Is feeding fish in Cayman illegal?
Where you can and can't feed fish in the Cayman Islands, from Seven Mile Beach to Stingray City, what the law says, and why it matters after this year's fish bites.
The short answer
- Yes, feeding fish is illegal almost everywhere in Cayman waters. The law bans feeding or touching any marine life outside three Wildlife Interaction Zones.
- Seven Mile Beach, every other beach, dock and snorkel site: no feeding.
- Stingray City and the Sandbar: anyone may feed the rays, with squid or ballyhoo only.
- Starfish Point: the rules there are about touching, not feeding. You may hold a starfish gently under water, but never lift it out.
- Sharks: never, anywhere. Feeding a shark is a specific offence with a maximum CI$500,000 fine, four years in prison, or both.
- Why it matters now: after two visitors were bitten south of Governor's Beach on 16 October 2026, the government warned that feeding fish attracts predatory fish and teaches them to link people with food.
Where you can and can't feed fish
| Where | Feeding allowed? | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Seven Mile Beach And every other beach, shore and dock | No | Outside every Wildlife Interaction Zone |
| Reefs and snorkel sites Including marine parks | No | Outside every Wildlife Interaction Zone |
| Stingray City The deep site, North Sound | Yes, stingrays only | Squid or ballyhoo; handling rules apply |
| The Sandbar North Sound | Yes, stingrays only | Squid or ballyhoo; handling rules apply |
| Starfish Point Water Cay, North Side | Touching rules only | Hold starfish gently, fully under water |
| Sharks, anywhere | Never | Section 34(f) of the National Conservation Act |
What the law says
The rule is in the National Conservation (Marine Parks) Regulations, 2021. Regulation 2 defines "wildlife interaction" as touching or feeding marine life, or trying to. Regulation 7(4) then says no one may "engage in wildlife interaction with any specimen in Cayman waters outside of a wildlife interaction zone".
"Specimen" is defined in the National Conservation Act, 2013 as any animal or plant, live or dead. So the ban covers every fish, not just protected species, and it applies in all Cayman waters, whether or not you're inside a marine park.
There are two exceptions: lawful fishing, and activity carried out under a permit, order, guidance notes or Directives from the National Conservation Council.
The Council's stingray guidance puts it plainly: the zones were set up to manage interaction with wildlife, particularly the stingrays, "as such interactions are not allowed anywhere else in Cayman waters."
Why feeding fish is a problem
On 16 October 2026, two visitors were taken to hospital with cuts to their hands and fingers after a fish bite south of Governor's Beach. The type of fish wasn't confirmed. In its statement, the government said "fish feeding is not permitted anywhere along beaches as this can attract predatory fish and encourage them to associate people with food."
It also explained how bites happen: barracuda follow schools of smaller fish into the shallows, closer to people, and can mistake shiny objects such as rings and watches for the flash of a fish. Its advice is to leave jewellery and anything shiny out of the water.
The same thing happened with sharks. In November 2024, the Department of Environment warned that sharks had started to associate scuba divers with food after divers fed them culled lionfish.
Stingray City and the Sandbar
These are two of Cayman's three Wildlife Interaction Zones, both in Grand Cayman's North Sound. Inside them, regulation 7(2)(a) says "a person" may feed and touch wildlife in line with the Council's guidance. That means anyone, not only tour crews.
- Food: the Department of Environment says the rays may only be fed squid and ballyhoo. Any other kind of fish attracts sharks and is not allowed. If a shark shows up, stop feeding and take the food out of the water.
- No selling food on the water: no one may sell fish food from a boat inside the zones.
- Tour boats need a permit: a boat carrying paying passengers needs a Council permit to enter. Private boaters don't.
- No shoes in water shallower than four feet. Flippers are fine when snorkelling in deeper water.
How to handle the rays
The Council's stingray guidance applies to everyone in the zones, private or commercial.
- Allowed: cradling a ray flat in the water on your forearms without gripping it; stroking or rubbing its wings; letting just the nose rise above the water for a "kiss", with the eyes, spiracles and mouth kept under.
- Treated as harming a protected animal: lifting a ray so its eyes, spiracles, mouth or gills leave the water; bending any part of it; gripping its fins to hold it still; touching the ridge down the middle of its back or belly; and the "back slap" or "back massage", which is no longer allowed.
Use reef-safe sunscreen (non-nano zinc oxide or titanium dioxide) and put it on well before you get in.
Starfish Point
The third Wildlife Interaction Zone is Water Cay, the area around Starfish Point in North Side. The rules here are about touching the starfish.
- Allowed, at Starfish Point only: holding a red cushion sea star flat in your hands while it stays fully under water, and turning it over to see its feet.
- An offence anywhere in Cayman: lifting any part of a starfish out of the water, bending it or its arms, holding it by its feet, or breaking or piercing its skin.
Starfish, sea urchins, sea cucumbers and sand dollars are protected and may never be taken from Cayman waters. The Council's advice is that looking without touching is always best.
Sharks and lionfish
Feeding sharks is banned everywhere in Cayman waters. Section 34(f) of the National Conservation Act makes it an offence to feed a shark, try to, or provide or use food to attract one. The Department of Environment says it treats incidental feeding, such as throwing fish guts off a boat, differently from hand feeding, where a shark learns to link a person with food.
Lionfish cullers: the Department of Environment says culled lionfish should never be fed to sharks, barracuda or moray eels.
Penalties
The National Conservation Act sets a maximum penalty of a CI$500,000 fine, four years in prison, or both for offences that don't carry a penalty of their own. That covers feeding sharks and harming a protected animal such as a stingray or starfish. The Marine Parks Regulations don't state a separate penalty for feeding other fish.
Tour operators who break the stingray rules can also have their Wildlife Interaction Zone permit suspended or revoked.
How to report it
To report someone feeding fish or mishandling stingrays or starfish, call the Department of Environment on 916-4271 or email DoE@gov.ky. A clear photo or video helps, with the date, time and place, and the name of any boat or company involved. In an emergency, call 911.
Questions people ask
Is it illegal to feed fish in the Cayman Islands?
Yes, almost everywhere. The National Conservation (Marine Parks) Regulations, 2021 ban feeding or touching any marine life in Cayman waters outside the three Wildlife Interaction Zones: Stingray City, the Sandbar and Water Cay in Grand Cayman's North Sound. The only other exceptions are lawful fishing and activity the National Conservation Council has authorised.
Can I feed the fish on Seven Mile Beach?
No. Seven Mile Beach is outside every Wildlife Interaction Zone, so feeding fish there is not allowed. After two visitors were bitten south of Governor's Beach on 16 October 2026, the government said fish feeding is not permitted anywhere along beaches because it can attract predatory fish and teach them to associate people with food.
Can you feed the stingrays at Stingray City?
Yes. Stingray City and the Sandbar are Wildlife Interaction Zones, where the regulations allow any person to feed and touch the rays under the Council's guidance. The Department of Environment says the rays may only be fed squid and ballyhoo, and that no other kinds of fish may be used because they attract sharks. Selling fish food from a boat inside the zones is not allowed.
Can you touch the starfish at Starfish Point?
Gently, and only under water. The Council's starfish guidance lets you hold a red cushion sea star flat in your hands while it stays fully submerged, and turn it over to see its feet, at Starfish Point only. Lifting any part of it out of the water, bending it or holding it by its feet counts as taking a protected animal, which is an offence anywhere in Cayman.
Is it illegal to feed sharks in Cayman?
Yes, everywhere in Cayman waters. Section 34(f) of the National Conservation Act makes it an offence to feed a shark, try to, or use food to attract one. The Department of Environment also says culled lionfish should never be fed to sharks, barracuda or moray eels.
What is the penalty for feeding fish in Cayman?
The National Conservation Act sets a maximum of a CI$500,000 fine, four years in prison, or both, for offences that don't carry their own penalty, such as feeding sharks or harming a protected stingray. The Marine Parks Regulations don't state a separate penalty for feeding other fish.
Methodology and sources
Built from the law itself and the government's own guidance: the National Conservation (Marine Parks) Regulations, 2021 (SL 19 of 2021; regulations 2 and 7, Schedule 3) and the National Conservation Act, 2013 (Act 24 of 2013; sections 2, 34 and 38), both checked on 19 October 2026; the National Conservation Council's stingray handling guidance (reissued October 2022) and starfish handling guidance (December 2022); the Department of Environment's shark feeding advisory (November 2024); and the government's statement on the 16 October 2026 fish bite. Rules change, so check with the Department of Environment if in doubt. Spotted something out of date? Email info@daily.ky. Last updated: 18 October 2026.