Discussions are underway to find a new use for the former dolphin enclosure at Fairmont Southampton Princess Hotel after high cost and logistical problems ruled out the possibility the pen could be rebuilt.

Hotel general manager Norman Mastalir said Dolphin Quest, which occupied the enclosure until Hurricane Gert hit in 1999 - damaging the pool and freeing four of the dolphins to the wild - would definitely not be moving back.

Dolphin Quest temporarily moved to the Maritime Museum pool at Dockyard but was originally hoping to be able to reoccupy its old home within a year.

However, it is more than two years since the hurricane struck, and the Fairmont Southampton Princess is still no closer to completing the renovations at the mammal enclosure.

"Dolphin Quest won't be coming back here at all," said Mr. Mastalir.

"We have not been able to come to an acceptable agreement on how to rebuild the facility so that it will be acceptable on the south shore.

"Being that the dolphins seem to be fine at Dockyard, I think they are going to stay there. We have been unable to work out the design, the cost and the conditions. A lot of different agencies have been involved.

"We have been trying to engineer it for two years. Frankly, the cost of it is prohibitive. It would have cost in excess of $3 million. Even if we had built the facility, there would have been no guarantee that it would have sustained a hurricane. We simply could not find a way to make it make sense for everybody."

Mr. Mastalir said he had no idea yet what the enclosure area would be used for.

He added: "We don't know what we are going to do with the area. We have to meet with officials from Government. We will have to discuss it further to see what we are going to do."

General manager of Dolphin Quest, Christine Mihelcic, said the dolphinarium was investigating its long-term options at Dockyard, and whether the enclosure could be further enhanced, extended or refurbished.

She said the facility was working with Marine and Ports to provide additional transport to the enclosure at Dockyard to enable more schools to visit, and was always looking to enhance its educational capacity.