The Berry Islands are a chain of islands and a district

Districts of the Bahamas

Local government in the Bahamas exists in two forms, namely second-schedule and third-schedule district councils. There are a total of 32 local government districts: 13 second-schedule districts, which are further sub-divided into town areas, and 19 third-schedule districts, which are all unitary...

 of the Bahamas, covering about thirty square miles (78 km²) of the north western part of the Out Islands

Out Islands

The Out Islands is a name given to the islands that make up the Bahamas with the exception of New Providence Island and Grand Bahama Island. There are more than 700 islands in the archipelago that make up The Bahamas, but only 14 of the Out Islands are considered inhabited...

. The Berry islands consist of about thirty island

Island

An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...

s and over one hundred small islands or cays, often referred to as "The Fish Bowl of the Bahamas" They have a population

Population

A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...

 of only about seven hundred, most of which are on Great Harbour Cay. The islands were settled in 1836 by Governor Colebrook and a group of freed slaves

Slavery

Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...

.

Attractions

The Berry islands are still relatively undeveloped, with no major airport, hotel or other attractions. Most of the island are uninhabited, or owned by a single wealthy person as a second home. During the winter season the islands are visited by out-of-town guests and second home residents, but the difficulty of reaching the Berry Islands and the lack of infrastructure keeps things low-key. Due to seasonal residents, the Berry islands can say that they have more resident millionaires per unit area than any other place in the world.

The main attraction is big game fishing. Some of the fish that can be found there are billfish

Billfish

The term billfish is applied to a number of different large, predatory fish characterised by their large size and their long, sword-like bill. Billfish include the sailfish and marlin, which make up the family Istiophoridae, and the swordfish, sole member of the family Xiphiidae...

, tuna

Tuna

Tuna is a salt water fish from the family Scombridae, mostly in the genus Thunnus. Tuna are fast swimmers, and some species are capable of speeds of . Unlike most fish, which have white flesh, the muscle tissue of tuna ranges from pink to dark red. The red coloration derives from myoglobin, an...

, grouper

Grouper

Groupers are fish of any of a number of genera in the subfamily Epinephelinae of the family Serranidae, in the order Perciformes.Not all serranids are called groupers; the family also includes the sea basses. The common name grouper is usually given to fish in one of two large genera: Epinephelus...

, tiger fish, yellowtail snapper

Lutjanidae

Snappers are a family of perciform fish, mainly marine but with some members inhabiting estuaries, feeding in freshwater. Some are important food fish. One of the best known is the red snapper....

, wahoo

Wahoo

The wahoo is a scombrid fish found worldwide in tropical and subtropical seas. It is best known to sports fishermen, as its speed and high-quality flesh make it a prize game fish...

, king mackerel

King mackerel

The king mackerel is a migratory species of mackerel of the western Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. It is an important species to both the commercial and recreational fishing industries.-Description:...

, and many more. In May, Great Harbour Cay is packed with visitors and fishing captains such as Habana Joe who come there for the annual fishing tournament

Tournament

A tournament is a competition involving a relatively large number of competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses:...

. There are also great spots for snorkelling and scuba diving

Scuba diving

Scuba diving is a form of underwater diving in which a diver uses a scuba set to breathe underwater....

.

Islands

Great Harbour Cay is the most northern and the largest of the Berry Islands. It is eight miles (13 km) long and one and a half miles (2.4 km) wide. The largest port of the Berries is on Great Harbour Cay. Chub Cay is the second largest island in the chain and is known an "the bill fish capital of the Bahamas."

Little Stirrup Cay

Little Stirrup Cay

Little Stirrup Cay, Bahamas, is one of the Berry Islands, a collection of cays and small islands and is located approximately 55 miles north of Nassau. The island is less than a mile wide from east to west and less than a 200 yards from north to south...

 is leased by Royal Caribbean International

Royal Caribbean International

Royal Caribbean International is a Norwegian and American cruise line brand based in Miami, Florida and owned by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.. With 42 ships in service under 5 different brands and one more under construction, it controls a 25.6% share of the world cruise market...

, which calls it Coco Cay, and acts as a private island for tropical activities engaged in by visitors on its cruise ships of the Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises

Celebrity Cruises

Celebrity Cruises is a cruise line founded in 1988 by the Greek Chandris Group. In 1997, Celebrity Cruises Ltd. merged with Royal Caribbean International to become Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., which operates Celebrity, Royal Caribbean International, Azamara Club Cruises, Pullmantur Cruises and CDF...

 labels. Great Stirrup Cay

Great Stirrup Cay

Great Stirrup Cay is a small island that is part of the Berry Islands in the Bahamas. Norwegian Cruise Line purchased the island from Belcher Oil Company in 1977 and developed it into a private island for their cruise ship passengers....

 is owned by Norwegian Cruise Line

Norwegian Cruise Line

Norwegian Cruise Line is a company operating cruise ships, headquartered in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida. It began operations in 1966 under the name Norwegian Caribbean Line. The company is best known for its Freestyle Cruising concept, which means that there are no set times or...

and is used for similar purposes.