Topic: Department of Environment
DoE: 2019 set to be a record turtle-nesting season
New numbers from the Department of Environment said the current tally of turtle nests found in Grand Cayman this year is set to surpass the 406 nests recorded in all three islands in 2018. The DoE said it has already been one of its busiest turtle seasons to date.
Rare albino turtle hatchling found
A routine turtle nest excavation turned up a unique find for the Department of Environment’s turtle team on Friday, when they unearthed a rare albino sea turtle hatchling.
The culling fields
Nearly a year’s worth of iguana culling has yielded “spectacular” results, according to officials at the Department of Environment, but that doesn’t mean the battle is over.
DoE registers 60 Cayman parrots in amnesty effort
Sixty Cayman parrots have been signed up for registration so far under the Department of Environment’s ongoing amnesty. The department said 54 birds on Grand Cayman and six on Cayman Brac have been signed up.
DoE: Don’t mess with the nests
A social media video showing a sea turtle nest being dug up has prompted a warning from the Department of Environment.
DOE issues warning after turtle rescued from roaming dogs
The Department of Environment issued a warning to pet owners Friday after roaming dogs were caught on camera attacking a nesting turtle along a West Bay beach.
Weekly numbers dip, but cullers surpass 900,000 iguanas
The number of green iguanas turned in by Grand Cayman’s cullers took a dip this past week compared to the previous period.
Neighbours outline objections to Beach Bay resort
Around 40 neighbouring residents spelled out some of their objections to a 125-room Mandarin Oriental hotel and condo development in Beach Bay during a meeting of the Central Planning Authority Wednesday.
Iguana cullers have hearty week to open September
Cayman’s cullers took 14,844 green iguanas out of the ecosystem last week, marking their most successful period in more than two months.
Experts fear worse than usual coral bleaching season
This year is not shaping up as a good one for Cayman’s coral population.
Rare Brac shrub gets species protections
Sybil’s crownbeard, named in 2018 in honour of Grand Cayman’s Sybil McLaughlin and Cayman Brac’s Sybil Jackson, occurs along a limited stretch in Cayman Brac that includes Spot Bay and the Big Channel Bluff Road area.
Department of Environment rescue turtle from ‘ghost net’
Department of Environment officers, en route by boat to Cayman Brac last week, freed a turtle they came across that was trapped in a floating ‘ghost net’.
Masses of seaweed invade Cayman shores
Weeks after government workers cleared 200 tons of sargassum from Grand Cayman’s coastlines, the invasive seaweed has returned to the island.
Six-month amnesty for parrot owners
If something is not done, Fred Burton says, the Cayman parrot may cease to be.
Iguana count begins this month
The Department of Environment will soon find out whether its iguana culling programme is making an impact.
DoE locates missing shark tag
The Department of Environment offered a $200 reward for anyone who located a satellite tag that dislodged from a Caribbean reef shark off Little Cayman on Thursday night, but the tag was found in the end by one of the department’s own officers.
Another down week for iguana cullers
Last week, cullers removed 9,011 invasive green iguanas from Grand Cayman, the lowest number in a single week since the culling project began in October last year.
Pease Bay children help release hatchling turtles into the wild
A group of children had a magical and educational experience on Thursday night when they got to see up close the release of 100 baby turtles into the wild.
Rainfall deters iguana cullers
Last week, cullers removed 9,232 invasive green iguanas from Grand Cayman, the lowest number in a single week since the culling project began in October last year.
Culled iguanas surpass 800,000
Following more than two months of consistently strong results, Grand Cayman’s green iguana cullers delivered fewer than 13,000 culled iguanas to the George Town landfill last week. Still, that was enough to boost the total number of culled iguanas past the 800,000 mark.
Turtle found in net euthanised due to injuries
A juvenile loggerhead turtle found floating in a net off Barkers Beach had to be euthanised because of its injuries, the Department of Environment said Thursday.
Iguana cull numbers pass 750,000 mark
Figures for culled green iguanas have reached more than three quarters of a million.
Cayman’s diminishing mangroves
Longtime residents of Grand Cayman will already know how drastically the island has changed in recent decades, as construction and development have accelerated to keep pace with a growing population. Analysis from the Department of Environment can help quantify how drastic that change has been for the island’s wetlands.
Second population of rare flower being protected
The discovery of a second population of a rare flower found only in Grand Cayman has altered plans for a residential development in order to protect the species.
Surging iguana cull numbers approach 750,000
Grand Cayman’s green iguana cullers delivered 29,925 lizards to the George Town landfill last week, the largest weekly total since mid-December.
Turtle monitoring on ‘see sea TV’
One of the Cayman Islands’ most popular turtle nesting beaches will be put under round-the-clock surveillance in a pilot project to help tackle poachers.
Iguana cullers keep up the pace
Grand Cayman’s green iguana cullers delivered more than 24,000 reptiles to the George Town landfill last week, making it the fifth time in the past six weeks that they culled more than 22,000 iguanas.
Cayman’s sorry shark tale continues
Despite a ban on shark fishing and 10 years of focussed conservation effort, the apex predator remains vulnerable in Cayman’s waters.
Strong weekly performance boosts iguana cull above 638,000
Following a brief dip, Grand Cayman’s green iguana cullers posted strong results again last week, removing nearly 27,000 of the invasive lizards from the island.
EDITORIAL — Getting serious about resource preservation
More than a third of all marine mammals around the world; more than 40% of amphibian species. The prospect is — or ought to be — unthinkable.
Nature’s dangerous decline: 1 million species facing extinction
A new United Nations report highlighting the devastating impact of humans on the natural world should serve as an urgent ‘wake-up call’ to policymakers in the Cayman Islands and across the globe, according to a host of environmental officials, researchers and non-profits.
Conch, whelk season closes until November
Anyone possessing, attempting to sell or attempting to buy locally caught conch or whelks during the closed seasons will face prosecution under the National Conservation Law, according to the Department of Environment.
Shark deaths a concern for Cayman researchers
Despite becoming a protected species in the territory since the introduction of the National Conservation Law, sharks continue to be targeted.
EDITORIAL – In search of sargassum solutions
Cayman cannot control the ocean currents that occasionally steer sargassum in our direction, but working together, we can be prepared with a quick, efficient and effective response when it does.
EDITORIAL – Working together to promote animal welfare
Last year, DoA impounded 388 dogs, according to records reviewed by the Compass. That is more than a dog per day – far too many for our little island.
Easter eggs signal start of turtle nesting season
You know it must be springtime in the Cayman Islands when the first turtle nests are recorded on the islands’ beaches.
Iguana cull surpasses 520,000
Last week, cullers removed more than 16,000 green iguanas from Grand Cayman.
EDITORIAL – Protecting resources on paper, and in practice
The success of these enhanced protections is dependent upon swift enactment, extensive education and robust enforcement.
Cabinet greenlights expansion of no-fishing areas
Cayman’s no-fishing zones will be significantly expanded once Cabinet approves new regulations for the territory’s marine parks.
DoE seeks more iguana cullers
As the number of green iguanas culled passes the half million mark, the Department of Environment is looking for more cullers to join the hunt.
Cullers nearing 500,000 iguana mark
Last week, cullers removed 7,710 green iguanas from Grand Cayman, according to initial results from the Department of Environment.
Officials shine a light on turtle problem
Officials with the Department of Environment are hoping a pilot project to install turtle-friendly lights on a stretch of Seven Mile Beach in West Bay will encourage beachfront property owners in other areas to follow suit.
Iguana cull approaches 470,000
Last week, cullers removed more than 10,000 green iguanas from Grand Cayman. Through 20 weeks of the Department of Environment’s programme, a total of 468,690 iguanas had been culled, as of March 16.
Iguana cull hits 439,000
Last week, cullers removed more than 10,000 green iguanas from Grand Cayman. The total number of iguanas culled during the first 18 weeks of the Department of Environment’s program stands at 439,000, as of March 2.
Turtle-friendly street lighting trial begins
Forty new “turtle-friendly” streetlights are being installed along roads adjacent to some of Cayman’s turtle nesting beaches as part of a pilot project.
Warning over mishandling of wildlife
Environment officials have issued a warning over the handling of wildlife by divers, snorkelers and swimmers after a spike in complaints.
Iguana cull hits 400,000 mark
Another 19,000 green iguanas have been culled in the race to eradicate the invasive species from the Cayman Islands.
115 new hunters sign up to aid cull
With the invasive lizards becoming harder to find as numbers dwindle, the Department of Environment put out an appeal to recruit new cullers, resulting in 115 additional people becoming licensed.
Heat-sensing cameras used to search for iguanas
The Department of Environment experimented with the technology when a team of visiting scientists came to Grand Cayman last year. Thermal imaging cameras have been used for some time to spot birds and mammals, but it was not known if the technology could work on cold-blooded reptiles.
Environment officials spotlight violations
Chief conservation officer Mark Orr said several recent violations have led to a push to educate the public on the new regulations, particularly those affecting the transport of harvested animals between islands.
EDITORIAL – Turtle release: A ‘shell game’ worth playing
Purists would do well to remember that in this context, “protection” refers to the species, as a whole. The Turtle Centre is doing a stellar job in its contributions to the rejuvenation and replenishment of this species.
Grouper Moon project rises again
The Department of Environment is keeping a close watch on the endangered Nassau grouper.
New bid to bolster iguana cull army
With the law of diminishing returns beginning to impact Grand Cayman’s great green iguana cull, officials are making a new plea for people to get involved.
Cull update: 10,000 iguanas killed in week 11
Week 11 of Grand Cayman’s green iguana cull, from Jan. 7 to Jan. 12, netted a total of 10,581 iguanas, according to statistics from the Department of Environment.
DoE receives objections about Barkers plan
An application to remove some 180,000 square feet of sea grass to create a swimming beach for cruise ship tourists off Barkers peninsula received more than 100 written objections from members of the public, according to the Department of Environment.
Cullers eradicate a quarter of Cayman’s green iguanas
Despite a seasonal slowdown, the green iguana cull total crept beyond the 300,000 mark over the Christmas and New Year holiday period.
Coral salvage effort could have international impact
A project to transplant and relocate pillar coral impacted by disease appears to have contained an outbreak, according to the Department of Environment.
Chefs seek to put iguana on menu
Cayman Islands chefs are hoping to turn green iguana into a marketable food source in an effort to make better use of the thousands of culled animals currently being disposed of at the landfill.
Sharp drop in nesting turtle numbers
Despite threats from poachers, plastic pollution, coastal development and now sargassum seaweed, researchers remain optimistic about the long-term survival of the Cayman Islands nesting sea turtle population.
EDITORIAL – When ‘less is more,’ but none is better
In recent weeks we have noticed, with a certain degree of satisfaction, that we have not been noticing certain nuisances around Grand Cayman that heretofore have been irritating us to no end.
Number of culled iguanas approaches 200,000
Through five weeks of the Department of Environment’s cull of invasive green iguanas in Grand Cayman, cullers had killed more than 193,000 iguanas as of Saturday, Dec. 1.
DoE: Contaminated wetlands pose little risk to humans
Though waste dumped by the National Roads Authority into the wetlands tested positive for carcinogens, it is very unlikely that humans are at risk from the contamination, according to the Department of Environment.
EDITORIAL – When government despoils Cayman’s precious wetlands
To environmentalists and conservationists alike, there is no mission more sacred than protecting tropical wetlands, the incubator and habitat of many forms of life...
Turtle killed by abandoned fish pot
A juvenile hawksbill turtle died after becoming entangled in a rope attached to an abandoned fish pot in Grand Cayman’s North Sound. The turtle’s body was discovered on Wednesday.
Color blind
Today's editorial cartoon.
DoE urges Sister Islands to fight green iguana invasion
The Cayman Islands Department of Environment is hoping to head off a green iguana population explosion in Cayman Brac and Little Cayman like the one seen on Grand Cayman, where it is estimated there are more than 1 million of the invasive reptiles.
Day one of cull nets nearly 14,000 iguanas
Cullers delivered 13,819 green iguanas to the George Town landfill Monday as the first day of an islandwide cull to help rid Grand Cayman of the invasive species got under way.
Beach clearing at Discovery Point
Heavy equipment rolled on to Seven Mile Beach this weekend to clear sargassum seaweed from the beach in front of a condo development.
Controversial sea wall removed
A sea wall that was built without planning permission has been removed after neighboring homeowners raised concerns.
DoE warns of discarded fishing line danger
Department of Environment conservation officers on Saturday rescued a juvenile turtle that had become entangled in a bundle of discarded fishing line, highlighting the threat those lines pose to Cayman’s marine life.
Department of Environment conducts genetic testing of green iguanas
The Department of Environment is compiling a library of green iguana genetics to determine whether the first documented case of hybridization with the rock iguana on the Sister Islands was a fluke or a pattern.
New iguana signs posted along East End roads
The Department of Environment has posted new road signs warning motorists to watch out for Cayman’s endangered blue iguanas.
