of Little Cayman, Grand Cayman and Cayman Brac, British West Indies, in 1999 and 2000,” in Status of the Coral Reefs of the Western Atlantic: Results of the Initial Survey, Atlantic and Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment (AGRRA) Program . J.C. Lang, ed. Atoll Research Bulletin 496:204-226 [7] D. Linton et al., “Status of Coral Reefs in the Northern Caribbean and Atlantic Node of the GCRMN,” in Status of Coral Reefs of the World: 2002. C. Wilkinson, ed. (Townsville: Australian Institute of Marine Science, 2002), p. 287 [8]C. Manfrino et al.. 2003. “Status of the Coral Reefs of Little Cayman, Grand Cayman and Cayman Brac, British West Indies, in 1999 and 2000,” in Status of the Coral Reefs of the Western Atlantic: Results of the Initial Survey, Atlantic and Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment (AGRRA) Program . J.C. Lang, ed. Atoll Research Bulletin 496:204-226 [9] J. Woodley et al., “Status of Coral Reefs in the Northern Caribbean and Western Atlantic,” in Status of Coral Reefs of the World: 2000. C. Wilkinson, ed. (Townsville: Australian Institute of Marine Science, 2000), p. 268 [10] C.V.Pattengill-Semmens & B.X. Semmens. 2003. “Status of the Coral reefs of Little Cayman and Grand Cayman, British West Indies, in 1999 (Part 2: Fishes) ,” in Status of the Coral Reefs of the Western Atlantic: Results of the Initial Survey, Atlantic and Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment (AGRRA) Program . J.C. Lang, ed. Atoll Research Bulletin 496:204-226 [11] C.V.Pattengill-Semmens & B.X. Semmens. 2003. “Status of the Coral reefs of Little Cayman and Grand Cayman, British West Indies, in 1999 (Part 2: Fishes) ,” in Status of the Coral Reefs of the Western Atlantic: Results of the Initial Survey, Atlantic and Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment (AGRRA) Program . J.C. Lang, ed. Atoll Research Bulletin 496:204-226 [12] J. Woodley et al., “Status of Coral Reefs in the Northern Caribbean and Western Atlantic,” in Status of Coral Reefs of the World: 2000. C. Wilkinson, ed. (Townsville: Australian Institute of Marine Science, 2000), p. 269 [13] P. Bush, 2004. personal communication [14] M. Spalding et al., World Atlas of Coral Reefs (Berkeley, California: University of California Press and UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Center, 2001), p. 143 [15] J. Woodley et al., “Status of Coral Reefs in the Northern Caribbean and Western Atlantic,” in Status of Coral Reefs of the World: 2000. C. Wilkinson, ed. (Townsville: Australian Institute of Marine Science, 2000), p. 265 [16] J. Woodley et al., “Status of Coral Reefs in the Northern Caribbean and Western Atlantic,” in Status of Coral Reefs of the World: 2000. C. Wilkinson, ed. (Townsville: Australian Institute of Marine Science, 2000), p. 265 [17] D. Linton et al., “Status of Coral Reefs in the Northern Caribbean and Atlantic Node of the GCRMN,” in Status of Coral Reefs of the World: 2002. C. Wilkinson, ed. (Townsville: Australian Institute of Marine Science, 2002), p. 291 [18] P. Bush, 2002. personal communication