Protecting Beach Access and Historical Sites: A Policy for the Future in the Face of Climate Change!

Protecting Beach Access and Historical Sites: A Policy for the Future in the Face of Climate Change

Small Island Developing States (SIDS) stand on the frontline of the global climate crisis. Rising sea levels, extreme weather events, and the degradation of natural and cultural heritage are more than distant threats—they are stark realities. For governments in SIDS, crafting policies to protect beach access and access to historical sites for local citizens is not merely an act of preservation but a critical step toward sustainable development and climate resilience. By ensuring access to these natural and historical assets, governments safeguard not only environmental and cultural treasures but also the social and economic well-being of future generations.

The Concept of Sustainable Development in SIDS

Sustainable development seeks to balance economic growth, environmental protection, and social equity to meet present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs. For SIDS, whose economies often depend heavily on tourism, fisheries, and agriculture, this balance is particularly delicate.

Beaches and historical sites serve as pillars of this sustainability framework. Beaches provide ecological services such as storm surge protection, carbon sequestration in coastal ecosystems, and biodiversity habitats, while also being central to tourism and local recreation. Historical sites, on the other hand, foster a sense of identity, preserve unique cultural heritage, and attract cultural tourism, which can stimulate local economies. The preservation and equitable accessibility of these resources are vital to ensuring that SIDS can sustainably develop without eroding their natural and cultural foundations.

Climate Change: A Direct Threat to Natural and Historical Assets

The impacts of climate change are disproportionately felt in SIDS. Rising sea levels erode beaches, threatening not only biodiversity but also local livelihoods and tourism revenues. Storm surges and hurricanes, increasing in intensity and frequency, damage infrastructure and historical landmarks. For instance, UNESCO has identified several world heritage sites in SIDS as at-risk due to climate change.

Without proactive policies, these losses could cascade into broader societal challenges. Beach erosion reduces public access and narrows opportunities for recreation and livelihoods. Similarly, the destruction or neglect of historical sites leads to cultural amnesia and diminished national identity. The disappearance of these resources would leave future generations deprived of their intrinsic and economic value.

The Role of Beach and Historical Site Access in Social Development

Access to beaches and historical sites is not just about recreation or tourism; it is about equity and social inclusion. In many SIDS, these resources are deeply embedded in local traditions, serving as spaces for community gatherings, cultural ceremonies, and education. Ensuring that all citizens—not just wealthy elites or tourists—can access these areas strengthens social cohesion and inclusivity.

1. Promoting Mental and Physical Well-Being: Public beach access provides opportunities for physical activity, mental relaxation, and community interaction. In the face of rising stressors from climate change, these spaces act as natural sanctuaries, fostering resilience in local populations.

2. Cultural Continuity: Historical sites tell the stories of a community's past, anchoring its identity in an ever-changing world. For SIDS, where oral traditions and cultural practices are often tied to specific locations, preserving access ensures that these traditions can be passed down to future generations.

3. Education and Awareness: Beaches and historical sites can be integrated into educational programs to raise awareness about climate change, sustainability, and cultural heritage. By connecting people, especially youth, to these resources, governments can nurture a more environmentally conscious and culturally literate citizenry.

Economic Implications of Protected Access

From an economic perspective, protecting access to beaches and historical sites is equally critical. Tourism is often the backbone of SIDS economies, contributing significantly to GDP and employment. However, tourism growth must be managed sustainably to prevent overexploitation and ensure that its benefits are equitably shared.

1. Sustainable Tourism Development: Publicly accessible and well-maintained beaches and historical sites attract tourists while ensuring that local communities also benefit. Governments can implement policies such as user fees for tourists, reinvesting these funds into conservation efforts and infrastructure development.

2. Local Livelihoods: Many small-scale businesses, such as fishermen, artisans, and local tour operators, rely on the accessibility of beaches and historical landmarks. Protecting these spaces secures livelihoods and empowers local economies.

3. Resilience Against Climate Risks: Investing in climate-resilient infrastructure around these sites—such as seawalls, vegetation buffers, and elevated walkways—not only protects them from climate impacts but also enhances their value as assets for both locals and tourists. Such measures demonstrate how climate adaptation and economic development can go hand in hand.

Climate Mitigation Through Conservation

Beach ecosystems, particularly mangroves and seagrasses, act as vital carbon sinks, absorbing and storing large amounts of carbon dioxide. By protecting beaches and coastal ecosystems from privatization and overdevelopment, governments contribute to global climate mitigation efforts. Moreover, maintaining natural coastlines reduces the need for costly artificial defenses against erosion and flooding, which often have higher carbon footprints.

Historical sites also play a role in climate mitigation through adaptive reuse and preservation. Restoring old structures rather than constructing new ones minimizes resource consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, cultural landscapes—such as traditional agricultural terraces in some SIDS—often embody sustainable practices that can be revived to address modern challenges.

Policy Recommendations for Protecting Access

To ensure that future generations in SIDS can continue to enjoy and benefit from beaches and historical sites, governments must adopt a multi-pronged approach:

1. Legal Protections: Enact legislation that designates beaches and historical sites as public goods, ensuring open access while regulating their use to prevent degradation.

2. Climate-Resilient Planning: Incorporate climate risk assessments into the management of these sites, prioritizing investments in natural infrastructure and adaptive conservation strategies.

3. Community Involvement: Engage local communities in decision-making processes to ensure that policies reflect their needs and cultural values. Community-based management can foster a sense of ownership and responsibility.

4. Education and Outreach: Launch programs to educate citizens and tourists about the importance of these assets and their role in sustainability and climate resilience.

5. Sustainable Financing: Develop innovative financing mechanisms, such as green bonds and international partnerships, to fund the protection and maintenance of these sites.

Conclusion: A Legacy for Future Generations

The challenges posed by climate change demand forward-thinking policies that prioritize long-term sustainability over short-term gains. Protecting access to beaches and historical sites in SIDS is not just about preserving scenic or cultural landmarks—it is about safeguarding livelihoods, fostering social cohesion, and building resilience in the face of climate uncertainty.

For future generations, the ability to walk along a pristine beach or stand in awe before a centuries-old monument will serve as a reminder of their heritage and a testament to the wisdom of their ancestors. By acting today to protect these invaluable resources, governments in SIDS can create a legacy of sustainable development and climate resilience, ensuring that these treasures endure for centuries to come.

www.adventureantigua.com

Beach access is being threatened.

Access...... It's in interesting thing sometimes. 

The reason the Atlantic rowers are coming to jolly harbour today was because the TWAC organizers made a deal with the National Parks Authority to stop any row boats that did not pay to enter the TWAC from entering Dockyard.

Crazy but true.

So this am I'm sitting here drinking my coffee thinking about our 30 day row across the ocean and how these guys must be feeling, and then started to think about why they rowed all the way down to the west coast, passing English Harbour where we arrived in Jan 2018. 

Then I started thinking about the beach on the South finger side of the Jolly Harbour marina entrance which now isn't accessible to anyone other than the very smart property owners there. We were there yesterday. 

That beach has property lots right along it without any beach access which wasn't an issue until recently when the last property owner fenced their property. In fact, according to original management of Jolly Harbour, there was always access in the original development plans.

These property owners saw that they'd have a private beach now that things possibly have changed, and were smart to buy there. 

Now people who want to swim on that beach will have to kayak or boat there. The environment there despite the shipwreck is so interesting with migratory kingfishers using the trees to perch and spot little fish. Heron, pelicans, rays, jacks, cuda, and many others feed there. The turtle grass supports so much interesting life especially as it's the entrance of the internal water way. 

Anyway, it's not the property owners issue as they purchased land there that was divided and put up for sale. The trees on the beach were cut down and houses were built or are being built.

The issue is the government, CDAL, DCA should have envisioned a growing population where beach access is important. Even if we only worry about ourselves in this community called Jolly Harbour you'd think that these beaches would have walking access but no, there is none now.

The other side of the south finger is also is changing access with some property owners somehow managing to buy adjacent land on the beach side from the government directly making the beach area just that little bit smaller for the rest of the general public. I believe I have heard but do not have any specific information that the access to the beach at the base of Reed's point is also been changed. Someone said something about a new development happening there. Will access to that side of the beach be threatened. 

I think that there should be consultations with the community, stakeholders and the wider general public if there will be changes to the original development that will have an impact on how we use the coastline and beaches. As some people keep banging on about, the seawalls and the fact that this entire place was sold for a dollar with the assumption that the seawalls would be maintained by cdal to keep value for property owners. There were other assumptions made during the original deal that have now been forgotten.

Since most people here in Jolly Harbour are not full-time residents with children I don't suppose the majority of people are thinking about sustainability of our community's development, but something feels wrong in the way that access is now changing. 

That reminds me, fisherman and excursion operators and residents had access to the commercial center for their boats to do pick up and drop offs until the marina was sold by the la Perla guys. Since then I've had to pay to stop there to collect guests or to go and buy groceries or to visit a restaurant. There was no thought given by la Perla on access which until that point was used traditionally by all boaters for short stops. 

Maybe I'm rambling but with the new changes to what was a single home development only on harbour Island, our community is no longer possibly a 850 home village. In fact, we could have double that in the future. The development plans/rules will keep on changing (there's been so much change there in the last 20 years) that logically we could end up having more multistory "condo blocks" sometime in the future. Only having one single access at castaways for 1000+ homes isn't sensible. In an ideal world just for our community alone, there should be a park for everyone in our community to access the beach. 

Plenty eyes rolling reading these words I know, but sometime in the future local people will look at the poor developmental planning and not be happy. Is it too late to put a walking access point to this beach or to think about sensible access to the main south finger beach? 

I saw the graffiti on a survey mark on this on a beach recently and thought how pertinent it is in 2023. 

Stone stacking is so wrong. Here's why:

  

In Antigua we are lucky enough to have three different types of endangered sea turtles nesting on our beaches. Some of our beaches are so natural that there's been little change for thousands of years. These areas, once remote are now being visited by more and more humans and rock stacking or stone stacking is starting to threaten these beaches and the indicate web of life that lives among these coastal habitats. 

Without knowing it, people who think they are leaving their mark with an artistic stone sculpture are causing erosion and harming wildlife.

Please take the time to read some of these links and tell people why they shouldn't participating in this damaging trend which seems to be growing. 

https://amp.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/aug/17/stone-stacking-instagram-environment-adventure-tourism

https://bigthink.com/life/stone-stacking/

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/rabbit-holes/people-are-stacking-too-many-stones

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-45146681.amp

https://www.fodors.com/news/outdoors/these-seemingly-innocuous-tourist-behaviors-are-actually-incredibly-destructive

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/cairns-rock-stacking-national-parks

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/travel/rock-stone-stacking-hiking-cairns/2020/08/27/3059a9c8-e70d-11ea-970a-64c73a1c2392_story.html

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-01-17/instagram-rock-stacking-trend-putting-endangered-species-at-risk/11868706

https://www.ausableriver.org/blog/leaving-no-trace-rock-stacking

Just don't do it. Please!

SloMo Waves will relax anyone.

It's been a while but i will start blogging again. My love for writing and how much value it's added to my life and i am told to other's lives as well has gotta be rekindled. 

Yesterday I was invited by the guys at the TourismAuthority to take part in a virtual day in Antigua. Check it out here.

My piece where i give a mini tour of the islands, starts at about 21 minutes in. Anyway, while waiting for my part to start, i anchored our utility boat "POSITIVE" right next to the beach on one of the tiny offshore islands. While there i took this video as it was just such a peaceful and beautiful setting. I hope you enjoy it nearly as much as i did. Remember to follow our @adventureantigua instagram profile as well as the same on facebook. 

www.adventureantigua.com

Open up the island? Respected doctors disagree on what to do.

On my personal Facebook page I have been speaking about coronavirus and its potential impact in Antigua and Barbuda for 6 weeks now, and I have had thousands of people viewing these videos sharing, and commenting on them. For the most part I have had positive feedback, but there have been many who have taken offense to the things that I've been discussing. It is such a difficult thing to get to right when it comes to a small third world country like Antigua and Barbuda, and below I share two letters posted today from respected doctors here in Antigua. As you will read, this ethical dilemma isn't so simple even for people who are at the top of the healthcare pinnacle. 

Medical Musings by Dr. George Roberts

Covid and the Caribbean

As predicted, we have not had the dreaded surge of COVID-19 in Antigua. Nor do I think it is likely to come for now. We are now on a 12hr curfew. . What is the desired result?

A considerable amount of time, effort, and money has been expended to acquire materials and equipment in preparation for the surge. Money will now need to be found to replace the loss of income from tourism, our primary money earner. Don’t get me wrong. It was essential to be prepared. The decision makers could not gamble with people’s lives. We now, however, face a Herculean task to keep our economies afloat and our people fed over the next year.

Most of the Caribbean COVID cases have been traced to imports. These cases do not seem to have blossomed into widespread infections and body bags as has been the case in London and other places. Why is this? There are a number of possible reasons.

It is almost certain that the closed borders, contact tracing, social isolation and other public health strategies have helped to control the spread of the virus

Local conditions including time of year, geography, population density, living conditions may well be adversely affecting virus longevity and contagiousness, and maybe even the severity of the resulting infections.

For those who are calling for more testing I ask for whom and for what? There are two types of tests. Antigen tests are relevant in the early stages of the infection and may indicate active infection. Antibody tests check to see if the patient has had infection in the past and hopefully may indicate at least partial immunity.

So do we do antigen testing for everyone even without symptoms? Seems like a waste of scarce resources to me. Most cases will recover without symptoms and testing them will not significantly affect their treatment. So this test should rightly be reserved for those who are symptomatic and who have high exposure (like health professionals).

The antibody test will indicate prior infection and possibly immunity. It will take a lot of resources (which the government professes not to have) to do widespread testing to find out what we know already. Yes, we know already. Here’s how.

Data suggests that COVID severely affects 5% of those infected. We have had a closed community for some time now. In this time Antigua has had less than 10 cases requiring hospitalization. If we calculate this as being 5% of cases, this works out to being a total of 200 persons. Our population is 100,000. Even if we posit that the infection may have a lower percentage of severe cases because of aforementioned factors, there would still be a significant difference in the numbers. And the picture is similar in other Caribbean territories.

So we are predominantly COVID virgins. If someone enters the community with the active virus we can have an infection surge. If we travel to New York or some other place where it is endemic, we may be susceptible to infection if exposed. The whole idea of the isolation measures was to flatten the curve so that medical services would not be overwhelmed. We were too efficient, helped, as I continually assert, by our local conditions, and so the disease incidence seems for now to be far within the capabilities of the local health services. Following from this, a progressive relaxation of the restrictions, while continuously monitoring the disease prevalence, would seem appropriate. This seems basically to be the strategy of the powers that be.

The alternatives would be to continue the lockdown for the next year or so until a cure or vaccine is found, an economically unpalatable option, or to open the borders, putting the majority of the population at infection risk.

I firmly believe that the course of COVID infection in our community will not be as lethal as in the USA and Europe, but we cannot become complacent. More of us will contract the virus, and some may die, no matter what is done. It is important that we all recognize this. That is the nature of the beast.

So I generally agree with and support the measures being taken. A cautious relaxation of curfews, through strict hygiene and physical distancing practices will need to be maintained especially for the elderly and ill. This needs to be combined with ever vigilant monitoring for the menacing second wave. The biggest challenge will be when and how to open the borders. It is difficult to see how to avoid mandatory testing and/or quarantine for all travelers until the vaccine or cure is found.

I think that this is an ideal opportunity to practice real Caribbean cooperation. If we can come to a point of mutual COVID comfort where we all have the pest under control, we could have a mutual COVID ‘immigration’ status where clearance into one country will be acceptable for the others in the region. A type of Caribbean COVID oasis. This would facilitate intraregional travel, tourism and trade, and be the basis for the regional import substitution which many are now realizing is essential for our security.

So stay safe and separate. I look forward to gradual easing of restrictions, especially beach access. I will address that specifically shortly.

Dr Joey John clearly has a different set of spectacles. Here's his response:

First of all I’m not clear about who predicted we would not see a surge and what SCIENTIFIC basis would have been used to predict this. Further it is my belief which is supported by data elsewhere that our avoidance of the surge SO FAR is due to the fact that:

1) we were several weeks behind the curves of NY, UK etc

2) closure of our airports and seaports occurred in a timely manner preventing significant importation of the virus

3) govt’s and individual’s lockdown/ isolation measures effectively served to mitigate against further spread. 

Even with these measures and only testing less than 100 individuals, 25%

of those tested were positive. And still with these very favorable factors outlined, we’ve still had at least 3 Covid deaths and 2 still on ventilators. This to me gives a chilling preview of what would have happened had the above factors not been in play. 

Just last week in Antigua a community nurse tested positive. If indeed our island has been effectively closed all our recent new positives arefrom community spread. The nurse’s contacts were not tracked down and tested. Remember we are doing almost a negligible amount of testing and so vastly understating the

prevalence. 

To simply presume our experience will be significantly different than our North American neighbors is dangerous and flies in the face of the data:

1) Let’s first of all look at Dominican Republic. As of yesterday they have had 5,543 test positive for Covid with 24 deaths and large numbers on ventilators. It is also widely believed that their fatalities are significantly understated. And if you look at their curve they are still on the early upswing. Hardly encouraging that we will escape a dire fate based on geographics, climate etc. 

2) Let’s look at the US. The experience there is not uniform with some areas experiencing near collapse of their health care systems all the way to the other end of the spectrum where some areas are relatively unphased. All the data and reporting seem to indicate that the areas that have done well were those that implemented strict shutdown/ isolation policies early on. More rural areas as expected fared better but don’t for a second confuse our small population with a lack of density. Many of our villages have high density conditions. 

I would strongly caution against opening up the country without using real data to guide a further phased opening. This data can only be derived from widespread testing the cost of which pales in comparison compared to getting it wrong. 

In any case from a global standpoint until a vaccine appears on the scene which is at least a year away it appears that testing (not just one off but on a recurrent basis) is going to be the norm. 

Let’s heed the head of PAHO Dr Etienne’s warnings that the region is set to see its surge in 3-6 weeks a warning sounded about 2 weeks ago. And let’s stay safe and ensure we remain safe by moving forward with cautious steps founded in data, science and precedent. This can only be done by accumulating real data by ramping up testing.

Joseph John MD FACS

For me, just like the doctors quoted above it's all about the economy and health and both are reliant upon each other. I've done endless Facebook live videos on this topic and have had thousands of people viewing them. This blog isn't about reiterating my opinions but rather on sharing to contrasting opinions from health professionals and businessmen here in Antigua. 

Pantropical Spotted Dolphin calf stranding here in Antigua.

As you may know, one week ago today at about 10:00am an Antiguan family found a baby dolphin swimming outside their home in Willoughby Bay. They called me and told me it was less than a meter long and seemed to be weak. I quickly called a team of fellow Antiguan conservationists who lived fairly close to that side of the island and also posted info on the Facebook page Antigua Whale and Dolphin Network appealing for expert advice. By 11:12 am the people on the scene reported that the dolphin was occasionally getting washed close to the rocks on the west side of the small bay where she was found. I made contact with the management of stingray city who in the past had made enclosures, and asked them if they would help build one quickly so that we could secure the baby dolphin in the sea until we had clear consensus on what to do next. I also contacted our government's Fisheries Department to alert them of the situation. A few of the small team took a boat and spent an hour looking in and around Willoughby Bay to see if there were any other dolphins in the hope that "mom" could be spotted. This was unsuccessful and none were seen. We also asked the local sailing community to keep an eye out for dolphin pods. Very quickly marine mammal stranding experts were contacted around the world and at 12:40 pm Caribbean Stranding Network founder, Dr. Tony Mignucci agreed to come from Puerto Rico with a small team and  emergency supplies. His immediate instructions were not to feed it and to take the dolphin out of the sea and to put it into a pool until he arrived early Saturday evening. He identified it as a Pantropical Spotted Dolphin (stenella attunuata) and thought it was 6 months old. According to the data available online, this species' conservation status is "of least concern" meaning that there are loads of them around the world and that they lived offshore in deeper waters. It would likely not feed on it's own in the wild until it was well over a year old.  By this time we had a very good core group of about 7 people who have spent their lives in and around marine conservation here locally. Some in the group felt that we should take it out to sea and let nature take over. In the end we decided to follow Tony's expert advice despite some disagreement on the pool. 
Some in the group felt that a small pen in the sea would have been better, but days later Dr. Tony explained that dehydrated marine mammals often were hydrated more effectively by putting them in a pool. 

However, at it entered the pool it sank to the bottom and seemed to be in shock. Group members had to keep it on the surface. Dr. Tony explained that this was normal because of the difference in density, feel, and temperature. Days and days later when I had seen correspondence from Dr Sutty from Martinique saying originally that we should keep it in the sea water and then from Steve McCulloch another world famous dolphin expert saying to expect deterioration in the pool, i asked Dr Tony about the pool decision again. He explained that a maximum of 6 or 7 days was advisable in the pool. Some of the group felt that it wasn't a good idea to have it in the pool.

From the start, our small team made the decision that there was only one outcome that we would be satisfied with and that would be rehab and release into the wild. All of our local Antigua team was and still is against keeping marine mammals in captivity so the idea of a lifetime in captivity was always off the cards if we had a say. The other option that was spoken about by Fisheries and many others was to euthanize the baby dolphin. Not all in the group agreed with this but it was something that had to be on the cards. As one expert said, what we were doing now was not natural and that if we hadn't gotten involved, nature would have had it's way and the animal would have died and ended up feeding other creatures in the marine ecosystem. 

That being said, we were advised by Dr. Tony Mignucci to take the dolphin out of the sea where we found it on Friday 4th January and that decision created a huge ethical and moral dilemma which we have been struggling with for a week.

Originally Tony said that there was no chance at all of the dolphin being released into the wild ever again. He said "this dolphin can never be successfully released. I have a better chance of winning the lotto multiple times than this dolphin has after a future release."  I wasn't there when he said this but the others in the group were and spoke about it to me. As it was a deal breaker for the group, Dr Tony agreed initially to take it back to his Facility in Puerto Rico after blood work was done and after it had been stabilized. He agreed that after rehabbing it and getting it prepared for a release, he would release it back into the wild unless there was a medical reason which would require it to remain in captivity. Examples of that would have been things associated with organ health or other physical issues. With this semi optimistic outlook, the group organized a schedule of volunteers to look after the dolphin in the pool just off the beach where it was found and starting from 1pm on Friday 4th when it entered the pool, volunteers sat with it around the clock day and night. While Dr Tony was on his way to Antigua through the BVI, he asked if we could find a local veterinarian who would be willing to help and learn along with his team. We called Dr. Fiona Francis from the Ark and she was delighted for the opportunity and agreed to come and help. After Dr Tony arrived on Saturday evening and did blood work, it started getting more healthy in the pool. Bell Lab was amazing and did the lab work on Sunday. Bloods showed that it was in good health and was just dehydrated as he had expected. Within a few days, she was able to swim unassisted around the pool only occasionally running into trouble. This at least made her look as healthy as she had been when we found her in the bay. Every hour another volunteer would arrive to sit or stand in the pool. Because rehab and release was the only option to the majority of the group, more calls were made around the worlds searching for opinions that would show any optimism for a future release. Dr. Tony agreed to give it a try despite his position that a successful release was almost impossible.

From very early on, the St. James Club which is just around the corner agreed to cater food for the volunteers which was so helpful because all of this was so time consuming and exhausting. So far we have incurred many costs and this was really one less expense we had to account for. The bills already are in the thousands and it's just been one week! I dunno who will pay for this so far.

Very quickly after the lab results came back, it became apparent that getting it back to Puerto Rico would be impossible because of Trump's government shutdown. According to Dr. Tony, Special permits would not be processed during the shutdown and the USA/PR was off limits until they got their sh!t together. This was a huge blow because as Stephen D McCulloch, President of Ocean Experience said, Dr. Tony Mignucci was the best person for the job and it would help his facility in Puerto Rico get "dolphin accreditation" or something along those lines. Tony was there with his assistants ready to help but were being grounded by the shutdown. It was very depressing. 

With this unfortunate development, we then searched for another facility that would take the dolphin with the hope of rehabbing and releasing it into the wild. Together we spoke to facilities in Jamaica, St. Kitts,  Curacao, The Bahamas and others. Finally we found info that suggested a ten year old dolphin of a similar species was found, rehabbed and released successfully into the wild from a facility in the Bahamas. This story coming from a world famous dolphin expert, Dr. Denise Herzing, was about a ten year old Atlantic Spotted Dolphin which is a very different species according to Dr Tony Mignucci. Here is more info on that rescue, rehab and release. As you can see, not only a very different species but a very different situation as you will see in the letter from Atlantis a few paragraphs down. However, Dr Tony started speaking with the famous sailor, businessman and creator of CNN, Ted Turner who was apparently in charge of the program at Atlantis, in the Bahamas where the release happened. Originally he said he'd fly in and take the dolphin back to the Bahamas and rehab it with the goal of releasing it, and he said he'd have an emergency meeting with his people at Atlantis there in the Bahamas to discuss it and would get back to us. 

This was happening on Wednesday afternoon. Also on that day, our friendly and helpful fisheries officer requested a meeting among the core helpers/organizers. Fisheries had been so helpful up to that point and had facilitated entry for Dr. Tony, his two assistants and their equipment and was prepared to organize all permits needed in order to export it from Antigua to Puerto Rico or The Bahamas. We attended that meeting, the first proper one at 5:45pm on Wednesday 9th. Our fisheries officer essentially wanted a progress report and a clarification of the options on the table. 

Martha Gilkes of ABITPC, gave a summary of the options. 

Option 1 was the Bahamas Atlantis rehab and release option which would be a minimum of 6 more months of hand feeding using a milky mix and then potentially equally as long again teaching it how to feed on live fish. This sounded good in theory, but it was realized that the only contact so far had been with the 80 year old billionaire, Ted Turner, and I said I was worried that the offer didn't sound solid enough to me at that point. We all agreed that if it went well, then we would accept it as offered up to that point. 

I also asked Dr Tony to tell us how many Pantropical Spotted Dolphins were alive in captivity in the Americas (North, Central and South America). He said there were none. In an effort to understand the survival rates for these species in captivity, I asked him how many pantropical spotted dolphins have been put into captivity and later died. He said that all died and he wasn't sure how many but felt that over the past thirty years the number would have been a dozen or so. He explained that this species wasn't like the more hardy bottlenose dolphin and that this particular species was the weakest of the 4 others in the genus and a very "delicate" species. He said that the best outcome if kept in captivity would be 3-7 years. He didn't know if there had ever been a calf this young put into captivity.

Option 2 was putting it into a pen here in Antigua, and doing the rehab here in the hope of returning it to a pod offshore. This according to experts around the world was foolhardy and irresponsible for a multitude of reasons including an estimated cost of about US $175,000 a year. It would be seen as something experimental and too risky considering the lack of experience on hand.

Option 3 was to euthanize it and Fisheries agreed that this may have been a good option before it was taken from the sea. Some in the group thought that it was still the most humane option given that the trauma and odds of survival were stacked so much against this 6 month old dolphin. 

We agreed to wait to hear back some more specifics from the Bahamas. Once again, i said that we needed to build a sea pen to keep this poor dolphin who was sitting in limbo until a decision was made. Dr. Tony agreed that this was now night 6 and it was not good for the dolphin to keep it in the pool for much longer. However, he said that it would be taken down to the beach to let it swim there during the day.

Later that night we got this message back from the Bahamas: 

"Gentlemen – we conducted an emergency meeting today and determined the following in regards to your request for Atlantis involvement in the spotted dolphin calf rescue in Antigua.  Our stranding authorization is for the Bahamas only and thus our resources very limited, as we have just completed two successful stranding response, transport, rehab and release events.  However, we are willing to offer the following:
1.       Atlantis will certainly participate in this animal’s rescue/recovery but has no intention of keeping this animal long-term.  As is standard, we do not recommend a routine transport of dolphins younger than one (1) year old except in emergencies such as this and therefore, we would house this animal at Atlantis for at least this long.
2.       We can provide housing, medical attention and long-term care for the dolphin at our cost, and as long as needed to ensure safe transport to another qualified (industry recognized and accredited) marine mammal facility at some point in the future, dependent upon the health status of this animal.  We recognize the challenges faced by qualified U.S. institutions due to the current government shut-down, particularly as it affects this critical transport timing.
3.       In this regard, we are requesting that the Antigua government or future receiving institution assist by absorbing the air transport costs, which will be substantial.  We have received pricing for a round trip private charter jet out of Ft. Lauderdale for a 3 hour flight time (Nassau/Antigua) at $30,000.
4.       Due to this animal’s young age, lack of early exposure and acquisition of survival skills at a critical period in its behavioral development, need for familiar surroundings and familial protection from predators, we do not recommend experimental “wild” release of this animal in the future as it will have little chance of survival.
5.       We highly recommend that a long-term housing facility be located and the animal transported directly there, to prevent further disruption of this animals important socialization/developmental/health needs.
6.       Should you choose to request the housing/care option from Atlantis, we cannot obtain CITES permits until late Friday at the earliest due to tomorrow’s holiday here.  Therefore, air transport cannot be arranged until Bahamas government authorizes.  This may take valuable time that should not be spared. 

Let me know if you have questions."

This letter was not a shock to me but for the team was totally demoralizing and a big surprise. There was so much hope up until this point and a meeting was called for yesterday morning at 10:00am to discuss next option.
10:00am on Thursday 10th a meeting where the core group once again met to discuss options. This time instead of fisheries, we had someone from the Government who had 10 years of study abroad in various different Environmental fields and who had 15 years of work experience with our local Fisheries department, Environment Division and National Parks Authority. She made it abundantly clear that in her professional opinion, we needed to consider option 3 as discussed the night before. She said that this was her personal opinion based on all the info and on her various related degrees and her 15 years of environmental work, and it was the most natural thing to do. Any other decision was being made for the benefit of humans in an emotional capacity. Four others at the meeting completely agreed with her for a multitude of reasons including simply it being the most humane thing to do at this point. Another thing she said which i think is the best advise given so far is that we need to develop local guidelines for future strandings that could be endorsed by Fisheries. For example, these could have a list of species, their conservation status and the chances or stats of rehab and release. This will happen again as it has happened before and we need to have solid plans for what to do next time. Many feel that taking it out the water was the wrong thing to do from day one, but with the limited info we had, it was felt that we had to try to help especially with the advice from Dr. Mignucci.
Dr Tony was not happy with the idea of euthanasia and said he would not help anyone with putting "a healthy dolphin" down. He said we came here to save it and did that but wouldn't help kill it. He also said that a swim with dolphin park in St. Kitts, Dolphin Discovery had agreed to take it with the understanding that they would attempt to rehab and release it. He told us that they wouldn't put it with their other dolphins until some special virus test was done and in the meantime they would have to find something to keep her. There was not a great deal of trust or confidence for the facility in St Kitts for some reason (maybe because of stuff like this) and some of the team thought that this could be an option. I said that at the end of the day, the dolphin didn't belong to any of us and that the decision rested with Fisheries. I felt that we needed to give them all the facts and let them decide what to do since there wasn't a consensus within our group. It had been an emotional rollercoaster and people were exhausted and drained. There was no clear agreement on the options. I categorically am against and always have been against marine mammals being kept in captivity and especially for the purpose of recreation. I think a goldfish in your aquarium is very different to an intelligent marine mammal being stuck in a pool for the rest of it's life. I had a hard time with the idea of humanly killing it too, and that was the kinda job and decision that needed to be taken by a Vet or fisheries officer. Either way, it was an impossible decision for me personally because i knew that the best best possible outcome of sending it to a marine mammal center or dolphin park was a few years in a walled tank until it died. The stats were there to show this to be true, so i couldn't support it and felt that it would only help one of these parks with their PR which would show us send them a dolphin to be "saved". Already, with the utmost respect to Dr. Tony, he is saying he and his team saved it. I know that's what he thinks, but in my opinion, he didn't. He has kept it alive and it is doing as good now as when we first found it in the sea.
Ultimately we wrote to Fisheries telling them that Atlantis fell through and that we didn't feel that we could make a decision on what to do next mainly because there were strong differences of opinion on what we should do. We also reminded them that something had to be done because it was now 7 nights in a pool. Dr Tony wrote to fisheries asking them to release it into his custody so that he could export it to the St. Kitts facility. It is my understanding that this permission has been granted by fisheries and while I disagree with this decision, it's not mine to make. The dolphin will likely leave Antigua on Monday after 10 nights in a swimming pool. I for one think this is not a humane or sensible solution and several others who helped around the clock over the past week have dropped out at this point leaving responsibility with Dr. Tony Mignucci. Some of the core group feel that this is a bad decision in the grand scheme of things. We will see what happens to the little dolphin next.
All I can say is that I have had experience with saving marine species since i was a kid with my dad back then and without him as an adult. Recently we saved a 25 foot long sperm whale that was attempting to beach itself. Knowing what to do with wild animals is never an easy thing, but this has been the most difficult ethical and moral dilemma I have come across.

edit Jan 12th, 2019
At 10:40am today I received a call from a close friend who was offshore fishing. He was alongside a pod of what he described as "spotted dolphins". He sent me the GPS coordinates and I passed them on to the original whatsapp group that's been used to coordinate this event. Forty minutes later I asked for comment and then later at 11:54am Fisheries said that is was too late now and that they wouldn't agree to taking the calf there at this stage. 

2017 hurricane stress - photos

The following description puts the photos in the link at the bottom into some sort of perspective. The photos and videos in the link will be moving to some of the Barbudans involved in last summer's tragic distaster.

In late August 2017 I saw a long range forecast which looked like a big hurricane would be coming our way. At that time our Atlantic rowing boat was still in the British virgin islands where we had rowed almost a month before. There was no time to waste so later that night after clearing customs immigration I left with two friends for the Virgin Islands on our powerboat. We needed to retrieve the rowboat and tow it 200 miles back to Antigua before any threat of a hurricane. People in Nanny Cay Marina were already panicking. Somehow they knew that the island would be devastated in less than a week. We collected the boat and immediately turned around back towards Sint Maarten. At Bobbys Marina, Sir Bobby told us that despite all forecasts saying the storm would go north he was 100% certain it was coming to destroy Sint Martin in a few days. He was getting his companies and his associates ready for a mega hurricane. While we sat around the marina table st sunset drinking beers and talking about old wooden sloops, sailing and fishing, I was still sure the storm would miss the Caribbean. My crew, Shamel and Guilli were not too happy with Sir Bobby's confidence that a disaster was approaching. The next morning we left early towing the row boat back to Antigua. By the time we had completed those last 100 miles, the surge was starting to "roll" across Five Islands Harbour at the entrance to jolly harbour. I was a little frustrated to see that each day the computer models' forecast tracks had shifted further to the south. While still forecast to track north of our Leeward Islands, Hurricane Irma was now rapidly strengthening and getting too close for comfort even though three days away. Each forecast pulled her closer to us and by the next day I started to realize that because of the trip to collect the row boat, I'd be pressed for time in getting by boats and house prepared. It wasn't that it had crept up on me as I'd been watching the forecasts for a week but unlike Sir Bobby, I just placed too much confidence in the forecast tracks which all placed it pushing north of the islands. The marinas were full and I couldn't get space for all of our boats. We had to tie them down as best we could. Irma kept getting closer despite the forecasts and as the sun set before her arrival, I knew that if she didn't turn north and we got a direct hit, then my business and life as I knew it would be changed forever. I don't think I slept a wink and late in the night when the now category 5 storm finally moved a bit to the north I almost cried with relief. Up until that point I was telling my mom and other people close to me not to worry and that all the super computers were in agreement that IRMA would go north. I was faking my optimism and bravery just in an attempt to keep them calm. A few of them were panicking. The North turn was too close though as you can see from the screenshots I took. Barbuda was going to get hit hard. There was zero communication until late the next afternoon when my friend Greg took the PM and a camera crew to Barbuda in the helicopter. Upon his return we heard that over 90% of the homes had been damaged or totaled and that one young child had died. I knew that they would need water and food and organized a small team to go the next morning. Friends in jolly harbour supplied food and water. While that was being organized, i spoke to Carlo Falcone from Antigua Yacht Club and Marina who was also doing the same thing. He called me later in the night to say that the Coast Guard had told him that boats were not permitted to go. It was not 24 hours after the storm but we both knew that things would get desperate soon and decided to  go anyway but to keep it quiet. My team left by 8 the next morning. It was still rough at that point, just 30 hours after the deadly hurricane had touched down in Barbuda. Greg, the chopper pilot had told me that the lagoon had been breached in several spots so I figured that we could go straight up to Codrington village. We were the first boat into the lagoon and the first to arrive at the fisheries dock. We didn't know what to expect and for safety we decided to drop me and another crew off so that we could speak to police or defence force guys first before we came to the dock with supplies. The coast guard had arrived at River Dock earlier that morning and had brought some polices and troops to setup base at the Japanese Fisheries plant. We got the boat onto the dock and offloaded. I was told that there was going to be a council organized meeting at the airport to discuss plans. I went and listened. People seemed to be in shock and unaware of how bad things could become. There was compete devastation all around and dead creatures big and small in the tangled mess. My Barbudan friends didn't want to leave but some did. We offered the council to take whoever wanted to and ended up taking the first Barbuda evacuees back with us. I think we took 16 people. On the dock before we left, the mother of the child that was killed came and told us her story. Heartbreaking! The trip back was an emotional one but those on board were happy to be going. Half way over we realized that some of them didn't have anywhere to go in Antigua. We ended up taking them into town where they were collected by the National Office of Disaster Services. Nico organized lodging for some. Coming back into jolly harbour and knowing that I could have a hot shower and get into my nice dry bed felt strange. Thinking about what we'd just seen and what was going to happen to them was overwhelming. That night we planned another trip the next morning to take more food, water and animal feed. We left early and by the time we arrived we found out that because there was another storm approaching, the government had ordered a mandatory evacuation. We had so many wanting a ride that we left half our crew there planning to do two trips at least and took an almost overloaded trip back to st Johns. In fact, I had to "make some noise" on the dock in Barbuda before we left as too many were pushing and attempting to get on board. 24 hours before we had a hard time convincing people to come with us as most seemed calm and prepared to stay. Amazing what can happen a few days after a disaster when reality kicks in together with the threat of another storm looming. By this time boats of every description were helping to evacuate and the Venezuelan military were also helping. There was still no communication and by the time we dropped them off and came back to Barbuda, the military and police had forced all to leave the village and go up the coast to the grassy strip where the Venezuelans were flying from. My crew that I left behind were forced to fly with them and while I tried to figure out where they were, the swells started to pick up at River Dock. We left two boats there and took off with the last few Barbudans that we could find.

Thankfully that storm did go north but the government and NODS decided not to let people go back home to Barbuda. So many people had left dogs, horses, sheep, goats and other animals penned or tied assuming that they'd be able to return after the storm threat. That didn't happen and the Barbuda disaster got worse. Dogs started hunting in packs and the trail of death and destruction only got worse. We did more and more trips with animal rights people, press, engineers, government people, aid workers and eventually with Barbudans. In the meantime there was another cat five hurricane east of the islands. Maria ended up smashing Dominica, and the Atlantic rowing team I was part of decided to take some supplies there as well. We had heard horror stories and felt like doing a run. It wasn't much and we knew that our boats were not designed to carry huge heavy loads long distance. Thankfully more help was on the way and there were no more storms on the horizon.
By the time Team Antigua Atlantic Rowers had to make our way to the Canary Islands to get ready for the start of the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge (a 3000 mile rowing race back to Antigua), Nico, John, Scott and myself were happy for the distraction. The summer had been a stressful one.
Here's in this link are some photos my Google account saved. I'll show a few below the link too.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/QN5NjgHGe8vX5GJ39