The IUCN has recognised three stretches of Cayman reef as Important Shark and Ray Areas. The Department of Environment (DoE) announced the designations in a statement on 20 October 2026, after the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Shark Specialist Group published its North American and Caribbean Atlantic e-Atlas.

The three sites are Queen's Highway on the northeast coast of Grand Cayman, Gun Bay on the southeast coast of Grand Cayman and Bloody Bay on the north coast of Little Cayman. Together they cover 1.58 square kilometres of water from the surface to a depth of 30 metres, according to the IUCN factsheets published for each site. The recognition rests on 57,365 dives logged by volunteer divers and dive operators between 2017 and 2025 through the DoE's Sharklogger Network.

The designation changes nothing in law. The DoE said in its 20 October statement: "ISRA designation does not create new legal protections. It provides an internationally recognised scientific framework that can inform marine spatial planning, conservation measures, policy development, and future research priorities." Sharks have been protected in Cayman waters under the National Conservation Act since 2015, according to the DoE's shark protection page, which states that it is illegal to harm, possess or kill a shark in coastal or offshore waters. All three sites qualified for the Endangered Caribbean reef shark, a species the IUCN Red List assessed as threatened with extinction in 2021.

What the divers recorded

Gun Bay is the busiest of the three. Caribbean reef sharks were seen on 42.3% of the 4,354 dives logged there, with sightings peaking in July and August and up to 15 sharks seen on a single dive, the Gun Bay factsheet states. Divers reported seven visibly pregnant females and two sharks with mating scars, which the factsheet says suggests the area "may be important for reproduction". The site covers 0.38 square kilometres.

At Queen's Highway, sharks were seen on 37.4% of 3,027 logged dives, with up to five on a single dive, according to that site's factsheet. Of 491 sharks whose sex was recorded, 91.6% were male. The site covers 0.41 square kilometres.

Bloody Bay, the largest at 0.79 square kilometres, had the lowest sighting rate, 14.3% of 4,951 logged dives, but the widest range of ages. Divers estimated sharks from 60 centimetres to 294 centimetres in length, and recorded a newborn in January 2020 and a shark in its first year in June 2025, the Bloody Bay factsheet states. The factsheet records that the site overlaps the Bloody Bay Marine Park. The Gun Bay and Queen's Highway factsheets do not mention a marine park.

Each factsheet maps a dashed line around the site as a "suggested buffer for use in the development of appropriate place-based conservation measures". Each also describes its site as one of only three areas in the Cayman Islands where shark aggregations have been regularly recorded, and states that further information is needed to understand what the sharks are doing there.

Who paid and who did the work

The Sharklogger Network was launched in 2016 by Dr Johanna Kohler, now Manager of the DoE's Shark Research and Conservation Programme, with Marine Conservation International and funding from the UK Government's Darwin Plus scheme, the DoE said. Divers and dive operators submit their dive details year-round. Anne Veeder, the DoE Research Officer who coordinates the network, Dr Kohler and Jeremy Olynik, the DoE's Senior Geographical Information Systems Officer, prepared the nomination with Asia O. Armstrong of the IUCN Shark Specialist Group's ISRA project, according to the factsheets.

Dr Johanna Kohler, Manager of the Shark Research and Conservation Programme, said in the 20 October statement: "It's incredible to have Cayman's unique habitat recognised on such a global scale." Anne Veeder, Research Officer, said in the same statement: "Many local divers and dive operators have contributed directly to DoE Shark Research through The Sharklogger Network, and this achievement reflects the commitment of our dive community over many years."

The IUCN assessment was funded by the Shark Conservation Fund, a project of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, according to the factsheets. The DoE's shark programme is supported by the Cayman Islands Brewery through donations from sales of White Tip Lager, the DoE said. The 20 October statement does not say what the Sharklogger Network or the nomination cost the department.

Where Cayman sits in the region

The three Cayman sites are among 191 Important Shark and Ray Areas and 39 Areas of Interest identified across the North American and Caribbean Atlantic region, with 393 contributors and experts taking part in the assessment, the DoE said. The IUCN Shark Specialist Group began the ISRA project in 2022 to identify and map habitats that sharks, rays and chimaeras need to survive. The group will revisit the region in 10 years' time to reassess it and add further ISRAs, the DoE said.