Minister for Environment and Sustainability Katherine Ebanks-Wilks appeared on the Talk Today radio show on 16 July, 2025 to further explain Government’s intention to draft regulations banning non-Caymanians from the ability to legally take fish in the Cayman Islands.
“Residents as a whole are just concerned that there is too much take,” said Ebanks-Wilks.
This is not the first time the government has moved to restrict or require licences for non-Caymanians taking marine life in Cayman waters, but implementing and enforcing a ban has proved challenging in the past.
In 2003, a revision to The Marine Conservation Law made it an offence for anyone on a work permit or who didn’t possess Caymanian Status to take fish without a monthly or annual licence issued by the Marine Conservation Board. A 2007 revision to The Marine Conservation Law saw the licensing requirement for non-Caymanians remain, with a cost of $150 per month or $400 per year.
However, in a 2010 court case, in which four people were accused of fishing without a licence, then Chief Magistrate Margaret Ramsay-Hale – now Cayman’s chief justice – expressed concern that a law applicable to only one section of the population was discriminatory, and potentially in breach of Cayman’s Constitution, which came into effect in 2009 and could also be considered to conflict with the Bill of Rights that at the time was due to come into effect in 2012.
The licencing provision was later repealed with the passing of the National Conservation Act in 2013.
More recently in December 2024 Bernie Bush, elected member for West Bay North and Christopher Saunders, MP Elected Member for Bodden Town West brought a motion to Parliament seeking to require all work permit holders in the Cayman Islands to obtain a license to fish in the Cayman Islands.
Deputy leader of the opposition, Kenneth Bryan said on the ‘For the Record’ show earlier on 16 July that the previous government also intended to move forward with restrictions on foreign workers taking marine life from Cayman waters.
He said that when they tried to implement the change, Attorney General Samuel Bulgin advised them not to proceed, because of concerns the law could be discriminatory and contrary to the constitution.
Ebanks-Wilks when she appeared on government radio on 16 July said the Government would seek input from the public and key stakeholders before making decisions about how the fishing restrictions and licensing regime would be structured and implemented.
“We are looking at protecting our natural heritage and marine environment, which is essential to our culture, to our identity and to our economy, so this policy is really about long-term sustainability, by ensuring that our marine life remains healthy for future generations of Caymanians.”
Last year, when there were similar discussions about fishing restrictions for non-Caymanians, John Bothwell, manager of the legislation, implementation and coordination unit at the Department of Environment, said the department and ministry did develop an issues paper for a licensing regime that was submitted to Cabinet for consideration.
At the time he said, “Cabinet feedback and direction was taken, updates were discussed and submitted to the ministry, but the matter did not make it back to Cabinet.”
“It is important to note that significant parts of the ideas contained in the draft proposal relied upon other agencies for effective implementation,” Bothwell said.
“Anything relating to a licensing regime or system will, of course, first require discussion and consideration by the next government.”
The Department of Environment has previously stated that enforcing a fishing licence only for expatriates would be a hard and potentially costly proposition.
The department’s deputy director, Tim Austin, said at the time, “There are solutions, but it comes down to money and enforcement … and it is very, very difficult to determine who is a Caymanian.”
As a possible solution, Austin suggested that Caymanians should be issued with a free licence for fishing.
