Our marine friends

Protecting whales and dolphins:

by Nilma DOLE

It isn't everyday you get to meet a dolphin and when you do, it can be one of your most memorable experiences in life. More than just catching the sight of a dolphin, just witnessing their behaviour, their graceful dances done in perfect harmony, their beauty and the friendly greeting sounds they make, just make it wonderful to be in their company. The scientific term for dolphins is 'cetaceans' and there are about 20 species which include certain whales. According to researchers, Sri Lanka's waters are known to be rich in cetacean species but dedicated cetacean surveys around the island have been lacking due to limited resources as Sri Lanka is a developing country.

It is this situation that increased the number of private tour operators to offer cheap and affordable whale-watching and dolphin sighting excursions with absolutely no regulations in force whatsoever.

Sad to say, after reading this article, many would travel even to the seven seas to try to catch a glimpse of our dolphin friends but they should do it responsibly and within the system.

Speaking to the Sunday Observer, Arjan Rajasuriya, a reseacher from the National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA) said, "A dolphin is a mammal that needs to come up to the surface to breathe and if there are boats chasing after it, they will no doubt be stressed and intimidated". He goes on to say, "It is unfortunate that many who profit from these ventures are quick to shun the existing regulations and last year, NARA had in fact submitted a proposal to all relevant authorities emphasising the urgency to enforce the law".

Naturalist and wildlife photographer Gehan De Silva Wijeyeratne, CEO of Jetwing Ecoholidays who had been on several whale-watching expeditions commented: "Watching dolphins should be done in a sustainable manner and I would advise people to be at a safe distance of 100 metres in the boat". He said that if dolphins 'bow ride' or swim together with your boat, do not increase the speed but carry on with the momentum until they swim away. "If a whale or a dolphin deliberately approaches you, turn off the engine and allow the boat to drift until it becomes disinterested". He advises people not to ride too close to the dolphins and preferably use binoculars or magnifiable cameras.

One of the foremost experts on marine mammals especially with regard to dolphins, whales and dugongs (sea cows), scientific advisor Anouk D. Ilangakoon has studied on cetaceans off Sri Lanka since 1985 doing international projects as well. "I studied small cetacean species diversity off the west coast of Sri Lanka for my M.Sc. research project and have also carried out large whale sighting surveys off Sri Lanka." Additionally, Anouk has worked on cetacean strandings and bycatch issues in Sri Lanka where she authored the first guide book on whales and dolphins off Sri Lanka which was published in 2002.

In her research project done with the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society on 'Cetacean conservation in Sri Lanka', she underscored "It is well documented that small cetaceans regularly form a part of the accidental fisheries bycatch in Southern Sri Lanka." She recently revealed in her document titled 'Unregulated whale and dolphin watching in Southern Sri Lanka' that whale-watching tours are beginning to pose problems as there are no regulatory measures in place to ensure the safety of whales.

Mirissa Water Sports, a community based organization that has already expressed its interest to expand their present water sport activities to embrace ecotourism has decided to include proper whale-watching excursions.

We went to see the dolphins on an early Thursday morning on a boat operated by the Ceylon Fisheries Harbours Corporation in collaboration with Walkers Tours. Ours was a 12 passenger crew with a lifeguard and the boat rider, who were experienced and knowledgeable. We were asked to wear our life jackets before we embarked on our journey and sped about an hour into the middle of the deep blue waters.

The standard procedure was to ride close to the mammal to observe it but at a reasonable distance not to interfere with its movements. We happened to notice another long boat with a noisy engine where tourists literally sat with their legs hanging off the boat with no safety precautions. On the horizon, we could also see a fleet of other boats closing in. This proves that the absence of a regulatory framework wreaks havoc to marine mammals which will ultimately result in their total disappearance.

The Chairman of the Ceylon Fishery Harbours Corporation Asanga Abeyagoonasekara concluded: "Education and awareness is the key and we need to quickly formulate a plan to regulate whale and dolphin watching otherwise we will lose them forever".