From CCMI & Little Cayman Research Centre

BIG HAPPENINGS IN LITTLE CAYMAN

CCMI may be located on a small, remote island, but our dedicated team of scientists, educators, and communicators are making BIG waves in research, advancing knowledge, and protecting coral reefs. The first half of 2025 has been action packed in many ways, and we invite you read more about what we've been up to in Little Cayman - and beyond - for a sustainable future for coral reefs!

CONTENTS

In this newsletter, we cover: 

• Research and Conservation Update
• World Ocean Day 2025 Wrap up
• Coral Fund Capital Campaign
• Education Update 
• Festival of Seas: Guest Speaker Announced!
• CCMI Giving Corner - VIP Donor Programme
• Notes from the Field Station
• CCMI Online Store
• Featured Partner: Maples Group
• Upcoming Events
• CCMI Scientific Publications

RESEARCH & CONSERVATION UPDATE

CCMI's research team has been busy completing some projects with very exciting results! After a Darwin+ funded project, Mapping Endangered Corals in Little Cayman, we recently released a booklet detailing each dive site in Little Cayman where each of these critically endangered corals can be found. Excitingly, our team found 10 colonies of pillar coral, a species of coral that has been decimated across the region, which is more than had been recorded previously!

Click HERE to view video

CCMI Research Published

CCMI’s research team has had two new papers published, the first Widespread coral bleaching and mass mortality during the 2023–2024 marine heatwave in Little Cayman, features the results of CCMI's coral reef surveys in Little Cayman following the mass bleaching event during the summer of 2023. This is one of the first publications from the region revealing the impact of this record-breaking event. 

The second publication Mesophotic reefs offer thermal refuge to the 2023 Caribbean mass bleaching event in the Cayman Islands examined how depth impacted coral bleaching over the 2023 extreme marine heatwave. Our results suggest that mesophotic coral reefs could provide thermal refuge for some coral species during periods of warmer oceans. This research is critical to our mission to further understand how we can support coral reefs to acclimatise, adapt and survive through increasing climate change associated pressures.

Read more about CCMI's other ongoing research projects including Enhancing coral resilience against climate warming, funded by Heising Simons Foundation, the Blue Carbon Offset and Biodiversity, funded by Butterfield, and Healthy Reefs in theresearch section of our website.

WORLD OCEAN DAY 2025 WRAP UP

Every year for World Ocean Day in June, CCMI organises a variety of outreach efforts to promote what is happening underwater on our coral reefs and how everyone can act for a positive future. This year, we focussed on 'Climate Change and our Ocean' as our research through the Healthy Reefs campaign has provided key information about how coral reefs are being impacted in a rapidly changing climate.

Reefs Go Live at the Camana Bay Cinema

On 6th June, CCMI held the annual in-person event for local schools, residents, and visitors to attend and watch the final broadcast of Reefs Go Live for the 2025 season on the big screen at the Camana Bay Cinema.

This episode explored the impact of the 2023 marine heatwave on Little Cayman’s reefs and the ocean’s unique ability to absorb carbon dioxide, regulate weather and planetary health and help mitigate the impacts of climate change, and how CCMI is working towards supporting this climate mitigation in the Cayman Islands.

This year, we had record attendance at the in-person event, with more than 525 students, teachers, and members of the community attending. Each guest received a bamboo toothbrush (courtesy of Whitestone Branding) as a reminder to make more sustainable choices for the future of our planet.

Other virtual dive buddies logged in for this broadcast from 37 countriesaround the world! We love that our audience stretches around the world!

We also heard from many of our stakeholders and climate warriors in Cayman with their Dear Tomorrow promises to the future of actions they commit to taking the help fight the climate crisis and save our oceans – see some of these pledges in the video (right).

If you missed any of the 2025 Reefs Go Live broadcasts, you can catch up with the recordings on our YouTube channel and find the educational support materials on our website.

Reefs Go Live is supported by the Edmund F. and Virginia B. Ball Foundation, and the in-person event at the Camana Bay Cinema was made possible by Dart. World Ocean Day outreach is supported by the Healthy Reefs sponsors: Wheaton Precious Metals, Fosters Supermarket, Cayman Islands Department of Tourism, Cayman Water, and Knighthead International.

Healthy Reefs Report Card(2024)

In honour of World Ocean Day 2025, we released our 2024 Little Cayman Healthy Reefs Report Card, which shows CCMI's first annual reef monitoring results since the 2023 mass coral bleaching event. The results were sobering, showing the biggest decrease in coral cover since our monitoring efforts began in 1998, with coral cover decreasing from 28% in 2023 to 10% in 2024.

The same substantial decline was also observed in the condition of reefs, with only 18% remaining in good condition compared to 90% in 2023.

It's clear that the 2023 coral bleaching event had significant consequences for reefs across the globe, but hope remains, especially for Little Cayman’s reefs. Little Cayman is still home to some of the healthiest reefs in the Caribbean, and on average, there is still double the amount of coral cover than reefs across the region. The high level of protection, remote nature of Little Cayman and the healthy fish populations (that only improved in 2024!) are positive signs that Little Cayman will recover well after this event and remain a beacon of hope throughout the Caribbean.

Our team is excited to begin the 2025 monitoring this summer and see how the reefs are beginning to recover. Look for more updates coming soon. 

Reef Lecture: The Fragile Reproduction of Coral Life in a Changing Ocean

Visiting post-doctoral researcher Dr Jessica Bleuel gave a Reef Lecture in Grand Cayman on how rising ocean temperatures impact coral reproduction. She highlighted how these reproductive cycles, finely tuned over millennia, are now at risk due to the growing impacts of climate change, ocean acidification, and coastal development. We were excited to see 26 attendees at this event, eager to learn about this unique topic from Dr Jessica.

This lecture was recorded and will be available for viewing on our YouTube channel later in July.

CORAL FUND CAPITAL CAMPAIGN

See the latest Coral Fund updates & donate

You can help protect coral reefs

With less than a year to go until we break ground on the new marine science and education facility in Little Cayman, we've launched a new campaign that highlights the importance and the urgency of supporting CCMI - with the help of a few ocean friends!

You may see our new octopus and seahorse banners at the airport - in the arrivals hall and in the departure lounge, at a community event, or even in a new brochure in your hotel or condo!

Through this campaign we aim to educate about the value of coral reefs and inspire visitors to the Cayman Islands to act now by supporting CCMI. This will help us reach our fundraising goal of US $1 million (by the end of 2026) to complete Phase 1 of the new construction. On completion, the new facility will double our capacity for research and education, increasing our impact for coral reefs.

Help us spread the word and encourage others to join in the effort to protect our reefs!

If you or your company would like to know more about supporting the Coral Fund or if you would like to donate via bank transfer or through a Donor Advised Fund, contact us today!

EDUCATION UPDATE

Book your child's space

*excludes flights and DAN insurance for scuba divers; deposit of US $500 is required at the time of booking to secure placement in the programme.

Five scholarships available for Caymanian students to attend a session!

CCMI & Little Cayman Research Centre <info@reefresearch.ccsend.com