I spent three hours with over 30 of my fellow Virgin Islanders in the Frederik Lutheran Church last night. Listening to the Department of Interior describe their efforts to map federal submerged lands in the territory. Listening to the V.I. National Park Service detail the decline of our coral reefs, fisheries and other aquatic resources over the past 20 years. Listening to the federal government tell us of the need to develop some type of management mechanism to protect our reefs and restore our fisheries. Listening to our beleaguered fishermen trying to figure out how all this will affect their culture and their livelihoods.
And a number of things occurred to me as I was listening and thinking on the subject on my way home.
Fishermen and overfishing are the least of our problems. Our problem is sediment.
Sediment eroded from dirt roads, construction sites and bare yards. Sediment that blocks sunlight from corals and seagrasses. Sediment that smothers and kills coral reefs and sea grass beds. Sediment that smothers shellfish. Sediment that clogs the gills of fish and shellfish. Sediment that reduces the ability of fish to hunt for prey.
Our problem is sewage. Raw sewage discharged onto our beaches and coral reefs every day. Sewage not just from failing sewage treatment plants and pump stations, but sewage from failing individual septic systems. Sewage that is a human health risk. Sewage that poisons fish and shellfish with bacteria, parasites, viruses and disease. Sewage that consumes oxygen in water, killing fish, shellfish and corals. Sewage that causes algal blooms killing fish, shellfish and corals.
Our problem is destruction of mangroves: chopping down, digging up and filling in of this most vital habitat. Mangroves that stabilize our shorelines. Mangroves that provide nurseries for fish and shellfish. Mangroves that filter sediment and other pollutants from storm water. Mangroves that protect our shores from the forces of hurricanes.
Our problem is garbage. Garbage that litters our streets and shorelines. Garbage that washes into the ocean after every rainfall. Garbage, particularly plastic, that kills sea turtles, fish and birds. Toxic garbage that is leaking from our landfills into the surrounding sea and mangroves. Poisoning and killing our marine life.
But our biggest problem, the most insidious and least talked-about problem, is our apathy. There were a little over 30 people at the Lutheran Church tonight and one Senator. Where were the other 50,000-plus people that live on St. Thomas? Where were the rest of our Senate candidates?
The ocean is our lifeblood. It regulates the weather. It provides food for our table. It provides us with endless hours of enjoyment, recreation and beauty. It is our back yard. It is the driving force behind our tourism-based economy. We, each and every one of us, need to take responsibility for the health and fate of our marine resources. We all live here and use and rely on this precious resource in one way or another. We should be able to recognize that just as we each are part of the problem, so are we each part of the solution. We shouldn't have to be told by the federal government to get our house in order and protect our home. Our government, from the top down, needs to get serious about protecting our natural resources for the benefit and future of us all.
Everyone at the meeting tonight recognized that our coral reefs, our marine resources, are a precious resource that needs to be respected and conserved. The question is, "What are each of us going to do about it?"
Ed. Note: Julie Wright is Natural Resources Program Supervisor at the University of the Virgin Islands Cooperative Extension Service. She holds a master's degree in agricultural engineering, soil and water concentration, from the University of Maryland at College Park. Wright is also vice president of the Virgin Islands Resource Conservation & Development Council, Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing Virgin Islanders' quality of life through conservation of natural and cultural resources and stimulation of growth and development.
