Yntegra Group is dredging a sensitive marine area in the Bahamas, what happens after a dredging operation?
Posted by coopersoar@reddit | marinebiology | View on Reddit | 2 comments
My friend & I and are having a debate about Yntegra group dredging Sampson Cay in the Bahamas. It's not a small repair project but a big new hotel and marina to give some context on the dredging project.
We've both watched Disney's Little Mermaid so we are clearly qualified to debate this but would like to hear from others who may or may not be as highly qualified as us. After Yntegra group does their dredging, can the marine area fully recover? What timeframe are we talking about? Are there any lasting issues to marine life? Will the new Yntegra marina and boat traffic cause any lasting issues for the sea turtles? Is there a good or bad way this could be done?
Thanks for any help.
dangerousdave2244@reddit
After dredging, the sessile marine life, like corals, won't recover in our lifetime, and people aren't going to let it happen, because they want the dredged channel to stay open. It will be a permanent scar on the ecosystem, especially since it will be so deep that most caribbean corals won't colonize the dredged area
coconut-telegraph@reddit
So there are several problems with gouging a deep trench in soft coral limestone.
All of the Exuma Cays are intricately cut by channels that rush like rivers in opposite directions with each tidal change. These currents disperse larval marine life for settlement inshore, bring food to the reefs, and flush hot outgoing tide off the banks laden with organic compounds from algae.
Dredging disrupts the flow locally, affecting reefs not immediately damaged by the dredging.
This silt will be redistributed in the water column from the dredge site with each passing storm. During active dredging operations, the sea will look like milk in the area from all the silt.
The shallows here are vital conch and juvenile fish nursery grounds that contribute to the Bahamas’ economy.
The dredging itself is to provide a marina, fuel dock, and supply ship access. This means fuel spills, boat discharge of sewerage, and other pollutants. The fuel floats and kills the intertidal organisms as tide rises and falls, and the sewerage promotes explosive algal blooms that smother corals.
When that much rock mass is removed, where does it go? My guess is lazily slopped in a breakwater pile nearby to further alter the flow of currents and smother the seabed.
The Exumas themselves are a fragile ecological wonder, and cannot sustain large scale developments like this, which are in direct opposition to the factors that draw visitors to begin with.