Young marine biologist promotes Sri Lanka as the ‘Land of the Blue Whale’

Friday, 29 April 2011 00:29 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Known as the ‘Pearl of the Indian Ocean,’ Sri Lanka may soon be called the ‘Land of the Blue Whale’ as a result of the rarest species of blue whales that have been identified in Mirissa.

Leading the first major study on this breed of blue whales is whale lover and Marine Biologist, Asha De Vos. Having completed her Bachelors of Science in Marine and Environmental Biology from the University of St. Andrews and Masters in Biology from the University of Oxford, she was featured on Australian Channel 7 TV that aired a documentary on these graceful creatures. The personality of this terrific mammal also includes allusiveness and shyness. She goes on to say that war had once given them the sanctuary required and now that war is no longer there, the whales have indeed come out of the waters.

Whales are usually known to travel great distances in search of food. However what makes the Mirissa whales one of a kind is the fact that they do not migrate from the North to South or across the Equator to appease their hunger but instead stay in the same waters all year round.

De Vos’s album of pictures is accepted to be the most accurate documentation of whale census as at now. Her research has brought to light that the mammal weighs 140 tonnes and is 30 metres long. Other interesting facts include the heart being the size of a small car, the tail being three metres long and the arteries being big enough for a child to crawl through. Remarkably enough, the whales’ daily diet include one of the smallest of fish in the largest of quantities: four tonnes of shrimp.

De Vos noted that the whales are usually spotted nearly 20km off the Southern tip of the country. By keeping track of all locations that whales are spotted it was discovered that they lurk right above the deepest of underwater canyons due to the availability of food.

The downside of the whale story is that the creatures today remain endangered. A century ago they were a prime target of hunters as the gigantic beast was considered a ‘good catch’ as a result of the abundant meat and oil. Hunted to near-extinction there are only 10,000 whales roaming our oceans today. One of the major problems that require immediate attention is the fact that this whale hub being placed in the midst of one of the world’s busiest fishing lines.

Currently there are 15 boats that operate as ‘whale watchers’. However it has been anticipated that it would increase to 100 by next year. Naturalist Chitral Jayathilake believes that while these animals would create enormous tourist potential, guidelines, rules and regulations need to be implemented in order to preserve what is left of them. He went on to say that proper boats and equipment need to be used and the guides to be made aware of the dos and don’ts of whale watching.