Artificial opening of St Lucia mouth 'yielded many positives' - Creecy
Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Barbara Creecy says the artificial opening of the St Lucia Lake estuary can be justified on ecological grounds.
The estuary was artificially opened in 2020.
The decision was mired in controversy with some scientists saying it interfered with the natural process as well as the restoration projects that was underway at the lake.
A letter was sent to the minister, who then launched an investigation.
"The panel found there were many ecological reasons that would justify the breach, including the prolonged closure of the system from the sea; the concern over accumulated sediment in the system; the presence of alien invasive species; a decrease in biodiversity within the system; and a decrease in the nursery function of the estuary,” Creecy said on Thursday.
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She said the artificial opening of the mouth yielded many positive results.
"The review found that the opening seemed to have a positive effect on the restoration of the nursery function of the system and that a number of marine fish for tourism and recreational fishing had been reintroduced.
"Other positive results included the return of megafauna to the mouth area and the shift from fresh to brackish water in the lake."
The estuary mouth opened naturally during the recent floods.
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