Publication: Weekend Nation
Paper Section And Page: 5
Paper Date: Fri, Jan 25, 2002
Byline: Terry Ally
AUTHORITIES are investigating possible anchor damage to coral reefs by a visiting megayacht which was also suspected to be anchored within the island’s sole marine reserve.
Manager of the Folkestone Marine Park, John Nicholls, told the Weekend Nation that he requested of the Harbour Master and the Coast Guard the vessel be detained at the location overnight.
“Our preliminary investigations are that the boat is in the reserve. We will do a full dive survey to ascertain if there is damage to the reefs and then determine where we go from there,” he said.
Harbour Master Richard Alleyne was not in office last night and therefore the names of the two vessels which had requested permission to anchor off Sandy Lane could not be confirmed.
However, he said the requests were granted, but under the strict conditions that they drop anchor on a sandy flat and did no damage to coral reefs.
The Marine Areas (Preservation and Enhancement) (Barbados Marine Reserve) Regulations 1981 prohibit vessels anchoring, or causing damage to coral reefs in the reserve.
Other laws, such as the Fisheries Act and the Coastal Zone Management Act, make it an offence for damage to coral reefs.
It was just over one year ago, on Thursday January 19, 2000, that another visiting yacht, The Virginian, caused anchor damage to coral reefs off Heron Bay.
The captain of the yacht, owned by British industrialist Sir Anthony Bamford, made an out-of-court settlement of just under $28 000 for damage to 400 square metres of coral reef.
Captain Ian Robertson was charged under Section 14 of the Fisheries (Management) Regulations 1998 for “injuring coral reefs without permission of the Chief Fisheries Officer”.