The Exotic, Traditional, and Sustainable Seafood of the Cayman Islands
The Cayman Islands is one of the few places in the world where queen conch meat is both sustainable and seasonally available. Local protection of the Cayman Islands queen conch stocks means there are strict rules on when they can be harvested (roughly November to April) and how many can be taken. Only a queen conch can be kept. And then there is the green sea turtle, a staple food of the Cayman Islands throughout its history. Turtle meat attracts a lot of controversies, mostly due to many years of global overfishing and poor conservation. The Cayman Islands’ population of green sea turtles, close to extinction by the 1950s, has rebounded thanks to strict protection and captive breeding, farming, and wild release programs. Today there is a thriving population in local waters and a ready supply of sustainably bred and harvested turtle meat in Cayman Islands seafood restaurants. Being one of the few places in the world where diners can enjoy sustainable conch and turtle meat, ...