Unite with the John Gray Recyclers to Preserve our World's Environment

Unite with the John Gray Recyclers and Protect our World's Coral Reefs from Destructon!

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Visit Our Online Journal - find out more about important environmental news as it happens!
Find out how you can help the Grand Cayman Blue Iguana - the earth's most endangered lizard
2008 - Earth Day School Clean up
The Demise of Coral Reefs - by John Gray Recycler Katherine Whitehead
Visit the John Gray Recyclers' Organization Website - Join to Preserve the World's Environment
Dive In and Unite with the John Gray Recyclers to Preserve our Heritage
Plastic Six Pack Holder Recycle with the John Gray Recyclers - 2006 - 2007
Earth Day - 2007 - Joint School Clean Ups - Cayman Islands
Earth Day 2007 - John Gray Recyclers Earth Day Sale
Coral Reef/Mangrove Preservation at Barkers' National Park - 2006
John Gray Recyclers Fiji, YasawaIRara Preservation of Culture, Flora & Fauna Project
John Gray Recyclers Seacology Micronesia - Preservation of Culture & Coral Reef Protection Project
John Gray Recyclers' Grand Cayman Seacology Park Project
John Gray Recyclers' Seacology Fiji Naikorokoro Project
Cayman Islands' Marine Parks Rules
Summary of Cayman Islands Marine Conservation Laws
Cayman Islands Recycling Information
John Gray Recyclers HiCone Plastic Six Pack Recycling
Plastic Recycle with the John Gray Recyclers 2005/6
Lighthouse School joins Hi-Cone Recycling Programme with JGR
John Gray Recyclers Act to Preserve Grand Cayman endangered Turtles and Blue Iguanas - 2004
Recycling Sites a Must to Visit - Reduce, Reuse, Recover, Recycle
Environmental Sites a Must to Visit - Unite with JGR to preserve our World's Oceans/Seas
John Gray Recyclers' Grand Cayman Seacology Park Project - Before the wrath of Ivan
John Gray Recyclers' Grand Cayman Seacology Park Project - After the wrath of Ivan
Celebrate World Ocean Day with the John Gray Recyclers
Celebrate World Environment Day with the John Gray Recyclers
Celebrate Dive In to Earth Day with the John Gray Recyclers - 2003 - 2006
John Gray Recyclers help fund Stephen Jared Youth Centre
John Gray Recyclers find that Pollution is destroying our World's Coral Reefs!
Marine Circulation of Garbage is destroying our World's Environment
Cayman Islands' Seacology Representative Jeremy Forbes talks on the 'Life and Strife of Coral Reefs'
Enjoy/Don't Destroy (Young Children's page)
Follow the Coral Code/Don't Spoil with Oil
Unite with the John Gray Recyclers and Protect our World's Coral Reefs from Destructon!
Turtle tracking of Cayman Islands' turtles
The Cayman Turtle Farm
John Gray Recyclers' Pledge to Protect our Grand Cayman Blue Iguanas - 2004
John Gray Recyclers in the News - 2006
John Gray Recyclers in the News - 2004/2005
Oil Recycle with the John Gray Recyclers
Paper/Can Recycle with the John Gray Recyclers
Telephone Book Recycling with the John Gray Recyclers - 2002/3
Pirates Week Float Parade - 2003 - John Gray Recyclers act to Preserve Cayman Islands' Heritage
John Gray Recyclers - 2003 Cayman Islands Heritage Float - Page 2
CCMI Summer Camp, Little Cayman
School environmental activities
About our Recycling/Environmental Club
JGR Past Activities/Photos - 2
JGR Past Activities/Photos - 1
Protect our environment with us today!
Children of the World unite to preserve our Natural Heritage and Culture

 We must protect our coral reefs!

click here to listen to music from the film "Flipper"

Fish

Please complete our Survey at the bottom of the page and send your replies to us by email.

Turtle

April to October is the marine turtles' nesting season
During the turtle nesting season make sure lights don't disturb nesting turtles or disorient hatchlings and prevent them from reaching the sea. REMEMBER MARINE TURTLES ARE PROTECTED BY CAYMAN LAW! It is illegal to take, disturb or molest turtles between May and October. This offence carries a fine of up to $500,000 or 12 months' imprisonment. Possession of wild turtle eggs at any time is also an offence and carries the same penalty. Contact the Department of Environment on 949-8469 for more information of alternative 'turtle-friendly' lighting so that we can protect our turtles during the next breeding season.
Fish pots

Beached Caymanian Fish Pot on a North Side Beach

Fish pots/traps are used to catch fish from the world's coral reefs. This one was brought to the shore from a reef by north westerly/easterly winds in North Side, Grand Cayman, in an unrestricted marine area.

A Caymanian Fish Pot brought ashore from a coral
A Caymanian Fish pot brought ashore from a coral reef onto a North Side beach by a north easter - 3 December 2000
reef onto a North Side beach by a north easter - 3 December 2000

There is overfishing taking place all over the world and this is causing species of marine life to become extinct. You will have read in the last two pages that in the Cayman Islands we have a Marine Conservation Board to help prevent this from happening in Cayman waters. We have restricted the use of fish pots/traps to prevent depletion of fish and destruction of coral reefs.

In Bermuda, fish pots/traps were found to be damaging reef structure. In 1990 it was decided to close the $2 million pot fishing industry. The World Resources Institute says that by protecting their coral reefs in this way, Bermuda recognised the importance of its reef-based tourism and recreational industries (valued at over $9 million in 1988). By closing the pot fishing industry they were also benefitting reef biodiversity.

Kenya's reefs were being threatened by overfishing, destructive fishing practices, organic pollution, sedimentation and tourist damage. To protect these reefs from destruction it was decided to form the Mombasa Marine National Park in 1989. The World Resources Institute says that surveys have shown a major increase in finfish size, abundance and diversity, and recorded coral cover has increased from 8 per cent to 30 per cent.

The World Resources Institute (WRI) says that these reports show that there are solutions that can help assure that reefs at risk today are maintained as healthy ecosystems in the future. They say that what is needed is resources and commitment from governments around the world.

Sylvia A Earle, Explorer-in-Residence at the National Geographic Society, writes in the foreword to 'Reefs at Risk' - which is a report made by the World Resources Institute (WRI) that:

'The fate of coral reefs, the ocean, and humankind forty years from now and forevermore will depend on the intelligence, motivation, and caring of people now alive. In that spirit, this report provides hope that we may succeed.'

John Gray Recyclers Coral Reefs' Survey

There are threats to the world's coral reef ecosystems from overfishing, pollution and coastal development. Please give your views/comments by email on the following questions, so that we can unite and save these ecosystems from destruction. Coral reefs are as important as rainforests to mankind. They need to be protected now before it is too late for them and us!
1 Do you think that we should have Marine Conservation areas to protect the world's coral reefs?

2 Do you think that research into ways of saving these ecosystems is important?

3 Can you think of ways to help save the world's coral reefs from destruction?

4 Will you unite with us to try and save the world's coral ecosystems?

5 Do you think it is a good idea to have a Coral Site similar to the sites you will visit when you follow the link below?
We MUST protect our marine life from extinction!

 Fish

 We must protect our coral reefs!