The Cayman Islands are a British Overseas Territory comprised of three islands located in the western Caribbean about 240 km south of Cuba. They lie between 19° 15′ and 19° 45′ N latitude and between 79°44 ‘ and 81° 27’ W longitude. Grand Cayman is the largest and most populous. Little Cayman lies approximately 145 km to its east-northeast and is about 10 km from Cayman Brac. The three islands are limestone, horst-and-graben structures associated with the Cayman Ridge. The fringing reefs that surround most of the islands contain shallow reef crests (rubble ramparts) as well as mid-shelf and shelf-edge fore reefs. These fringing reefs are particularly well-developed on the windward (eastern and southern) coasts of both islands. Other submerged benthic habitats include seagrass beds and mangrove fringes.
Benthos and Fish surveys were conducted in the Cayman Islands using AGRRA protocol 2.2 and are included in the Atoll Research Bulletin, No. 496, Status of Coral Reefs in the Western Atlantic, published 2003.
STATUS OF CORAL REEFS OF LITTLE CAYMAN, GRAND CAYMAN AND CAYMAN BRAC
As we continue to work with our partners on reef assessments we will update the website accordingly.
If you require more information please contact us at info@agrra.org.