Local News
Jelly Marine Life In The British Virgin Islands Waters Are Sea Salps
The jelly marine life currently in the British Virgin Islands’ waters are not jelly fish but sea salps, confirmed Marine Biologist Argel Horton
A Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources, and Climate Change June 26 statement said the presence of sea salps in the water was recently brought to the ministry’s attention.
Horton, who is also an Environmental Officer II, said sea salps are gelatinous creatures that are found in warm seas and are often overlooked in the world of marine biology.
She explained that they are “part of the tunicate family also known as sea squirts and are not harmful to humans, so residents don’t need to be nervous or scared when enjoying their usual visit to the beach.”
The Marine Biologist said the appearance of sea salps on beaches correlates to phytoplankton blooms within the water, which is their food source.
“The more phytoplankton is present in the water, the more abundant the sea salps will be as they reproduce themselves through cloning,” she noted, adding that the sea salps reproduce to match their food source.
“Their numbers will continue to increase until their food source is gone. They will then die off and wash up on the beach or sink to the ocean floor. They are important for cycling nutrients throughout the water column as they excrete nutrients to ocean communities,” Horton further explained.
There are about fifty species of salps in different parts of the ocean with some bearing the resemblance of little tubes, long snakes, and chandeliers hanging in the water. They can survive between two weeks and three months before being eaten by mackerel and tuna, or slowly fall to the seafloor where they are collected in vast quantities.
The Royal Virgin Islands Police Force has confirmed that Tarik Aaron was arrested shortly before midnight on Friday, April 17, on extradition orders issued by authorities in the United States Virgin Islands, and has since appeared before the Magistrate’s Court.
According to police, the arrest was carried out in connection with a request from USVI authorities, though further details have not been disclosed.
Aaron appeared before the Magistrate’s Court today and was denied bail.
Further updates are expected as more information becomes available.
The Civil Registry and Passport Office has announced an increase in fees for United Kingdom passports, effective April 8, 2026.
According to the office, the revised fees apply to new, renewal and replacement passport applications, as well as other related services.
Under the new structure, the cost for a new, renewal or replacement adult passport has been set at £116.50, while the fee for a child passport is £75.50. Adult frequent traveller passports will cost £130.50, and child frequent traveller passports £89.50.
The fee for changes to an existing passport will also be £116.50. In addition, a delivery fee of £14.32 will apply.
The Civil Registry and Passport Office advised that the updated fees are now in effect and apply to all relevant applications submitted on or after April 8.
A bill proposing wide-ranging changes to the Virgin Islands’ electoral system was introduced in the House of Assembly today, Tuesday, April 22, by Premier and Minister of Finance, Honourable Dr. Natalio D. Wheatley.
The proposed Elections (Amendment) Act, 2026, is based on consultations with stakeholders and recommendations from observer missions, as well as input from the Deputy Governor’s Office and the Office of the Supervisor of Elections.
“This is the Elections Amendment Act 2026, following extensive deliberations with a number of entities, including a committee of the House who looked at recommendations of various observer missions that came to The Virgin Islands,” Hon. Wheatley said during the continuation of the Second Sitting of the Third Session of the Fifth House of Assembly.
He said the bill also builds on work undertaken by the previous House of Assembly. “Also, the last House of Assembly looked at a number of recommendations that were forwarded through the Deputy Governor’s Office and the Office of the Supervisor of Elections,” he said.
Hon. Wheatley said the proposed amendments were developed through discussions on changes to the Elections Act. “We had very extensive discussions about amendments to the Elections Act, and of course, those recommendations were used to make this Amendment Act. This received its first reading some time ago, and now we are here to debate this Elections Act, so that it can therefore become law,” he said.
The bill introduces several reforms to the electoral framework, including expanded access to voting through mobile and curbside options for individuals with physical limitations and the formal use of assistive technologies for voters with disabilities.
It also provides for the establishment of a Department of Elections and an Elections Advisory Committee to oversee voter registration and election administration.
Additional provisions include a formal Code of Conduct for political parties and candidates, along with new rules governing campaign donations and political financing.
The legislation also proposes restrictions on the announcement of major public grants or projects shortly before an election, aimed at addressing potential incumbency advantages.
The bill has already received its first reading and is expected to be referred to a committee when the House of Assembly resumes on April 30, 2026, at 10 a.m., where it will undergo further review as part of the legislative process.
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