Coral World waiting on dolphins, but moving ahead with dolphin education building

Jul 25, 2023

ST. THOMAS — Coral World still is waiting on an Army Corps of Engineers permit to begin marine construction on their proposed dolphinarium, but it will unveil a new education center in May to teach visitors and school groups about ocean life.

The two-story, 10,000 square-foot Dolphin Education Center facility will be adjacent to the outdoor dolphin exhibit. It will serve as a stopping point for those who participating in interactive dolphin programs, and it also will function as a home for exhibits, dorms for visiting interns and a conference room for various school groups or summer camps, according to Coral World curator Lee Kellar.

Kellar said although Coral World is still waiting on an Army Corps of Engineer permit to begin any marine work, the education building will be put to use as soon as it is completed. He anticipates the project will be finished by May 1, in time for a May 12 conference of zoo educators that will be held at the facility.

The building will be used for an education program for children focused on teaching the seven principles of ocean literacy, even if the dolphin habitat itself is not finished. It will also provide housing for college interns on four-month programs, as they did not previously have a place to stay, and for one security staff member who will monitor the dolphins overnight, Kellar said.

The bottom floor is dedicated to the dolphin interactive program, and includes a veterinarian's office, changing rooms, gift shop, and a classroom for up to 60 people who would be participating in the "fairly involved" hour and a half experience. The proposed program contains one hour of indoor education and 30 minutes of swimming with Atlantic bottlenose dolphins, Kellar said.

"The goal is to inspire conservation of marine ecosystems," Kellar said. "We want to give participants a better understanding of not just dolphins, but the marine ecosystem as a whole. One of the seven principles is ‘one ocean,’ and we need to take care of it, whether we live in Maine, Florida or the Virgin Islands."

Construction on the building began in 2012, and once completed, will allow access to two parking lots to accommodate the expected rise of visitors and a tunnel so participants do not have to walk to the exhibit using the road.

Kellar said once the final permitting process is completed and the dolphin program begins, Coral World anticipates it will hire 30 to 35 photographers, educators, trainers, divers and maintenance personnel.

"We will be adding about 50 percent to our staff," Kellar said. "It's actually pretty exciting."

Coral World applied for an Army Corps permit for a $5.2 million, 70,000 square foot enclosure in Water Bay in 2012, but the project has since been met opposition over the impact on tourism, the environment and the welfare of the dolphins who will be housed in the enclosure. Coral World received local Coastal Zone Management permits from the Department of Planning and Natural Resources to initiate land construction, and the Army Corps of Engineers currently is waiting on a biological opinion from the National Marine Fisheries Service before initiating the next stage of application review, according to Army Corps spokesperson Nakeir Nobles.

However, the project is "absolutely" still on its way, said Coral World owner Trudie Prior, who first proposed the dolphinarium idea in 2010. The only work that has been done so far is the land-based construction that the facility already has permits for, but Coral World is preparing for the next phase by making plans for an educational program, identifying which dolphins will be sent to the facility and continuing to hear from the public about the project, according to Kellar.

Kellar said he has been meeting with some of those who have voiced concerns about the dolphinarium and since then has incorporated many of those ideas into the project. The main topics of concern have involved the fate of endangered corals that would need to be removed from the area, the water quality in Water Bay and the stress on the dolphins in captivity.

"I think on the biggest issues, most people agree 95-99 percent," Kellar said. "There are a few minor points we disagree on, but I think our goals match up. We all want what is best for the animals."

Kellar said some of the revisions to the project include making the marine enclosure smaller to avoid harming sea grass, changing the width of docks, building taller fences so dolphins cannot escape and using fiberglass grating to minimize the impact on sea grass and coral within the area.

Coral World also will use environmental liners inside the enclosure for water filtration and has developed an emergency plan in which dolphins will be moved into indoor water tanks in case of a hurricane, Kellar said.

One of the major concerns has been the fate of about 250 small endangered corals living within the proposed enclosure area.

However, Kellar said he thought there would be a "fairly small impact" on the coral, which will be relocated from precarious places and then monitored by a biologist.

"It has been a long, involved, process, and quite honestly, those vocal concerns were incorporated into the project," Kellar said. "In the end we think it's a better program and a more positive experience."

Kellar said Coral World, which recently joined and received accreditation by the international Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums, will be selecting dolphins for the program that already live in captivity and are related to one another. He is looking at having six dolphins to start and already has selected two 4-year-old females and two 5-year-old females who would be brought in from other zoos and programs once the habitat is completed.

Kellar said he welcomes public discussion as the project evaluation continues.

"We welcome one-on-one dialogue from folks; it has made the project better," Kellar said. "Reasonable and rational dialogue we like, talking about concerns we like. What we don't like is the nastiness that sometimes comes with it."

— Contact Ashley Mayrianne Jones at 340-714-9130 or email [email protected].

— ​Contact Ashley Mayrianne Jones at 340-714-9130 or email [email protected].