Seal Island is an islet off the northwest coast of

Anguilla Anguilla is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. It is one of the most northerly of the Leeward Islands in the Lesser Antilles, lying east of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and directly north of Sa ...

. Coral reefs separate it from the mainland, with the reef system itself being designated as a

marine park A marine park is a designated park consisting of an area of sea (or lake) set aside to achieve ecological sustainability, promote marine awareness and understanding, enable marine recreational activities, and provide benefits for Indigenous peo ...

. Multiple species of marine life lie in the reefs, which include species of turtle,

reef fish Coral reef fish are fish which live amongst or in close relation to coral reefs. Coral reefs form complex ecosystems with tremendous biodiversity. Among the myriad inhabitants, the fish stand out as colourful and interesting to watch. Hundreds ...

, and '' panulirus guttatus'' often being fished for. The reef has received some damage due to factors such as fishing impacts though the island itself still attracts tourists due to its location for snorkeling and scuba diving.

Geography and status

Seal Island is an islet of

off its northwest coast. Around eight kilometres of reef separates Seal Island with the mainland. Along with

Dog The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the gray wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it was selectively bred from a population of wolves during the Late Pleistocene by hunter-gatherers. ...

, Scrub, Little Scrub,

Prickly Pear Cays The Prickly Pear Cays, sometimes spelt as Prickley Pear Cays, are a small pair of uninhabited islands about six miles from Road Bay, Anguilla, in the Leeward Islands of the Caribbean. They are divided by a narrow boat channel between Prickly Pear ...

, and Sombrero islets, Seal Island is located on the drowned Anguilla Bank. Described as having an "eel shape", it is located two kilometres to the east of the

, and lies at the centre of the Seal Island Reef System Marine Park. The island itself is sparsely vegetated. With the Prickly Pear Cays, the Seal Island Reefs were designated as a

by the Department of Fisheries and Marine Resources. The reef has degraded over multiple decades due to hurricane damage, fishing, and coral diseases. Due to this, restrictions on

anchor An anchor is a device, normally made of metal, used to secure a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the craft from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ', which itself comes from the Greek (). Anch ...

ing and

spearfishing Spearfishing is fishing using handheld elongated, sharp-pointed tools such as a spear, gig, or harpoon, to impale the fish in the body. It was one of the earliest fishing techniques used by mankind, and has been deployed in artisanal fishi ...

have been put in place.

Fauna

Species such as endangered sea turtles, which include the

hawksbill sea turtle The hawksbill sea turtle (''Eretmochelys imbricata'') is a critically endangered sea turtle belonging to the family Cheloniidae. It is the only extant species in the genus ''Eretmochelys''. The species has a global distribution that is largel ...

and

green sea turtle The green sea turtle (''Chelonia mydas''), also known as the green turtle, black (sea) turtle or Pacific green turtle, is a species of large sea turtle of the family Cheloniidae. It is the only species in the genus ''Chelonia''. Its range exte ...

, can be found on the Prickly Pear & Seal Island Reef. Panulirus guttatus can also be found in the Seal Island reef system, often being fished for. The reef itself houses hard and soft coral, with multiple types of

Tourism

The island is a popular destination for scuba divers and snorkelers due to it lying on the Seal Island Reef System Marine Park. Though it is a popular destination, the island itself is hard to access due to the reef that stretches from the island to mainland Anguilla.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * * {{refend Tourist attractions in Anguilla Uninhabited islands of Anguilla