Why Antigua’s Beaches Are Eroding — And What We Must Do About It
Antigua & Barbuda is blessed with some of the most beautiful beaches on Earth.
But beneath the postcard perfection lies a growing crisis: beach erosion.
This is not a single-cause problem. It’s the result of multiple overlapping pressures — ecological collapse, poor coastal practices, sand removal, reef degradation, dredging, and a lack of serious study into how our beaches are actually formed and maintained.
If we want our children and grandchildren to inherit living beaches — not rock walls and imported sand — we need to understand what’s happening.
1. Our Beaches Exist Because Our Coral Reefs Exist
For thousands of years, coral reefs off Antigua’s coast grew upward toward the surface.
From Diamond Bank stretching miles toward the islands of the North Sound, reef structures once formed a vast natural barrier system busting up ocean ground swells in the winter months.
- Healthy reefs break wave energy before it hits the shore.
- They produce massive amounts of sand.
- They create calm lagoons where beaches accumulate.
When reefs are alive and growing near the surface, they act like a natural seawall.
When they die and erode, they become rubble fields that no longer protect the shoreline.
The role coral reefs play in coastal protection is well documented by NOAA:
NOAA – Coral Reefs as Natural Coastal Protection
Today, many of these reef systems are largely degraded.
2. Why Have the Reefs Died?
Climate Change & Coral Bleaching
Warmer seas stress corals, causing bleaching events that reduce resilience.
NOAA – Coral Bleaching Explained
Overfishing — Especially Herbivores
Herbivorous fish like parrotfish (locally called chub) are essential to reef survival.
- They eat algae that would otherwise smother corals.
- They clean reef surfaces so new coral larvae can settle.
- They produce enormous quantities of sand.
When herbivores are removed:
- Algae takes over.
- Coral recruitment drops.
- Reef growth slows or stops.
- Structural complexity collapses.
The International Coral Reef Initiative summarizes this clearly:
Parrotfish: Key to Reef Survival
Over and uncontrolled fishing of herbivores continues to this day.
3. Parrotfish: The Unsung Sand Factories
Parrotfish scrape coral surfaces to feed on algae.
In doing so, they grind calcium carbonate skeletons into sand.
Scientific research has quantified this sediment production:
Yarlett et al. (2021) – Quantifying Parrotfish Sediment Production
When we eat parrotfish:
- We remove reef cleaners.
- We reduce coral recovery.
- We reduce sand production.
- We accelerate erosion.
The first first first thing we must do is completely ban the consumption of parrotfish for a period of ten years at the least. Other islands have full time bans in order to mitigate all the other effects hitting the our reefs. Mitigation is the name of the game when it comes to attempting to deal with climate change.
4. Sand Theft — “Just a Few Buckets”
Many people believe they have the legal authority to take “just a few buckets.” It was from something VC Bird once said I think.
But sand removal is regulated under the Beach Protection Act:
Beach Protection Act (Cap. 46)
Enforcement was strengthened in 2020:
Beach Protection (Amendment) Act 2020
Removing sand:
- Disrupts dune systems.
- Exposes root structures.
- Reduces natural storm buffers.
- Accelerates shoreline retreat.
Stealing sand — even a bucket — is not harmless and it's illegal for good reason.
It is a serious crime against the people of Antigua & Barbuda and the environment we must protect for future generations. Sand has been stolen from every single beach in our country that has road access. I've seen sand taken from many beaches that do not have road access. Backhoes clear paths for trucks and sand is removed even from remote beaches. However the beaches where pickups cars or trucks can pull up to the sand are ones which have been really hit devastating sand removal for decades. Fort James and Runaway have been hit hard but are not unique. They just get bad ground swell. The terrible shape that those beaches are in cannot totally be blamed on the dredging of Saint John's. There are some small beaches on the other side of the harbour where you cannot get close to with your vehicle that are doing fairly well. Darkwood had hundreds of truckloads of sand taken from it after the storms in the 80s pushed it over the road into the swamp. Instead of putting it back on the beach, public works gave permission for industrial send money to take place. I've seen the same thing happening in crab Hill after storms. 2 weeks ago trucks took sand from Darkwood. Sand is taken from jabbawock almost daily. Ffreyes Beach, little ffreyes, Morris Bay, Cades Bay, Half Moon.... All of them have had endless sand taken from them so this thing isn't about any one thing but for sure government could make a major change in the way that we monitor and deal the stealing of OUR sand. Many people knew that it would take a toll but for some reason many more thought that the sand would never finish.
5. Seagrass, Dredging & Offshore Disturbance
Seagrass ecosystems trap and stabilize sand. They reduce wave energy and host sand-producing organisms.
The impacts of dredging on seagrass and coral are well studied:
For a country economically dependent on beaches, not fully understanding our sand budget is risky.
What Must Be Done
- Completely ban the consumption of parrotfish.
- Completely ban removal of sand from all beaches.
- Increase patrols, arrests, and convictions.
- Provide accessible imported sand (bagged & bulk).
- Regulate vessel beaching practices.
- Ban dumping rocks along shorelines unless proper studies are done.
- Stop dredging until sand budgets are scientifically understood.
- Make sure that extensive study is done by at least two different and independent firms who have expertise in environmentally friendly offshore sand dredging to figure it out before any dredging. Environmental impact assessment studies must be done by more than one firm independent of any contractor associated with the dredging or with the government.
- Sand should not be taken from any area that is deemed to be of biodiversity importance.
This Is About Survival
Beaches are not decorative features.
They are infrastructure.
They are economic engines.
They are storm barriers.
They are cultural heritage.
They are ecological systems.
Protect herbivores.
Protect reefs.
Protect seagrass.
Protect sand.
Or watch our beaches disappear — bucket by bucket, fish by fish, dredge by dredge.
For a small island nation, this is not optional.
It is existential.
