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| Saturday, 26 April 2003 |
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The return of whales Text and pix by Ravindra Seneviratne
It was just before the outbreak of the conflict that Trinco was named as the 'whales capital' of the world of these gigantic sea mammals. The civil war not only impacted on the lives of peoples but also on marine life the whales and our environment said Dr. Hiran Jayawardena. Secretary General IOMAC (Indian Ocean Marine Affairs Corporation). Underwater activities of groups engaged in conflict, detonations, explosions sonars and noise pollution and demolitions destroyed lives of the marine in the area. Since the conflict, Sri Lanka's commercial whale watching and research work of marine scientists were abandoned. With the current peace negotiations the possibility of reviving the observance of one of the largest concentrations of whales in Trinco is on the horizon. It would seem as though peace is not only reserved for people but would reside in the waters of Sri Lanka where whales weep not."Whales Weep Not", was a classic documentary on the whales, the first underwater filming on Sperm whales in their natural habitat around the seas of Trinco was the first of its kind shot in Trinco.
Dr. Jayawardena one of the collaborators of the screening the world renowned film and who was at the forefront of Sri Lanka's commercial whale watching organised several expeditions after a lapse of 20 years found the whales have returned to their natural habitat in large numbers. Whale watching is a multi million dollar business worldwide. Sri Lanka as a prime international destination for whale watchers and researchers will gain large amount of shares of this market as there is an enormous tourism potential in this field. |
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Produced by Lake House |
With the return of peace after 20 years of civil conflict the whales
have come back to their capital Trincomalee Blue. Sperm and Brybes whales
along with numerous dolphins have all been identified in the seas off
Trincomalee.
Incidentally it was screened on various TV channels all over the world
and the country's fame was high among all the whale lovers and
enthusiasts. Sri Lanka was rated the hottest spot in the world for whale
watching and researching but the glory was short lived with the outbreak
of civil war in 1983.
