By Robyn Adderley
Minister of Agriculture, Marine Resources and Family Island Affairs, the Hon. Clay Sweeting, during his first official visit to Grand Bahama on Thursday had a tour of Coral Vita, the coral restoration facility on the island.
Following the tour conducted by co-founder and president Gator Halpern, The Minister congratulated the owners of the facility on their recent award, the prestigious Earthshot Prize 2021 in the Revive Our Oceans category and described what they are doing as “tremendous work.” Coral Vita is a non-profit coral farm, growing more resistant, diverse coral to restore dying reefs in The Bahamas and around the world.
“As Minister for Marine Resources, it is vital that we find ways to increase capacity in our fishing waters, and Coral Vita has found ways to assist us in replenishing our coral system.” Minister Sweeting further described the work as “transformative” and pledged support from his ministry.
Continuing, he said, with climate change and the attendance at the recent COP26 conference, “I think we’re all interconnected to find ways to adapt to climate change in regard to mangrove systems and coral revitalization.”
Minister Sweeting was accompanied on the tour by Minister for Grand Bahama the Hon. Ginger Moxey, and by Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Marine Resources and Family Island Affairs, Theo Lightbourne.
More photo highlights below:
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MINISTER CLAY SWEETING visited Grand Bahama on his first official visit on
Thursday. (BIS Photo/Lisa Davis) -
Following the tour of Coral Vita, the coral restoration facility on
Grand Bahama, Minister of Agriculture, Marine Resources and Family Island
Affairs, the Hon. Clay Sweeting (center front row) paused to have a group photo
with operators of the establishment. Shown from left in the front row are Allanah
Vellacott, Coral Restoration Specialist; Minister for Grand Bahama, the Hon.
Ginger Moxey; Minister Sweeting; and Gator Halpern, co-founder and president.
Shown from left in the back row are: Joel Lewis, permanent secretary, Ministry of
Agriculture, Marine Resources and Family Island Affairs; Theo Lightbourne,
Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Marine Resources and
Family Island Affairs; and Harcourt Brown, permanent secretary, Ministry for Grand Bahama. (BIS Photo/Lisa Davis) -
Minister of Agriculture, Marine Resources and Family
Island Affairs, the Hon. Clay Sweeting (at right) made his first official visit to Grand
Bahama on Thursday. Accompanied by Minister for Grand Bahama, the Hon.
Ginger Moxey (left), the group toured Coral Vita, which was led by one its
founders, Gator Halpern (second left). Coral Vita is a coral restoration facility on
the island that won the prestigious Earthshot Prize 2021 in the ‘Revive Our
Oceans’ category recently: Minister Sweeting pledged his Ministry’s support tothe coral farm facility. Also on the tour was Parliamentary Secretary in Ministry of
Agriculture, Marine Resources and Family Island Affairs, Theo Lightbourne. (BIS
Photos/Lisa Davis)
