Dolphinarium/No Dolphinarium: Are we misplacing our priorities?

[dropcap]I[/dropcap]f you live in Saint Lucia you will know there’s a longstanding debate about plans for a dolphinarium to set up here. Things blew up in early 2017 when a new proposal came to light to place facilities on the Pigeon Island National Landmark. Environmentalists and animal rights activists have been lambasted by people claiming this will bring new jobs in and diversification of the tourism product. Well yes, we are in dire need of both jobs and diversification! But when I listen to the various experts who have weighed in on the issue, I find the arguments that a dolphinarium would provide either of those dubious at best.

Yes, there is still a market for such activities. But it is a shrinking market and opinion is undoubtedly moving against captive cetacean business. Countries are phasing them out and companies refusing to sell or promote them. So, why would we risk our limited resources and our reputation for this? The actions recorded in the recently aired the “Dolphin Dilemma’” documentary about Antigua & Barbuda’s experience with Dolphin Fantaseas and Dolphin Discovery, show scant regard for effective planning, environmental care or other tourism businesses. The documentary shows when things went wrong due to the company’s shoddy operations, overnight, the company airlifted the dolphins out, packed up shop and left the country with around $400,000 in debt.

Proponents will tell you that the powers that be, will ensure such things don’t happen here. My question would be: How? And my instincts ask: Based on what track record of enforcement of regulations should I believe this claim is valid? On that basis alone, we should be extremely concerned. But let’s look at other angles: The September 4 press release from the SLHTA, published in this newspaper, clearly indicates the risk to Saint Lucia’s tourism product, including companies refusing to promote the destination.

At the airing of the documentary, statements issued by the makers of Dolphin Dilemma, describe jobs brought to Antigua & Barbuda as few and limited to cleaners and low-level staff. Listen to Jeannine Compton-Antoine, former chair of the International Whaling Commission, list off the many concerns regarding existing livelihoods that depend on the near-shore resources around Pigeon Island National Landmark and the Rodney Bay area: For fishermen, from Gros Islet and other communities, their traditional catch will probably no longer frequent this highly productive area due to the constant presence of predators (dolphins).

The snorkelers, snuba and divers, possibly numbering around 100 a day, who use the area will likely suffer restricted access to the area, decreased water and reef quality due to dolphin excreta. Will vendors in the area be given concessions to sell dolphin souvenirs or will they experience competition for sales from Dolphin Discovery shop?

These impacts will be largely the same wherever such a facility might be placed. Ms. Compton-Antoine advises the Trust and ‘No’ supporters to gather empirical evidence to make the case that we’ve far more to lose, than to gain. She is right, and I will ask anyone who can help gather this data, to volunteer your assistance to the Trust. But despite this, I can’t help but think the onus should be on commercial companies, with the multi-million-dollar budgets, wishing to profit off business that uses our resources, to prove beyond reasonable doubt, that the activities they wish to run for their profit, with our tax-dollar subsidies, will in fact, profit Saint Lucia and her people.

We have cultural, natural, historical and heritage resources that foreign investors covet – ask why? We have culinary, musical, artistic and entrepreneurial local talent that bursts out and takes over the world despite persistent lack of investment support. Ask why we don’t prioritise them for benefit of the nation: local business, meaningful local jobs. There will always be a place for foreign investment but based on what we see on our own shores and around us, we must ask – and answer – are our priorities misplaced?

Finola Jennings Clark works in heritage and cultural community development and runs www.islandeffect.com, a website dedicated to promoting local tourism. She is also currently a member of the Council of the Saint Lucia National Trust.

— Writen by: Fiola Jennings-Clarke