The Pearl Protectors

Introduction to Mariculture

The Pearl Protectors — Fri, 28 Apr 2023 11:33:47 +0000

By Janya Edirisinghe

Mariculture, commonly known as marine farming, is a specialised subset of aquaculture, that is practiced in seawater habitats and lagoons as opposed to in freshwater aquaculture. Fish like sea bream, cod, halibut, and sea bass are examples of products cultivated through mariculture. It accounts for about 40% of the world’s aquaculture production. Countries such as China, Japan and Indonesia are some of the top mariculture-producing countries.

What are the types of Mariculture?

Mollusk Culture

Clams, oysters, scallops, and mussels are popular sea animals that can be farmed in regions with temperate climates. The process of mariculture involves initially collecting larvae from natural habitats or artificially fertilized larvae grown in hatcheries. Usually, parents are captured and taken to spawn their children in captivity.

Then, the larvae are taken to a different location to grow where hanging culture is practised, where they can grow suspended on strings, trays, stacks or mesh bags that hang from long lines floating in the water.

A few other methods of growing molluscs include vertical/rack culture, where they grow directly on sticks staked into the ground or on racks upheld by posts and bottom culture in which clams, for example, grow on shells, rocks or cement slabs on the sea floor. Also, molluscs such as abalone are grown in tanks.

Crustacean culture

Shrimp are mostly grown in tropical regions. Initially, the babies are grown in hatcheries, and they are then taken to grow in ponds, concrete raceways, and tanks. The shrimp ponds used to be located in rice fields and mangrove forests all around the world, but the subsequent destruction of mangrove areas has encouraged farmers to grow shrimp in inland ponds filled with transported seawater instead.

Marine Plant Culture

Most marine aquatic plants such as seaweed are grown in temperate regions. The plants used for breeding are originally sourced from their natural environment. Most farmed plants tend to be grown in hatcheries and once they reach a certain life stage, the plants are transferred to grow sites where the young plants are grown attached to suspended lines or floating rafts, in bottom cultures anchored to the sea floor and in inland tanks, similar to the way that molluscs are grown.

Finfish culture

Finfish are farmed in both temperate and tropical regions. Their defining feature is that they have fins and an example of a finfish includes salmon, which is also an example of a diadromous fish and these are the types of fish that migrate between the ocean and freshwater. Marine farming involves raising these diadromous fish.

Farmed finfish are first born in hatcheries and are then put into tanks and transferred to growth sites after the fertilised eggs hatch.

Finfish can be grown in pens, cages and large tanks. Pens are anchored to the sea floor in shallow waters. Cages can be located inshore or offshore. Inshore cages are usually in shallow waters with more protected areas that have less water circulation compared to offshore cages that are in deep water which has better water circulation and more exposure to storms.

The fish can also be grown in ponds that feature canals and dikes to help supply and drain water from pond compartments. Recirculating systems are used to control the water supplied to these ponds and factors such as temperature, as well as physical and chemical properties are taken into consideration.

Finfish are also subject to methods of growing called enhancement and ranching. At the inception, the fish are released at a young age to help restock free-living populations. Afterwards, the fish are captured in open waters that are artificially enclosed. Sea ranching is a method of mariculture that is also used to grow molluscs, crustaceans, marine plants and other marine organisms.

Over time, the raising of fish in cages close to the shore or in bays has caused severe ecological issues including contamination, disease, increased fish mortality, and severe damage to marine ecology, quality of the environment, and tourism.

To conclude, although world fish production from capture fisheries levelled off during the 1990s, demand for seafood continues to increase rapidly. This is because of the growth of the human population and the widespread view that seafood is healthy food. Scientists believe that the natural products from the ocean will not increase so to meet the rise in demand for seafood, both mariculture and fresh-water aquaculture will have to increase significantly. However, while several species are being reared successfully by marine culturists, various desirable species such as crabs and lobsters are very difficult to rear due to their life cycles being difficult to control under culture conditions or simply because they are way too complex.

Header Image: A fish farm off the coast of Greece. Photo by Artur Rydzewski

Are We Killing Them Softly? Anthropologic Impact on Sea Turtles

The Pearl Protectors — Thu, 27 Apr 2023 13:01:12 +0000

By Samudra De Silva

From the shallow seagrass beds of the Indian Ocean, and vivid reefs of coral triangle to sandy coasts of the Eastern Pacific, seven different species of sea turtles swim through our ocean waters. As a highly migratory species, turtles periodically come ashore to nest, and spend the most of their lives in the ocean. For more than a hundred million years, sea turtles have played a crucial role in sustaining the balance of our marine ecosystems. They fortify productive coral reefs and transfer nutrients from the ocean to coastal dunes. Over the last two centuries, human activities have growingly challenged the survival of these ancient mariners.

Today Sea turtles are being completely erased from some parts of the planet and pushed to the verge of extinction. Nearly all seven existing species of sea turtles are now classified as endangered, with three of them being critically endangered. But at the same time, sea turtles are one of the most loved and discussed among marine animals. There is hardly anybody who hate these graceful flippers. It is important to review how we knowingly or unknowingly have doomed their lives.

Sea turtles are victims of poaching and over exploitation. They have been slaughtered for human consumption and their meat, skin, and shells are traded as food, medicine, collectibles, and spiritual artifacts over the years in unsustainable levels. Turtle eggs are collected from nesting sites as food and for their alleged aphrodisiac effect. Hawksbill turtles are hunted for their unique gold and brown shells used in making jewelry and other collectibles. Many other sea turtle species are killed for their skin, which is sold as a raw material for leather accessories. A global assessment on illegal marine turtle exploitation, demonstrate that over 1.1 million sea turtles were exploited from 1990-2020 against existing laws prohibiting their use in 65 countries with over 44,000 turtles exploited annually over the past decade. Exploitation across the 30 years dominantly consisted of green (56%) and hawksbill (39%) turtles when identified by species. International trade of all species of sea turtles and their parts is prohibited under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), a global agreement among 173 governments to regulate or ban international trade in species under threat, yet illegal trafficking persists, especially in parts of Africa, Asia and the America.

Bycatch or the incidental capture by fishing gear is lethal to most sea turtles, especially endangered loggerhead turtles, greens turtles, and leatherback turtles. Worldwide, hundreds of thousands of sea turtles are caught up in shrimp trawl nets, gill nets, and on longline hooks every year. Since sea turtles need to reach the water surface to breathe, many drown once entangled in the nets or hooks. This threat is increasing alarmingly as fishing activity expands. However, some relatively inexpensive changes in fishing gear, such as using larger hooks from which sea turtles can escape, is observed to bring down the mortality rate. Turtle excluder devices (TEDs) could reduce sea turtle bycatch in nets as well.

Along with many other species, sea turtles face habitat loss. Feeding grounds of turtles such as sea grass beds and coral reefs are continually deteriorated by natural and human activities including sedimentation, nutrient run off from agriculture, and beach restoration through sand filling. Human development projects such as beach nourishment, parks, rock jetties, and buildings on beaches can reduce the amount and quality of available nesting sites for sea turtles. Human generated light is a serious threat to newly hatched sea turtles. Hatchlings are naturally attracted to light as the brightest area on a natural beach is the horizon over the ocean. Bright light emitted from streetlights and building on beaches causes hatchlings to become disoriented, crawling towards the light on the land and away from the water. Some beaches with high turtle nesting density have lost thousands of hatchlings due to impact of artificial light. There are recorded cases where large number of hatchlings were run over by vehicles after disorienting and crawling onto roadway. Noise and human activity on the beach also may cause females turtles to return to the sea instead of nesting.

Pollution, both chemical and physical, has become fatal. Trash in ocean and along coastlines, lowers the quality of their feeding grounds and nesting sites. Turtles seem to confuse solo drifting debris with their diet, and many turtles are dying from intestinal blockage due to ingestion of balloons and plastic bags which resemble their gelatinous translucent prey (jelly fish). A recent study shows that loggerheads ate plastic 17% of the time they encountered it, mistaking it for jellyfish. It escalated to 62% for green turtles, likely on the lookout for algae. The chemicals ingested from the plastic can leach into their eggs and affect offspring. A high level of phthalates has been measured in Leatherback turtle eggs’ yolks, which can disrupt endocrine activity in hatchlings. In 2015, an Olive Ridley sea turtle was found with a plastic drinking straw lodged inside its nostrils. Sharp objects found in marine debris can cause both internal and external injuries in sea turtles, which turns lethal. Sea turtles are vulnerable to oil spills because of the oil’s tendency to linger on the water’s surface, and affect them at all stages of their life cycle.

Climate change which is a long term and inevitable outcome of pollution has an impact on turtle nesting sites, as alterations in sand temperatures of the nest which determines the sex of hatchlings. Unusually warm temperatures are disrupting the normal ratios, biasing towards females resulting in fewer male hatchlings, or even preventing any of the eggs from hatching. The right balance between sexes is a determining factor for the continued procreation of this critically endangered species. Warmer sea surface temperatures can also lead to the loss of important foraging grounds for sea turtles, while increasingly severe storms and rising sea levels can destroy nests and erode beaches, making safe nesting sites severely scarce. Altering ocean currents, which are the highways that sea turtles use for migration, cause them to possibly have to shift their range and nesting time.

Unregulated leisure activities organized by travel and tourism businesses, such as “swim with sea turtles” followed by tourists feeding the animals, are exposing them to health risks. Too much of human intervention can disturb beaching turtles and scare them away. Often such activities are conducted with primitive knowledge on the behavior of these sensitive marine creatures, and only focuses on the financial gain. There are recorded cases where captive turtles are used for such businesses. Not only is it unethical and illegal, keeping away a mature animal that could reproduce, and stopping it from contributing to the genetic pool is ill- fated for the survival of a species, specially an endangered one.

Mismanaged conservation efforts such as sea turtle hatcheries seem to impact sea turtles in an opposing way than what they are planned for – which is to protect, rehabilitate and release back into the wild. Usually the turtle eggs are collected from the beach so as to avoid the risk of poachers and predators. Once the turtles hatch, they are monitored and released in to the ocean. Research demonstrates that relocating eggs alter hatchling gender ratios as well as the hatchling rate, possibly due to unusually warmer temperatures and overcrowding. In natural circumstances, the hatchlings are supposed to enter sea as soon as they hatch. Unfortunately, commercial turtle hatcheries act as tourist bait until an entrance fee is paid to release the sea turtles to the ocean, and they are kept in cement tanks until then. The cement tanks cannot simply replicate a sea environment in terms of salinity and the space that the sea turtles are habituated to, as highly migratory animals. Overpopulated, unhygienic and poorly maintained tanks caused spread of diseases among captive hatchlings, and allowing tourists to touch them further increases the risk of contamination and diseases. Hatchlings lose their stored energy by swimming continually in tanks at its critical stage of development, downgrading their survival rate when they eventually swim out to the deep ocean. Rehabilitation through hatcheries also interfere with the unique imprinting mechanism of sea turtles which naturally guide them to return to their natal beach to lay their own eggs someday.

Such human generated threats to sea turtles are escalating along with the rising human populations around the world. In-situ conservation, strengthening protected areas around nesting beaches, raising public awareness on the behavior of sea turtles, promoting ecotourism, lobbying for turtle friendly fishing practices, and minimizing of plastic debris and chemical contaminants which end up in the sea, will be helpful to ensure the tomorrow of those unique and graceful mariners who share the planet with us.

Header Image: NPS Photo via US National Park Service

Current Data on Global Warming (2023)

The Pearl Protectors — Thu, 27 Apr 2023 12:35:36 +0000

Janya Edirisinghe

Global warming is an aspect of climate change and refers to the long-term rise of the planet’s temperatures. It is caused by an increase in concentrations of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere, which is mainly derived from human activities such as burning fossil fuels and farming.

In recent times, the planet’s temperatures have been rising at an alarming rate, which imposes a threat to mankind. Mentioned below are graphs/maps prepared by NASA on the changing global temperatures.

The graph above illustrates the significant rise in temperatures between the years 1880 and 2020. Continuing this trend in rising temperatures, the global temperature increase was 1.6 degrees Fahrenheit (0.89 degrees Celsius), making the year 2022, the Earth’s 5th warmest year since 1880, and the last 9 consecutive years have been the warmest 9 years on record. This means Earth in 2022 was about 2 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than the late 19th-century average.

The colour-coded maps above show how global temperatures have progressed between 1884 and 2022. Dark blue indicates areas cooler than average. Dark red indicates areas warmer than average.

As per the maps above, we can see how global temperatures in 1884 and 2022 were in two extremes where global temperatures in some areas were cooler than average in 1884 as opposed to global temperatures being warmer in some areas than average in 2022.

The extra heat is driving regional and seasonal temperature extremes, reducing snow cover and sea ice, intensifying heavy rainfall, and changing habitat range for plants and animals—expanding some and shrinking others. Many communities from around the world are experiencing the impacts brought about by climate change. For example, within the last year, Pakistan was devastated by heavy torrential monsoon rains and a persistent megadrought was brought about in the U.S. Southwest. In September of 2022, Hurricane Ian became one of the strongest and costliest hurricanes to ever strike the US.

In conclusion, research has shown that global temperatures are expected to rise further in the years to come.

Header Image: Flood victims from monsoon rain use a makeshift barge to carry hay for cattle, in Jaffarabad, a district of Pakistan’s southwestern Baluchistan province, on Sept. 5, 2022. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan)

The Blue Dragon Species

The Pearl Protectors — Thu, 27 Apr 2023 11:04:40 +0000

By Janya Edirisinghe

Glaucus Atlanticus, commonly known as the blue dragon/blue glaucus are a species of nudibranches (sea slugs). However, unlike terrestrial sea slugs, these sea slugs are very brightly coloured. These colours have inspired a series of nicknames, such as blue dragon, sea swallow, and blue angel.

CHARACTERISTICS AND APPEARANCE

The Blue Dragon species is pelagic which means that they float on the water surface, due to the air stored inside their stomachs, which is not a common characteristic of most nudibranchs. The creature often floats on its backside, showing its brightly coloured underbelly to airborne predators. The bright and dark blue colour camouflage against the backdrop of ocean waves, and the animal’s silvery grey dorsal blends in with the bright sea surface, concealing it from predators below. The deep blue colour may also help reflect harmful UV rays. This phenomenon is called countershading where the animal is built in a way to help it avoid being attacked by both flying and swimming predators while floating in open water.

Additionally, the Blue Glaucus has a flattened, tapered body, along with six appendages that branch out into finger-like cerata – they almost look like horns. Cerata are long, slender structures that sting when hunting or when the Blue Glaucus feels threatened.

FOOD AND DIET

Like other sea slug species, the blue glaucus isn’t venomous by itself. They store venom in their bodies mostly derived as they feed on other pelagic, venomous creatures including the Portuguese Man o’ War and the Blue Button Jelly. These sea slugs will then store these toxins within their own tissues. The blue dragon has hard disks inside its skin and a protective layer of mucus that shields them against these stinging cells – of which it can accumulate a significant amount. This ability provides the blue glaucus with a defence mechanism against predation. Cannibalism is also very common between this species – these slugs won’t hesitate to eat other Blue Glaucus if they are unable to find other pelagic creatures to feast on.

HABITAT

Glaucus Atlanticus thrive in warm temperate climates and are usually found in tropical/subtropical waters. These sea slugs are passive swimmers which means that they are carried along by the winds and ocean currents. A group of blue glaucuses floating together is called a ‘blue fleet’. Since they float with the current, these ‘blue fleets’ can end up being stranded in beaches accidentally and they can be found in almost every ocean – there are several records of these creatures being found along Indian coastlines. Humans handling the slug may receive a very painful and potentially dangerous sting, hence it is not advisable to have close contact with these creatures. One thing to keep in mind is that the venom of the Blue Glaucus remains active even after it dies!

Interestingly, Blue Glaucus are now appearing in regions where they have never been seen before and scientists theorize that this may be due to the cyclical changes in the Portuguese Man o’ War populations, warming oceans and increased storm activity.

LIFESPAN AND REPRODUCTION

The life expectancy of the Blue Dragon is short and ranges from between one month to one year.

The Blue Glaucus, like all nudibranchs, is hermaphroditic – each individual produces both egg and sperm. An individual cannot fertilize its own eggs, however, and hence pairs must still mate. Long, spiral-shaped eggs are produced by both males and females and often float freely in the open water or stick to nearby surfaces.

THREATS

Many people want to add these creatures to aquariums all around the world, but keeping the Blue Glaucus in confinement is impractical because of its diet, as it is nearly impossible to obtain the required number of Portuguese Man o’ War, and those kept as pets often starve to death.

Moreover, ocean acidification caused by an increase in C02 levels due to global warming has led to a reduction of food that the Portuguese man o’ war eats (such as shrimp and small adult fish), eventually threatening Blue Glaucus populations.

Additionally, pollution represents an ongoing threat to the survival of Blue Glaucus. Harmful objects can be fatal to this sea slug as well as the toxins in the trash.

As mentioned above, cannibalism is common among this species, so other Blue Glaucus impose a threat to this sea slug. Few studies that have been conducted on the Blue Glaucus, show that loggerhead sea turtles may be one natural predator. A study on this species found that 42% of their stomachs contained remnants of blue dragons.

In conclusion, like most marine invertebrates, there is little information available regarding the conservation status of the Blue Glaucus, therefore, more research has to be done into this area, so that these creatures do not go into extinction.

An Introduction to Blast Fishing

The Pearl Protectors — Thu, 26 Jan 2023 07:58:12 +0000

By Nathasha Wickramasinghe

Dynamite fishing, more commonly known as ‘blast fishing’, is a fishing technique where dynamite or other explosives are used to stun/kill fish. The explosions send shock waves through the water, which stuns, kills, or ruptures the fish’s swim bladder (i.e., the organ that controls their buoyancy). Once the dead fish surfaces the water, they are collected with ease and sold at fish markets.

This is a highly destructive technique as it kills any animal and flora in the blast area ranging from fish eggs, and plankton to whales and coral reefs. It completely destroys fish habitats, thereby affecting the livelihoods of fish communities.

One of the most devastating impacts of blast fishing is on coral reefs. Coral reefs are built by coral polyps which are small soft-bodied organisms that are related to anemones and jellyfish. These coral polyps secrete calcium carbonate which creates the foundation for baby corals to grow. But bomb fragments used in various explosives will completely shatter the skeleton of the coral (which is the calcium carbonate built up over time), thus reducing it to rubble. After such damage, it would usually take up to 9 – 12 years to recover coral reefs. However, it will never return to the condition it was before the disturbance. This destroys a prominent underwater habitat, home to more than 7000 species ranging from sponges, oysters, crustaceans to reef shark, sea turtles etc.

One of the most recent cases of blast fishing is in Sabah, Malaysia. Blast fishing was not a common practice as it is now post-COVID-19. This is due to the loss of the local communities’ source of income that is tourism. The situation was so devastating in Sabah that approximately 15 blasts could be heard per hour and less than 25% of the coral reef is now intact.

Furthermore, food insecurity will start to arise due to shortages of fish variety in the long run. Thus, if it is not rectified, then the quality of living standards in these coastal areas will start to fall and the inequality in terms of income and access to basic necessities like food within the community will start to rise.

As the awareness of the consequences of blast fishing is increasing, people around the world have come up with various solutions. For example, after the detrimental impacts on the coral reefs of the northern part of the islands of Borneo in Sabah, Malaysia, a Hong-Kong based non-governmental organization called ‘ Stop Fish Bombing ‘, has collaborated with a California technology company called ‘Shot Spotter’ to create gunshot locating technology that can be used to detect fish bombs underwater. The technology uses acoustic sensing, location technology, and emerging surveillance and monitoring systems, which allows the organization to easily detect any underwater disruptions. With this technology, we are able to create a global detection system, allowing us to put a stop to this illegal fishing activity around the world.

The Stop Fish Bombing organization has further collaborated with Anti Fish bombing committee of Sabah government, WWF Malaysia and Reef check Malaysia, and Sabah Environment Trust, to develop new policies that complies with the Government’s sustainable development Goal 14 (i.e., conserve & sustainably use the oceans, seas, and marine resources for sustainable development). These new policies can be imposed to stop blast fishing and ensure sustainability in the marine environment.

Another major case was the illegal practice of blast fishing in Tanzania even after banning it once again in 2003. Initially it started in the early 1960’s after begin firstly introduced by the Europeans during World war 2 and was banned in 1970.

\Blast fishing in Tanzania was banned under the revised fisheries act in 2003. The Fisheries Act states that it is an act to repeal and replace the Fisheries Act of 1970. It is to make provision for sustainable development, conservation, protection, aqua culture development and regulation of marine products. The government in 2003 further imposed a sentence of five years for dynamite fishing and 12 months just for the possession of these explosives.

Dozens of kerosene bombs were tossed into the Indian Ocean mainly along the coastlines of Mtwara to Tanga. These explosives were derived from mines/road construction firms or simply just made at home. They are very easy to make, accessible, and cheap, making the use of blast fishing more frequent. The explosives will produce an underwater shock that will rupture the fishes swim bladder. The fish will then float to the surface where the Tanzanian fisherman will scoop them up in their fishing nets.

In order to reduce the impact of blast fishing, environmental organizations such as Mwambo coastal community network (non-profit organization) and Multi – Agency Task Team collaborated to target and control individuals involved in the illegal practice and seize their assets.

In addition to that, the Tanzania Blast Monitoring Network is conducting awareness campaigns within local communities, educating the young generation about the habitual destruction caused by dynamite fishing.

Today, blast fishing is prohibited in many countries around the world however, it is still a common practice in southern parts of Asia such as Malaysia and Philippines despite many laws begin enforced on this illegal practice.

Header Image: Zu Yien – Fotolia

4th PET Bottle Christmas Tree by the Pearl Protectors

The Pearl Protectors — Mon, 16 Jan 2023 11:48:31 +0000

By Tania de Silva

This past Christmas, The Pearl Protectors constructed a 12 feet tall Christmas tree at Wellawatta Beach with the support of their enthusiastic volunteers and in partnership with Zerotrash LK. For the fourth consecutive year, this PET Bottle Christmas tree was constructed by using 1500+ discarded plastic bottles collected from the shorelines of Sri Lanka.

The determined team met on the 21st and 22nd of December 2022 at Zero Trash Boralesgamuwa and on the 23rd & 24th of December 2022 at Wellawatta Beach with the motive of advocating for the reduced usage of plastic and for the purpose of protecting the marine environment. Prior to this, PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) bottles were collected and stored from all the beach clean-ups conducted during 2022. All PET bottles were cleaned, water was included as weight, strings attached, and the bottles had to be classified according to the size, before being transported to Wellawatta.

On day three, all bottles which were prepared at Zerotrash were brought to Wellawatta Beach. Volunteers from The Pearl Protectors, with the support of team members of the Rotaract Club of Informatics Institute of Technology, started hanging the bottles to create the outer structure of this tree. During the course of construction, Grade 5 students from Imbulana Sri Sena Maha Vidyalaya visited to witness the construction of the tree where they also saw the ocean for the first time.

On the 24th, the last day of the tree construction, the last batch of bottles was hung on the tree and the lights were added with the support of a handful of passionate volunteers from The Pearl Protectors, Asha Foundation, and Visakha Vidyalaya Interactors. Sri Lanka Coast Guard also showed their support towards the lighting of the tree.

The PET Bottle Christmas tree was made for the fourth year in a row to recognize the challenges posed to our marine environment due to single-use plastics. The tree reminded us of the lasting negative impacts of single-use plastic on our oceans and beaches and reminded us all to cut down on its usage because most often than not, the plastic items that we use – such as plastic bottles – are sure to end up littering our oceans and beaches. Not only is this an eyesore, but it also threatens marine animals and the marine ecosystem.

In conclusion, The Pearl Protector volunteers deconstructed the PET Bottle Christmas tree, and all the bottles were sent for recycling through Zerotrash LK (Pvt) Ltd. The Pearl Protectors were grateful to all the passionate volunteers who came to support the preparation, construction, and dismantling of the tree

Header Image: Road Media/Nazly Ahmed

Status of the Shark Fin Industry in Sri Lanka

The Pearl Protectors — Fri, 16 Dec 2022 12:27:40 +0000

By Savithri Sellapperumage

One third of chondrichthyan species such as sharks, rays, and chimeras are facing extinction, mainly due to unsustainable fishing. This phenomenon is exacerbated with high demand for dried shark fins worldwide.

Shark fins are extracted using several methods; by removing the fin upon catching the shark, which is then not discarded and as another method, using a practice of finning where fins are cut off after catching a shark and their mutilated body is then tossed back to sea. However, in the latter method, the shark is often alive after cutting its fins and they meet a painful end by bleeding, drowning, and starving to death. Therefore, it is prohibited in most countries around the world. Any shark of any age are hunted for their fins however, fins of sharks such as Blue Shark, Whale Shark, and Basking Shark are most traded and sought after. Shark fins are used for cuisine in Asia and used for medicinal purposes as well. Shark fin soup is very costly, as much as $100.00 a bowl served for Chinese nobility, weddings and ceremonies and Dried shark fin is the most expensive seafood product, sold for upwards of $1,000 per kilogram ($2,200 per pound).

Sri Lankan waters are home to over 100 species of sharks and rays and at least 64% of them are listed in the IUCN Red List reported threatened. Shark fin exportation has been in practice in Sri Lanka for decades. However, shark populations has reported to be declining in the waters of Sri Lanka owing to overfishing practices. Accordingly, shark fishing too has been reported to have declined over the years with the declining shark population in Sri Lankan waters as well as increasing trend of fishing Tuna.

Shark fin export industry in Sri Lanka

In Sri Lanka, sharks are caught as a bycatch and in small scale target fishing. The process of shark products exportation is reported as follows; the caught sharks are unloaded from the boat and then are removed of its fins. Then, meat and dried fins are exported to relevant countries.

In the international market, Hong Kong is the largest importer of Shark fins: European countries such as Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, France and Italy too have become key suppliers of shark Fin. Meanwhile Sri Lanka exports to countries including Hongkong and Singapore.

Sri Lanka’s shark fins exports are classified as:

1. Frozen fish fins, heads, tails, maws, and other edible fish offal (excl. livers, roes, milt and shark fins)

2. Fresh or chilled shark fins

3. Prepared or preserved shark fins, whole or in pieces

4. Shark fins, smoked, dried, salted or in brine

5. Frozen shark fins

Following figure depicts the values and top destinations of dried shark fins exported by Sri Lanka from 2012- 2017.

Several online platforms too indicate Sri Lankan sellers (as individuals traders and companies) of Shark fins available for exportation; go4worldbusiness.com is one of the sites.

Via the diagram below, the status of Shark fin exportation for over 15 years is depicted. The quantities are observed to be fluctuating however, exportation trends have increased gradually during the recent period of 2013- 2019.

Rules and Regulations for shark fin industry in Sri Lanka

Laws pertaining to the shark fin industry differ from country to country. While some countries prohibit finning, they do not prohibit sale of fins purchased elsewhere. In Sri Lanka, the approach is two fold; 1. to better utilize the carcass of a shark caught 2. to ensure the protection of endangered shark species.

Among many institutions responsible of conservation of biodiversity in Sri Lanka such as the Department of Wildlife conservation, one of the main institutions established with the legal mandate to manage all fisheries in Sri Lanka is Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DFAR). In 2015, legislation placed in 2001 was updated and gazette was enacted to prohibit shark finning and the discarding as per Gazette 1938/2 – October 26, 2015. Accordingly, removal of fins of any shark onboard a vessel, the discarding of a carcass from which the fins have been removed, retention onboard, transshipment, or landing of fins unless naturally attached to the body of the shark are prohibited.

Additionally, Sri Lanka is accountable to international regulations established under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) all of which seek to conserve shark varieties including endangered, avoid Illegal Unreported and Unregulated fishing.

Sri Lanka compiled National Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks in 2013 and was revised in 2018. Strategic objectives of the SLNPOA-Sharks (2018-2022) are; 1. Implementing Laws and legal frameworks necessary for the conservation of Shark species in Sri Lankan waters by 2026; 2. Harvesting strategies, together with harvest control rules and tools consistent with the principles of biological sustainability and rational long-term economic use are in place and implemented for key Shark species including but not limited to one or more directed Shark fishery, silky shark, blue shark and mobulids, by 2026; 3. Critical Shark habitats are protected through MPAs (including Fisheries Management Areas)22and marine biodiversity and ecosystem structure and function necessary for the conservation and management of Sharks are maintained, by 2026.

Challenges of regulating shark fin industry in Sri Lanka.

Despite regulations established, Sri Lanka continues to report illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing of sharks thus making it impossible to track data of shark fin industry. The issue is exacerbated as, aside from requiring all sharks to be landed with fins attached to the body, majorly only few species enjoy legal protection: the pelagic thresher sharks, bigeye thresher sharks, common thresher sharks, oceanic whitetip sharks, and whale sharks. Fishing regulations on unsustainable fishing methods such as bottom trawling or dynamite fishing are poorly enforced. Traders or companies continue to illegally export shark fins without permits. Regulations remain on paper with lack of enforcement. Due to dualistic legal system, implementation of international regulations such as CITES remain challenging.

However for an instance of compliance to CITES, a recent instance of seizing Illegal exporting of endangered shark species’ (Shortfin Mako Shark and the Hammerhead Shark) listed under CITES red list fins in 2021 accounting to 200-300 sharks can be sited as a positive development.

Strengthening legislation and institutional capacities to tackle illegal shark finning, increase research and data gathering to maintain an updated database of shark fin industry are needs of the hour.

Cover Image by Antony Dickson

What Killed Freya The Walrus?

The Pearl Protectors — Fri, 16 Dec 2022 12:10:02 +0000

By Govini Elvitigala

Freya was a 600 kg female walrus who gained fame wandering Northern European waters. Her journey started in the Arctic and ended tragically in the Oslo Fjord. Freya arrived in the Oslo Fjord in mid-July meeting and was then euthanized in mid-August as she was recognized as a threat to public welfare.

Walruses are known to be dangerous mammals. With their gigantic bodies and sharp tusks, they are powerful predators, capable not only of killing their prey – seals – but even of attacking the polar bears that prey on them. They are known to sink small boats, attack scuba divers and kill people. While these cases are rare, since walruses usually inhabit isolated areas with few humans, it is difficult to believe that they can be gentle with humans consistently. While not physically harming any humans, Freya herself sank boats to the amusement of people watching this scene. Walruses are also known to be unpredictable, so having seen the pictures of crowds flocking to stand mere meters away from this gigantic creature despite warnings, the concerns of the Norwegian authorities are reasonable. Their chosen mode of action, not so much.

Freya needed to be removed from the public, but according to Rd. Bjorn, a senior scientist from the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, moving Freya would have caused her physiological stress, potentially leading to her death. Anesthetics were deemed unfeasible with concerns of severe respiratory and circulatory problems, and the difficulty of accessing her blood vessels. Using a net too came at risk to Freya, this time the risk being of her entangling herself, panicking, and drowning. Using an open-top cage was seen as the “gentlest” option but then the associated use of resources and money made this too impracticable for the government. So, for fear of accidentally killing her while moving her, she was killed outright. Choosing a fast death over potential suffering and dying can be considered reasonable but why the authorities did not pay more attention to fixing the human behaviour that caused this problem in the first place is a mystery. True, just one human disobeying orders and putting themselves in harm’s way would have caused as much outrage as Freya’s death did. But why the animal had to pay for humanity’s lack of respect for the power of mother nature is only reflective of our overall relationship with nature.

Walruses are vulnerable species according to the IUCN red list but the death of one walrus, no matter how tragic, does not significantly affect the total population. The March 2022 approval of oil exploration in the Artic is much more concerning. Norway is the second largest petroleum producer in Europe after Russia and Western nations are eager for non-Russian fuel alternatives. The Arctic exploration for oil will be done in regions close to already explored areas, so anything discovered will be taken out of the ground and put into the atmosphere much faster than is the norm. One walrus was killed recently, but I doubt the numbers killed with this decision will be counted.

Cover Image: Trond Reidar Teigen

Impacts of Sound Pollution on the Marine Environment

The Pearl Protectors — Fri, 16 Dec 2022 11:47:58 +0000

By Kasumi Gunasekera

Photo by Marek Okon via Unsplash

Over the last several decades, noise pollution in the ocean has dramatically increased. This situation is extensively damaging the marine environment since many marine species are highly dependent on sound for their survival. This has caused disturbances to their regular routines, and certain incidents have been reported to be lethal as well. The identification and prevention of sound pollution have been initiated in different parts of the world with research and studies. It is vital to take effective measures to minimize such impacts on the marine environment and the ecosystem-wide effects of sound pollution.

How Does Marine Life Use Sound?

Most marine animals are very sensitive to sound and low-frequency noise. They use sound for most of the essential life functions including navigation, communication, foraging, reproduction, feeding, and avoiding hazards. The sound is transmitted effectively underwater, covering large areas while the vision is only useful for tens of meters underwater. Therefore, it is not surprising that sound has become an evolutionary key sense for marine life.

Photo via Earth Org

Sound Pollution in Marine Environment

Sound pollution happens in different ways and is threatening the natural soundscape of the marine environment. It is an addition to the prevailing problems in the marine environment such as global warming, over-fishing, and plastic and other waste pollution. According to current studies, low-frequency sonar, which is used to detect submarines, could affect marine life over an area of about 3.9 million square kilometers. Seismic air-gun noise from oil and gas exploration is another key cause of noise pollution which can be the loudest part of the background noise heard underwater even if it is about 3,000 kilometers away. Other discoveries suggest that underwater background noise levels have doubled every decade for the last several decades, mostly due to commercial shipping in certain areas. The explosions and ongoing constructions are also contributing to sound pollution, damaging marine wildlife.

Would They Adapt to the Noise Changes?

The oceans are naturally noisy environments due to various reasons including wave noise, rainfall, and lightning strikes. Therefore, it is possible to assume that marine animals can adapt to the noise and its trends. Even though such adaptations are assumed, it is only possible to expect adapting for natural noise sources which are commonly encountered over evolutionary time. It would not apply to anthropogenic (human-made) underwater noise, which is a relatively recent addition to the marine environment.

Photo via Gov. of Canada

Impact on Marine Environment

The disrupting sound, or noise in marine environments, can potentially prevent or disturb different routines of marine animals because noise can blanket a very large area. Several studies have been conducted to identify the impacts of sound pollution on marine animals, where the reduced population of several species has been identified. In a studied beaked whale population, there was a remarkable decline in population numbers for years after a sonar-induced stranding which implies that most of the population was either displaced or killed.

Hearing loss and damage may be as serious as lethal impacts from sound pollution because they may affect more animals even though it is harder to detect. Seismic air guns have been shown to extensively damage fish ears at distances of 500 meters up to several kilometers. The moderate levels of noise have been enough to cause temporary hearing damage for some species of fish, requiring weeks to recover their hearing ability. The interference and masking of signals due to noise can cause animals to miss hearing the sounds, resulting in survival consequences for the species.

Furthermore, whales have moved away from their feeding and breeding grounds, have altered their migration route, and have changed their signals. They have blundered into fishing nets or were unable to avoid ships, most likely due to hearing damage because of noise. The beaked whales exhibited an estimated decrease in their foraging efficiency during disturbing noise levels. Bluefin tuna have shown a disruption in their swimming behavior with noise from boats, as well as an increase in aggressive behavior. Several marine species including reef fish need to be able to hear aspects of reef noise to select suitable habitats. This has also been impacted by noise pollution.

Photo by Jim Stringer via Woods Hole

Noise in the form of naval sonar or seismic surveys can be deadly to cetacean (whales and dolphins) species in some incidents. Whales have been found to be dead within hours, by stranding or death at sea, from even brief exposure to moderate levels of mid-frequency military sonar. Since the emergence of powerful sonar, such incidents have been quite frequent. Even giant squids have mass-stranded due to seismic air guns according to a study, and they all suffered internal injuries.

The early fish or marine mammals are also sensitive to noise which would increase the noise impact on marine populations in the future as well. The heart rates of certain early life were found to increase significantly with noise exposure. These species have exhibited a more difficult time finding suitable settlement habitats and are likely to suffer from increased mortality as a result.

Invertebrates which are animals lacking a backbone, such as an arthropod, mollusks, annelids, and coelenterates are also potentially impacted by ocean noise. Such species have shown deviations in metabolic rate, growth, reproduction, signs of stress, and bruised organs even under low-level exposure to noise.

Photo by Ed Lyman via NOAA

A study suggests a decline in cetacean (whales and dolphins) species diversity with an increase in the intensity of seismic survey activity, where there was no significant change in other oceanographic conditions. According to the prevailing studies, at least 24 cetaceans species, 3 seal species, 21 fish species, 5 invertebrate species, and 2 marine turtle species have shown negative responses to noise. Noise is listed as an intrusion and it is one of the impacts that can result in a substantial loss of biodiversity over time not only in sensitive marine habitats but also in other areas too.

Conclusion

The impacts of noise can cause marine life to deviate from their routines and encounter novel challenges. Many different noise sources can also cause a magnified effect such as when seismic noise is merged with shipping noise. This disruption to marine biodiversity with undersea anthropogenic noise is concerning and the noise levels are still rising. Therefore, this issue must be resolved and managed nationwide and globally with a precautionary approach and regulations to conserve biodiversity and the marine ecosystem.

Cover photo: Ocean Care

Rs. 911 million received for X-Press Pearl Compensation

The Pearl Protectors — Fri, 16 Dec 2022 11:29:46 +0000

By Vidusha Sirimanne

On the 20th of May 2021, X-press Pearl, a cargo vessel sailing near the western coast of Sri Lanka caught fire due to a nitric acid leak. More than 50 billion plastic pellets were spilled into the Sri Lankan waters along with other hazardous chemicals, poisoning marine species and devastating the economy of the fisherman in the western coast. This became known as “Sri Lanka’s worst marine ecological disaster”. To prevent further harm, the government imposed an 80 km ban of fishing spanning from Negombo to Kalutara due to fears of contaminated fish entering the local market.

More than a year since the catastrophic incident, compensation payments have been made, initially covering a total of Rs.683 million. In addition, another Rs. 911 million was issued as compensation on 27th August 2022. The payment has been confirmed by the ministry of fisheries and will be distributed to the 15,032 fisherman who were affected by the X-Press Pearl disaster and fishing ban which caused a loss of daily income for months. So far, the money has been received by the impacted fisherman who were awarded a monetary sum of Rs.80,000 to Rs.240,000. However, this does not compensate for the environmental damage and the loss of marine life as there are irreversible consequences that cannot be entirely estimated.