By Madhushini Gananathan
What is the unseen wave of death silently endangering the ocean’s most magnificent creatures? Ship strikes have been a drastic threat to the marine life of our country. Sri Lanka is an important hub for global shipping, strategically located in the Indian Ocean. The key shipping routes passing our country include the Asian Europe route, the Middle East to South East route, and Africa to East Asia route. These routes incorporate the ports of Colombo and Hambantota.
The impact on marine species is quite devastating, particularly harming blue whales found off the southern coast, which are the primary species affected along with other species such as Bryde’s whales, dolphins, sea turtles, and other sea creatures. It is noteworthy that ship strikes-collisions between vessels and marine animals- cause severe injuries, fatalities, and disruptions to our marine ecosystems in several ways. The blunt force trauma results in fractures, internal bleeding, and organ damage, often leading to marine species death. Also, fast-moving boats with propellers can cause deep cuts and amputations, leaving oceanic fauna severely injured, which can cause prolonged suffering. Further, fast ships generate intense noise, disorienting marine creatures.
This growing concern of ship strikes brutally exacerbates the disruption of marine ecosystems, causing the loss of keystone species, especially blue whales which play a vital role in nutrient cycling. Also, it tends to cause altered behavior and declines in populations with repeated ship strikes and frequent vessel traffic, leading to changes in migration routes and feeding grounds. The growing tourism industry in Sri Lanka also plays an important role. Declines in blue whale populations due to ship strikes could diminish whale sightings, potentially reducing tourist numbers in whale watching tourism. This drastically affects the local communities that rely on tourism revenue. The overlap of major shipping lanes near Sri Lanka, especially south of the island, increases the risk of ship strikes, as slow-moving whales often surface to breathe in these high-traffic zones as massive cargo ships, oil tankers, and fishing vessels navigate these busy routes. High-speed vessels increase collision risks with marine animals like whales, as they have less ability to stop quickly if a whale is in their path, leading to greater impact force. A recent global study published in 2024 estimated that thousands of whales are injured and killed each year after being struck by ships.
To address this growing concern, several solutions can be implemented such as re-routing shipping lanes away from critical marine habitats and enforcing slower vessel speeds in areas of high marine life activity. Additionally, improving defections and monitoring systems in real-time with advanced technology such as Radar systems, acoustic detection, and underwater drones can help to avoid these ship strikes. Protecting Sri Lanka’s marine biodiversity is crucial not only for preserving its unique ecological heritage but also for sustaining the livelihoods of coastal communities and maintaining global environmental balance. Collaborative action encouraging partnerships between government agencies, local communities, and international organizations leads to innovative conservation. As Michael J. Moore reminds us, true progress lies in harmonizing economic pursuits with the delegate rhythms of our oceans- ensuring that every gain is measured by the health of our marine future.
Ship Strikes: A Threat to Sri Lanka’s Marine Life
By Madhushini Gananathan What is the unseen wave of death silently endangering the ocean’s most magnificent creatures? Ship strikes have been a drastic threat to
මුහුදු කැස්බෑවන් සත්ත්ව ලෝකයෙන් තුරන් වී යාවිද?
By Muthu Tharanga Rajapakse වසර මිලියන සියයකට අධික කාලයක සිට පරිණාමය වෙමින් පැවත එන මුහුදු කැස්බෑවන් ලොව පුරා ප්රධාන වශයෙන් විශේෂ හතක් හඳුනාගත හැකිය. ඉන්
Introduction to Mariculture
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.
