Huge shell-creatures dragged out live to satisfy foreign demand

Foot-long helmet shells were among rare and protected species found being smuggled out of Sri Lanka as worries grow that demand for perfect shells is leading to a disturbing practice of wresting the molluscs live from the seabed for big money from buyers. �A Chinese male nabbed at Katunayake airport on April 2 had nine shells a foot in diameter, among them some of the most highly-valued and rare species, according to Samantha Gunasekara of the Customs’ Biodiversity Unit.

A graveyard for shells.

The culprit, a worker at the Norochcholai Power Plant, was given a warning before being released. The shells were confiscated.
Mr. Gunasekara told the Sunday Times there appeared to be an increasing demand for Sri Lankan shells in foreign markets. Last week, this paper reported that coral and shells found on March 28 in the baggage of three Chinese working at Mattala Airport had been skilfully dug up from the seabed, suggesting that an organised operation was at work.

In October last year, another man was found trying to smuggle out high-value shells. It was a well-planned shipment that indicated the demand for Sri Lankan shells had given rise to organised smuggling attempts, Mr Gunasekara said.

Prasanna Weerakkody; a marine naturalist, said it was unlikely that the helmet and spider shells found in the April 2 smuggling attempt had been washed ashore and collected legally. He believes the prime condition in which they had been found indicates they had been collected by divers from the sea bed.

Creatures with large shells mostly live in deeper sea, and by the time their shells get washed ashore, they get marked eing tossed and rolled along the ocean bed by the currents over a long distance and from collision with coral beds and other submarine obstacles.
When the shells are collected live they are piled on land or buried together with other shells, and the creatures within eventually die.
Mr. Weerakkody believes that people diving for sea cucumber, ornamental fish or chank (conch) shells are also now collecting the large helmet and spider shells.

Shanaka of Kalpitiya, who makes a living diving for sea cucumber and chank, said helmet and spider shells had not previously been collected on a commercial scale because they had not been in great demand. That was changing, he disclosed. The Chinese brought to work on the Norochcholai power plant were keen to obtain these shells.

While Shanaka made assurances that large shells such as helmet shells could still be seen on the sandy sea floor in deeper ocean, he also emphasised that divers react to demand in collecting shells for sale. The revelations send an important message that the authorities should be vigilant about this trend.

Experts warn tourism could create more demand for shells and that divers would increasingly resort to collecting the shells live from the seabed rather than harvesting them when they are washed ashore.

In popular tourist destinations such as Hikkaduwa or Kirinda there are many shops selling a variety of shells. Although they do buy shells found on beaches, they offer suppliers a higher price for shells collected live because of their prime condition.

An expert on aqua-life attached to Wayamba University, Dr Sewvandi Jayakody, said that on March 31 she had found a youth collecting live cowries from the reef at Hikkaduwa. (The cowrie is a gastropod snail that makes the kind of speckled decorative shell used for the Avurudu game of pancha).

The boy she had accosted had the pockets of his three-quarter trouser full of cowrie shells, and her query he said he had only been collecting dead cowries.�On inspection, however, Dr Sewvandi had found live cowries, including a tiger cowry – a species in high demand.

When she threatened to inform the police, the youth had thrown the live cowries back into the sea.
Dr Sewvandi raised alarms about collection of live shells, saying this would be particularly dangerous for threatened species.
Already the conch – a gastropod species that makes chank shells – is decreasing in many areas due to over collection. Chank is the famous shell used as a musical instrument in traditional cultural events. The shell of this mollusc is the famous “hak gediya” (conch) played at traditional events.

Amazing seashells

Seashells are calcareous external coverings, or external skeletons, of two groups of marine Mollusks – gastropods or snails, which have shells formed in spirals, and clams or bivalves, with shells in two halves joined by a hinge, explains Dr Malik Fernando in his book “Shells of the Sri Lanka Seashore”.

Gastropods – the name means stomach-footed – are molluscs that creep along using a muscular, disc-shaped foot. Their soft bodies can retract for protection into the shell attached to the body.

Dr Fernando, who has also compiled a Provisional Checklist of Marine Aquatic Shelled Molluscs of Sri Lanka for the National Red List 2012 of Threatened Fauna and Flora, says there are more than 500 gastropod snail species in our oceans, but says the number should be much higher. Literature shows that gastropods are extremely diverse, with more than 40,000 species worldwide.

Mantle tissue located under and in contact with the shell secretes proteins and mineral extra-cellularly to form the shell. Seashells grow from the bottom up, or by adding material at the margins. Since their exoskeleton is not shed, mollusc shells must enlarge to accommodate body growth.

Collecting shells has been a popular pastime. But if there is something protruding from the opening, or you see a hard cover over the opening, this means it is still occupied. “Take a photo and leave the little guy where you found him,” advises Dr. Fernando.

Source:http://www.sundaytimes.lk/130414/news/huge-shell-creatures-dragged-out-live-to-satisfy-foreign-demand-40864.html

Sethu project harmful to Lanka’s resources — SL experts

BY S. VENKAT NARAYAN Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI April 4: A high-level team of Sri Lankan marine scientists, environmentalists, geologists and marine engineers, appointed by President Mahinda Rajapaksa, has found that the Sethusamudram Shipping Channel Project (SSCP) is detrimental to the maritime and environmental resources of the island nation.

According to a report published in The Pioneer newspaper here today, the experts were shocked to learn that India had blatantly violated all global norms like the International Law of Seas and MARPOL Convention, in conceiving the project.

In a report submitted to the Sri Lankan government, the high-powered team has expressed dismay that though the 167-km long channel lies close to the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) between India and Sri Lanka, the Indian government has not taken into account the environmental and maritime impact the project could have on Sri Lanka.

As per the International Law of Seas accepted by the United Nations in 1968, India should have sought the concurrence of Sri Lanka before launching the project.

"The Sethusamudram Channel lies close to the IMBL between India and Sri Lanka. Both countries should get the concurrence of each other for any construction activities which fall near the IMBL. India has violated this age-old practice and Sri Lanka will definitely take up this issue," the newspaper quoted an unnamed source close to the Sri Lankan government as saying. He said that the Sri Lankan leaders, irrespective of party affiliations were upset over the indifference shown by the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government towards the island nation while taking up the SSCP.

"You can expect a strongly worded statement by the Sri Lankan government any time now. The Sethusamudram Project in all likelihood will end up in the United Nations," said the source.

The MARPOL Convention (International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships) is a marine environmental convention designed to minimize pollution of the seas including dumping, oil spillage and exhaust pollution.

It was formed on October 2, 1983 (as a mark of respect to Mahatma Gandhi) and as of December 2005, 136 countries, representing 98 per cent of the world’s shipping tonnage, are parties to the Convention. It has been accepted all over the world that the Gulf of Mannar as well as the Palk Bay are ecological hot spots and nothing should be done to disturb their present status.

The scientific team found that the initial dredging, infinite maintenance dredging and subsequent shipping through the channel will be disastrous to Sri Lanka.

Ariyaratne Hewage, Secretary, Sri Lankan Education Ministry, was the chairman of the committee while Professor Shantha Hennayake, a geologist of international repute and deputy vice-chancellor of the University of Peradeniya, was the vice-chairman .

The report submitted by the committee to the Sri Lankan Government has noted that, though the region through which the channel is being built is an ecologically and environmentally fragile area, no action has been taken by the Indian Government to minimize the environmental and maritime impact it could have on Sri Lanka.

The Sri Lankan experts have noted that the studies, primarily the project document and the Environmental Impact Analysis (EIA) study carried out by India prior to the commencement of the SSCP, are inadequate.

"These studies have not identified and evaluated the full extent of the impact. The channel design has not been optimized for minimum impact. The most pressing concern for Sri Lanka is that none of the Indian studies have proposed any mitigation measures for the impact occurring on Sri Lanka," Prof Hennayake told the Indian daily.

He said Sri Lanka has nothing against India building any channels or canals so long as they do not disturb the ecological and environmental balance of the region.

"However, this is a project which is detrimental to both India and Sri Lanka. Any dredging work along the placid waters of the Palk Bay is a sure recipe to environmental disaster.

"Strangely, India confined the study of the environmental and ecological impact of the project to their side and forgot the existence of Sri Lanka. This is saddening," he said.

The experts have warned that the marine wealth (especially fish) in the region will be destroyed permanently with the commissioning of the SSCP.

"The Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Bay, lying between the two countries, are unique, biologically rich areas linking two large marine ecosystems. This stretch of the sea is a rich source of all types of fish. Unless we accurately forecast and adequately mitigate the impact of the dredging of the channel this could destroy this sensitive and fragile marine ecosystem located between the two countries. It would also impact the fishing communities on the northern and north-western coast of Sri Lanka as they mainly fish in the potential area of impact on the Sri Lankan side of the channel," said the recommendations submitted by the expert committee.

The study found that modelling studies were also inadequate. "Modelling needs to be backed by better field data to reach levels of accuracy required to satisfy the requirement of such a major undertaking. Increase in volumetric water exchange across Adam’s Bridge due to the canal and its impact on the ecology of the region has not been studied," said the report.

Source:http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=76232

Ocean fish populations dropping to alarmingly low levels

If over-fishing continues, commercial marine species could go the way of Lanka’s legendary pearl fisheries, which died out completely, warns environmentalist.

Malaka Rodrigo reports

Over-fishing is reducing fish populations to dangerously low levels in the Indian Ocean and seas around the world, warned fisheries experts. Dr. Rekha Maldeniya of the National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA) delivered the keynote speech at a seminar on Marine Biodiversity, on May 22, which was designated the International Day on Biological Diversity. Most of the common commercial fish stocks, including fish like the hurulla (herring), are depleted by over-exploitation, said Dr. Maldeniya, adding that sea cucumber, chank, lobster and shrimp are high on the list of threatened species. The expert quoted findings in the Fisheries Resources Survey, conducted over a four-year period (2006-2010). Coastal fish are the most in danger, but many offshore fish stocks, including tuna and shark, are over-fished, the expert said. Over-fishing led to the demise of the pearl oyster stocks, in Mannar, Dr. Maldeniya reminded the audience. Sri Lanka was once famous for its pearls, but that industry has died out completely, and the same fate awaits other fish species unless precaution is taken, she said. Management decisions are being delayed by a lack of sufficient data for a good understanding of the country’s coastal and marine ecosystems. “There is a lot of ongoing research on land-based ecosystems, but not enough research on marine ecosystems. Marine biodiversity research is expensive, and we do not have enough trained people to do the research. Even the little research output we have, such as the Environmental Impact Assessments, is under-utilised. While our main concern is commercially valuable fish species, other marine creatures are also under great pressure.” Weak enforcement of laws and regulations has also contributed to the decline in coastal fish stocks. Dynamiting and the continued use of banned types of fishing nets must end if fish stocks are to be maintained. Some countries use large nets such as the purse seine to catch tons of fish. Such action depletes stocks very quickly. Taking management action, the expert said, is not easy, as many fish stocks overlap ocean areas belonging to different countries. Some pelagic fish, like tuna, are migratory, so protection by one country alone does not ensure a species’ survival. All marine habitats are interconnected. For example, certain marine fish come to estuaries to breed, and if the estuaries are not protected, the species is threatened. Habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation, destructive fishing methods, pollution, the spread of invasive alien species – all are serious threats to marine life. Sri Lanka exports 20,000 metric tons of fish a year. A total of 650,000 people are employed in the fisheries industry, including 150,000 fishermen, 100,000 in fishing-related services, and 400,000 in the fish trade. Up to 2.4 million persons are sustained by fish consumption. Fish species contribute to 70 per cent of the country’s animal protein consumption. How much life is there in the sea? The marine biodiversity found around Sri Lanka ranges from microscopic algae to the giant Blue whale. During a 10-year period, from 2000 to 2010, scientists around the world collaborated in an unprecedented effort to determine how much life there is in the sea. The Census of Marine Life, carried out under the Convention of Biodiversity, involved 2,700 scientists from more than 80 countries. They studied surface seawater and probed the deepest, darkest depths of the ocean, sailed tropical seas and explored ice-strewn oceans in the Arctic and the Antarctic. By the time the census was concluded, a total of 1,200 new species had been added to the known roster of life in the sea. Scientists are still working their way through another 5,000 specimens to determine whether they are new discoveries. The number of known marine species is estimated at around 250,000. In its final report, the census team suggested the number could be at least a million, while others believe the figure could be double that. Source:http://www.sundaytimes.lk/120527/News/nws_24.html

Rise in threats to marine fauna

A thousand sea snakes, 100 terrapins, 50 marine turtles and one or two crocodiles get killed every month as a result of being trapped in fishing nets, senior herpetologist Anslem de Silva said. De Silva arrived at these figures during his ongoing islandwide investigation.
"The deaths are very tragic as these reptiles die due to suffocation by getting entangled in the net. Sometimes, the fishermen cut the flippers of turtles if they find them entangled in the nets," he said.
He also observed that 15 percent of sea snakes found discarded from nets at landing sites were gravid (with eggs) females.
According to de Silva, the threats on the country's aquatic herpetofauna, i.e. sea snakes, marine turtles, freshwater terrapins and crocodiles, due to human activities is on the increase at an alarming rate.
"The easiest method of avoiding this situation is to promote the use of the Turtle Excluder Device (TED) which is internationally recognised," de Silva said. "This device allows the turtles to escape the net while keeping the fish in.
The escape patterns of turtles and fish are very different, thus the method is very effective," he said. "The fishing communities need to be made more aware of their responsibility in conserving these animals and they need a supporting hand to implement such methods. On the other hand an effective monitoring mechanism is essential in conservation," he said.
For sea snakes, an inexpensive modification for trawl nets can be introduced in a 15-centimetre square-mesh panel close to the entrance of the net; strong swimming sea snakes can escape upwards out of this window whereas prawns and small fish pass into the other end of the net.
More conservation-oriented methods to save the marine fauna are looked into by the research team led by de Silva.

Source:http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2011/05/01/new32.asp

Dugongs - Sea Pig

The Dugaong (Dugong dugon) is called Mudu ura and in Tamil Kadal Pandi, both meaning sea pig.

The Dugong, or Sea Cow, as it is also known, is a large herbivorous mammal that lives in the sea entirely. The lip is fleshy and flat like a pad with a few hairs on it. Dugongs breathe from two nostrils at the front of its head. They feed in shallow water on a vegetarian diet consisting mostly of sea grass.

There are only a four species of Sirenians in the world. The dugong is the only Sirenian in the seas around Sri Lanka.

Here, too, they are found only off the North Western coastline from Puttalam to Jaffna and mainly off Mannar. Dugongs live close to the coast and prefer Puttalam to Jaffna coastline habitat since the extensive continental shelf here and the shallow waters provide ideal feeding grounds.

They have well developed mammary glands and have fooled sailors in the past into thinking that they are mermaids. They are sluggish harmless animals.

The dugong has a streamlined body to enable it to swim easily. Its fore-limbs are paddle shaped flippers. The tail fin, like in the Cetacens, is horizontal and flattened. It has a smooth and thick skin. They have small eyes compared to the rest of the body. The ears are two small holes with no covering.

Though dugongs are now extremely rare, they were once plentiful in these habitats, especially during the 19th century and the early part of the past century. Their numbers have greatly reduced due to fishermen catching them.

There is recent evidence that many dugongs were captured annually. Their flesh is in demand and hence their vulnerability. The rate of reproduction of the dugong is low and this contributes to the decline in numbers of this over-exploited mammal.

No real estimates have been made in recent times so that there is no inkling of the population status of the dugongs in their habitat. There is a great danger of the dugong quietly slipping to extinction due to the fact that it is rarely seen and that too by very few.

All cetaceans found in Sri Lankan waters and the dugong are protected by two ordinances, the Flora and Fauna Protection Ordinance and the Fisheries Act.

However, the law is rarely enforced and is in effect useless in terms of conserving these species. If there is to be a positive effect in the attempt to conserve these species, there must be an active campaign by the knowledgeable public and the law, as it stands, implemented.

If the law is found to be inadequate, to deal with the situation under present circumstances, the necessary amendments to the laws should be brought in.

Minister assures to end dynamite fishing in Mannar seas: Killed dugongs to be displayed at museum

Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Minister Dr Rajitha Senaratna yesterday said he is determined to put an absolute end to dynamite fishing in the seas off Mannar which killed two rare dugongs, while the National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA) is preparing them for public display at a national museum.

Meanwhile, NARA scientists are to perform autopsies on the two marine mammals. Their carcasses are preserved in deep freezers at the Ceylon Fisheries Corporation in Colombo, before they become museum specimen.

NARA Chairman Dr Hiran Jayewardena said the autopsy results are expected by the end of next week. The fishermen responsible for killing the animals are in remand custody. Fisheries Minister Senaratna has ordered a full scale investigation into the dugong killing and the disposition of fish dynamiting in Mannar, he said.

Minister Senaratna said he has received many reports confirming that blast fishing or dynamite fishing is taking place in Mannar despite it being illegal.

"We have also received information that some fishermen in Mannar are in the practice of killing these mammals," he said.

Dugongs, also known as sea cows are rare species protected under local and international law.

"We will not allow this to happen," he said.

Referring to the dead dugongs, he said looking at the size of their bodies and their weight, one can say they were 20 to 30 years old.

"It takes a long time for them to reach this size and the weight," he said. The two killed were fully grown dugongs, a female and a male. The weight of the female is about 545 kilos and the male 480 kilos," the Minister said.

Senaratna said he will stop the practice of dynamiting fish in Mannar permanently as he stopped it in the Trincomalee district with the support of the Navy. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list, Dugongs are vulnerable and endangered globally.

They have been protected by the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance Act No 1, 1970 for several decades in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka is also a party to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) of wild fauna and flora.

Asked why they were going to arrange a display of the mammals, NARA Chairman Dr Jayewardena asked, "who has seen a dugong?"

"I have not seen one since 1980s. They will be kept as museum specimen at NARA museum or some other national museum for future generations," he added.

Source:http://www.dailynews.lk/2010/12/31/news30.asp