Oracabessa Bay Fish Sanctuary

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Oracabessa Bay Fish Sanctuary
Oracabessa Bay Fish Sanctuary is located in Jamaica
Oracabessa Bay Fish Sanctuary
Oracabessa Bay Fish Sanctuary
LocationOracabessa, Jamaica
Coordinates18°24′12″N 76°56′48″W / 18.403214°N 76.94659°W / 18.403214; -76.94659

The Oracabessa Bay Fish Sanctuary was established in 2010 to protect

mangroves and beaches including James Bond Beach. The Golden Clouds reef is one of the largest in Oracabessa Bay and is a popular dive destination due to its diverse reef structure, vibrant marine life and close proximity to the Cayman Trough
.

Sea Turtle in Oracabessa Bay Fish Sanctuary

Oracabessa has a long history as a Jamaican fishing village, with Oracabessa Bay at the heart of this activity. Oracabessa Bay comprises a rich ecosystem, home to a variety of habitats including coral reefs and mangroves with plentiful

estuarine areas providing nursery habitat for a wide range of marine life. Concerned for the bay's long-term health, a local group called the Oracabessa Foundation succeeded in getting the bay declared an officially protected fish sanctuary.[5]

The northern boundary of the Oracabessa Bay Fish Sanctuary is located on the edge of the Cayman Trough with walls that begin at 60 ft. and drop down to over 150 ft. These walls are covered in a large variety of hard and soft

moray eels, and a host of other marine creatures. Beyond the boundaries of the Fish Sanctuary, the Cayman Trough plunges to depths of over 25,000 ft and is renowned for deep-water sport fishing including marlin and tuna.[6]

In 2010, the Fish Sanctuary launched the Oracabessa Bay Sea Turtle Project, which monitors and protects critically endangered

wardens carefully releases the nest, visitors witness the hatchlings dash for the sea and the number of turtles surviving is greatly increased with predators such as birds and crabs prevented from attacking the hatchlings.[7]

coral gardening. The process known as coral gardening consists of collecting coral biomass, usually by breaking off fragments, growing fragments in a nursery, and out-planting the reared corals on reefs.[8] The Coral Propagation Project is intended to not only restore the thicket of Staghorn coral to its historical state on the reefs, which increases the health of the reef and provides needed habitat for fish, it is also retraining former local fishermen as coral gardeners, and providing gainful skills and steady employment opportunities for them.[9]

References

  1. ^ Effect of Fish Sanctuary on ecosystem
  2. ^ Sanctuary Mandate Archived 2012-05-26 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ "Seacology grant". Archived from the original on 2012-02-19. Retrieved 2012-01-17.
  4. ^ GEF Grant information
  5. ^ Seacology article
  6. ^ Deepwater Fishing[permanent dead link]
  7. ^ Oracabessa Bay Sea Turtle project
  8. ^ Coral Gardening
  9. ^ Coral propagation Grant Awarded

External links