1
00:00:01,701 --> 00:00:07,674
In the shallow, turquoise clear waters of 
Grand Cayman s North Sound, dozens of wild

2
00:00:07,774 --> 00:00:12,278
southern stingrays glide effortlessly through 
the sea.

3
00:00:12,379 --> 00:00:19,019
These southern rays are very, very important 
to the Cayman Islands from an ecotourism perspective.

4
00:00:19,119 --> 00:00:23,523
Tourists from all over the world come to the 
site to interact with the animals.

5
00:00:23,623 --> 00:00:27,327
You don t get that experience anywhere else 
in the world.

6
00:00:27,427 --> 00:00:30,397
It s the number one water sports attraction 
on the island.

7
00:00:30,497 --> 00:00:41,074
It s a hundred foot vis, it s generally 
calm and the animals are very conditioned.

8
00:00:41,174 --> 00:00:46,880
Thousands of people each year visit the iconic 
stingrays of Grand Cayman, and for more than

9
00:00:46,980 --> 00:00:51,151
a decade, researchers have been studying the 
animals.

10
00:00:51,251 --> 00:00:57,891
Among other things, they want to find out 
what impact human interaction might have on the fish.

11
00:00:57,991 --> 00:01:03,830
From boat fuel, sunscreen, people eliminating 
in the water, all of the different types of

12
00:01:03,930 --> 00:01:08,301
things that they re exposed to at the sandbar 
in really high concentrations could certainly

13
00:01:08,401 --> 00:01:10,970
be very detrimental to them long term.

14
00:01:11,071 --> 00:01:16,142
Because the numbers of people that are visiting 
the sandbar just grow and grow every year.

15
00:01:16,242 --> 00:01:19,546
The animals have a wretched time when there s 
too many people there.

16
00:01:19,646 --> 00:01:23,650
They become very flighty, they keep moving 
all the time, they stay on the perimeter of

17
00:01:23,750 --> 00:01:25,819
the sandbar and don't interact.

18
00:01:25,919 --> 00:01:29,756
So it s a double edged sword - how much 
is too much?

19
00:01:29,856 --> 00:01:32,092
This is our national treasure.

20
00:01:32,192 --> 00:01:33,326
Why not enjoy it, you know?

21
00:01:33,426 --> 00:01:36,463
But don t abuse it.

22
00:01:36,563 --> 00:01:39,933
Our concern is first and foremost the welfare 
of the rays.

23
00:01:40,033 --> 00:01:44,571
Secondarily, obviously very importantly the 
experience of the visitors to our islands,

24
00:01:44,671 --> 00:01:49,375
and we probably have a million people a year 
who visit the stingray.

25
00:01:49,476 --> 00:01:53,413
So, it is clearly something that is extremely 
important to us, but it is equally important

26
00:01:53,513 --> 00:01:57,513
that we get the balance right.