William Tobias
Oral Histories about Great Pond lagoon, St Croix as part of the Great Pond Restoration Action Plan
St. Croix, USVI has only a handful of coastal lagoons that serve as critical habitats for many commercial marine fish species, as well as providing other ecosystem services for the small island community. Great Pond Lagoon, located in the East End Marine Park, is one such area that contributes to food security and hazard mitigation. As part of restoration planning for this priority site, the territory has included oral histories from community leaders. These perspectives provide historical context and characterization of Great Pond over time and highlight the importance of restoration for the future.
This project was made possible by principal investigators at the Department of Planning and Natural Resources Division of Coastal Zone Management (CZM), including the Coastal Resilience Coordinator Hilary Lohmann and the East End Marine Park Coordinator Kelcie Troutman. The oral histories were funded by NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management and produced by Soundstage VI through an agreement between CZM and Tysam Tech, LLC to host a community charrette and produce a Great Pond Restoration Action Plan. More information can be found on the project website and DPNR’s website.
William Tobias (“Toby”) worked as a fisheries biologist for the Division of Fish and Wildlife for 31 years until his retirement in 2010. He first arrived in St. Croix in 1972 as a student with the West Indies Laboratory. Since then, Tobias has also served on both the Fisheries Advisory Committee for the island of St. Croix and the Caribbean Fishery Management Council.
Scope and Content Note
During the interview, Tobias provides detailed commentary on the ecological diversity of St. Croix’s coastal environments as well as the challenges of implementing effective conservation measures. Tobias came to know the Great Pond area particularly well through his work on a two-year study examining mangrove fish habitats in the early 2000s. He recounts the study’s trapping techniques and findings, noting how the Pond has since changed over the last two decades. Tobias explains how Great Pond–like many of the ponds across St. Croix–has lost some of its ecological functions due to factors such as sedimentation, shoaling, and storm events. He emphasizes the need for stronger legislation, especially in regards to the Pond’s upland watershed. For Tobias, Great Pond has the potential to be an important fishery and recreational site; however, realizing the restoration of Great Pond depends on better regulating processes like development planning or waste disposal. The interview closes with Tobias’s reflections on the value of education and the future of Great Pond.
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