Wildlife Interaction Zone Regs

For 10 years we have tried the route of self regulation and it is now abundantly clear that in the absence of legislation there is little that can be done to properly regulate activities at this and other similar locations.

—Hon. Charles Clifford, Minister of Environment

Press Statement by the Hon. Minister Tourism, Environment Investment and Commerce

on Wildlife Interaction Zone Regulations

I am sure that many of you are aware that in December of last year, the Legislative Assembly passed amendments to the Marine Conservation Law in order to provide a framework for the regulation of watersports activities involving the interaction of divers and snorkellers with marine life. The matter of instituting better controls on these types of activities, particularly at the popular Sandbar and Stingray City locations, has been under consideration for a number of years by a stakeholder group comprising representatives from the Watersports industry, the Marine Conservation Board, the Land and Sea Cooperative and the Department of Environment. This group formulated recommendations to better manage activities at the Sandbar and Stingray City sites which were incorporated into Regulations and I am pleased to announce that these regulations were approved by Cabinet on 13th March. I would like to stress, that prior to taking these regulations to Cabinet, consultations were also held with members of the Opposition and several amendments were made based on their input, including the fee structure.

As you all know, Stingray City and the Sandbar are two of our most visited tourism attractions and it is critical that we manage these areas in a way that ensures their viability in the long-term. With this goal in mind, the Regulations which designate these two areas as Wildlife Interaction Zones under the Marine Parks Regulations address three main areas - (i) protection of the rays through controlling the way that people interact with them, (ii) protection of the reefs and natural environment in and around the designated zones and (iii) the licensing of tourist boats entering the areas.

Among other things, the regulations prohibit the removal of a stingray or any other marine life from the water and prohibit fishing or the taking of any form of marine life by any means in these zones. In addition, the amount and type of food fed to the rays will be regulated. The anchoring of vessels within the designated zones in water shallower than three feet and such that any part of the vessel's anchor is closer than twenty feet to any reef structure is also prohibited. Specifically as a human safety measure, Scuba diving is prohibited in the shallow waters of the Sand Bar site unless special permission is obtained from the Marine Conservation Board; Scuba diving will be allowed to continue as normal at the deep Stingray City site and in areas outside the designated shallow area in the Sand Bar zone.

All tourist boats entering designated Wildlife Interaction Zones will be required to have a licence granted by the Marine Conservation Board. Licences will be valid for three years and licence fees have been set at $300 (or $100 per year) for vessels under 50' in length and $600 (or $200 per year) for vessels 50" or more in length. The regulations provide for the conditions applied to such a licence to include prohibiting or restricting the use of the boat for tourist activities in the zones at specified times or in specified circumstances; regulating the number of passengers that may be carried to any specified area; regulating the mooring or anchoring of the boat and the operation of any of its features within the zones; and requiring the boat to be marked or to display visible evidence that it is licensed to be in the zone. The regulations also prohibit the feeding of marine life in areas of Cayman Waters other than those areas designated as Wildlife Interaction Zones. In general terms, the regulations have been drafted so as to provide some flexibility to the Marine Conservation Board in the setting of certain licence conditions. This is so that the management regime can be responsive and easily adapted as the situation changes at the Sandbar and Stingray City sites where the Department of Environment will be monitoring the situation closely.

The Government has had representation from a cross-section of stakeholders, including visitors to our islands, articulating concerns related to the welfare of rays, the health of the environment and the degradation in the quality of the experience at the Sandbar and Stingray City sites in particular. For 10 years we have tried the route of self regulation and it is now abundantly clear that in the absence of legislation there is little that can be done to properly regulate activities at this and other similar locations. Given the importance of these two areas to our tourism product I am satisfied that, not only are these Regulations warranted, but they are also absolutely necessary.

Finally, despite the extensive public consultation on this matter there will inevitably be some people who will disagree with the new regulations. To those individuals I say we only need be reminded of the criticism that was brought to bear many years ago when Marine Parks were first introduced in this country. Today the people who were perhaps the most vocal critics of the Marine Parks back then will readily admit that had we not taken that stance then we probably wouldn't have any conch or lobster to fish today.

Suffice it to say that the government of the day must do what it has to do to ensure that we have these primary attractions for generations to come.

The Marine Conservation (Marine Parks) (Amendment) Regulations, 2007

These Regulations, approved by Cabinet on 13 March, will better manage activities at the Sandbar and Stingray City.