Ellen Cay

Belize, Belize

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Ellen Cay is the former name of what is now known as Carrie Bow Cay, a tiny one-acre island located on Belize's Outer Barrier Platform off the coast of Belize in the Caribbean Sea.

The island was called Ellen Cay until 1944, when it was renamed Carrie Bow Cay. Despite its small size, this island has served as an important living laboratory for over 50 years, supporting the research work of hundreds of scientists from around the world who study the nearly pristine reef and mangrove habitats of the coastal Caribbean.

The island and its research laboratory have had a monumental impact on coastal marine research, particularly in studying the barrier reef system, which is the largest continuous reef system in the Western Hemisphere extending more than 150 miles.

During the 1970s, Smithsonian scientists built a premier research laboratory on the island together with the Bowman family, who owned the island after William Alexander Jex Bowman, a citrus pioneer from Stann Creek, purchased it. The surrounding cay system includes other islands like Ellen's Caye (also called Bird Caye), which is known for its birds and sea turtle nesting.