The Tribune

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

DREDGING of Freeport’s Fortune Bay canal system has been delayed due to the need to protect coral ecosystems from harm.

Lucaya Service Company (LUSCO), a subsidiary of The Grand Bahama Development Company (DEVCO), in a statement acknowledged that boaters would be frustrated by the dredging mobilisation delay and apologised to boaters.

“While we regret the delay to the commencement of the works, it was necessary to do so in order to conduct a marine survey within the canal system after a local resident identified a number of coral deposits within the canal system,” said Charisse Brown, chief executive and senior legal counsel for LUSCO.

Phoenix Engineering Group, LUSCO’s project manager and local engineer of record for the project, has hired Coral Vita and its team of scientists to assist with the assessments. Coral Vita specialises in the management of ecosystems that sustain coastal communities and help to protect against climate disasters such as hurricanes, storm surges and widespread erosion.

The team conducted marine surveys in the canal using a three-zone approach. The assessment of the current marine conditions helped to determine necessary mitigation measures prior to the start of maintenance dredging.

Coral deposits were discovered at the entrance channel, with the majority located on the canal walls. To ensure preservation of the marine ecosystem’s health and resiliency, the team submitted a follow-up report to LUSCO which included strategies for the protection of the healthy coral.

Sam Teicher, co-founder and chief reef officer for Coral Vita, said the company appreciates the pressing need to reopen the Fortune Bay Canal, but added that this must be balanced against the alarming rate of coral death in The Bahamas.

“Upon completing requested surveys, we encountered a considerable number of corals, which exhibit surprisingly resilient characteristics given their ability to survive and thrive in considerably warmer and more turbid conditions than corals on the reef,” he said.

“These may represent important populations required to keep Bahamian reefs healthy into the future against the dire threats they face, and so it is critically important that at least an advisable subset of these corals be protected before dredging commences.”

Ms Brown said: “We had initially anticipated the completion of the project in the final quarter of this year. However, we take seriously our environmental obligations and stewardship, and we have taken the decision to pause the start of the dredging works to resolve this issue in consultation with the Grand Bahama Port Authority’s (GBPA) environmental department.

“As a result, LUSCO is engaging Coral Vita to ensure the protection of a portion of the healthy coral. Maintenance dredging with contractor, A & D Gaitor’s Equipment Rock and Sand, will now commence in the first quarter of 2023. We will continue to work closely with all stakeholders involved to deliver a solution that serves local homeowners and boaters whilst also helping to preserve our marine environment.”