The picturesque underwater marine park, that adds significantly to the touristic Little Bay area, was further enhanced by the launch of an internal 100-metre-long dive and snorkel trail on Tuesday, March 12.
The trail was funded from a grant of 100,000 US dollars under the European Commission’s Best 2.0 Initiative in partnership with the Department of Fisheries and Marine Resources. The EC’s fund is aimed at bio-diversity projects in the Overseas Territories. Other partners in the Anguilla project are the Reef Board Foundation, a US-based organization, and colleagues in the Turks and Caicos Islands. The project is being led by the Anguilla National Trust which was represented at Tuesday’s launch ceremony by Executive Director, Farah Mukhida, and her assistant, Louise Soanes.
A party from the National Trust, the Department of Fisheries and Marine Resources and marine representatives from the Customs Department, gathered at the Crocus Bay Gazebo for the ceremony, followed by a surveillance trip to Little Bay.
The ceremony included two presentations: one in relation to the Little Bay Marine Park itself and the other on the Dive and Snorkel Trail. Ms. Soanes said the marine park was a pilot project in such areas as Dog Island, Prickly Pear, Seal Island, Sandy Island, Shoal Bay and Island Harbour. Two additional marine parks are at Junks Hole, designated for heritage beaches, and Sombrero, for heritage and ecological value.
The Little Bay Marine Park Dive and Snorkel Trail runs from east to west near “the rock jump-off” area, along the island’s coastline. The trail includes a series of fiberglass structures, filled with cement, called lobster casitas or lobster houses, mimicking artificial reefs with holes for lobster and fish spawning. They were designed and installed in August and September last year by the Reef Board Foundation.
“Three weeks after we went and checked the structures, we saw juvenile lobsters and lots of fish,” Ms. Soanes reported. “We put about sixty of these structures in the trail where you can dive and snorkel; and interspersed between the casitas are underwater information sites. You can see everything from the surface, but you can get the most out of it if you are diving.”
Both the Little Bay Marine Park and the Dive and Snorkel Trail satisfy two important aims: On one hand, Anguilla’s marine life – including lobsters, fish, coral and sea grass beds – are given opportunities to be developed and protected. On the other hand, there are substantial eco-tourism and financial benefits to be derived.
Regulations are in place to protect the island’s coastal habitats at Little Bay and elsewhere. Among them are cautions against standing or leaning on corals; breaking off live or dead corals; anchoring boats on reef or in sea grass areas; and throwing garbage, or releasing sewage, in the sea. Of course, no one is permitted to remove juvenile lobsters or fish from the artificial reef along the trail. There are also minimal fees for visiting the Marine Park and Trail, and higher fees for mooring and anchorage activities.
Persons visiting the marine park area may contact the Anguilla National Trust or the Department of Fisheries and Marine Resources for information concerning the payment of fees.
