No Spear Guns for Grouper

(CNS): In an effort to further protect the Cayman Islands’ propulation of Nassau Grouper, the use of spear guns to catch Nassau Groupers has been banned. The Marine Conservation Board announced on 20 August that this prohibition has been added to the Marine Conservation Directives and is immediately effective.

The board said that spear gun definitions include mechanical or pneumatic types of Hawaiian sling pole spears; stick spears; harpoons; rods or any devices with pointed ends which can impale, stab or pierce any marine life. This excludes a ‘striker’, which is a wooden pole, no shorter than 10 feet, with not more than two barb-less prongs attached to one end.