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Harassed whales leaving Mirissa seas

03 Mar 2022

  • Harassment by whale-watching tourists and their guides to maximise thrills
  • Tourists permitted to touch whales by boat owners
  • Illegal practice continuing despite complaints to authorities
BY Pamodi Waravita Certain small boat owners in the Mirissa coast are harassing and harming whales for the benefit of whale-watching tourists, which has resulted in a severe reduction in pods, or social groupings of whales, off the coast of Mirissa, according to the Whale Watching Boat Owners’ Association. Speaking to The Morning, the Association’s President Ranjana Manoj said that since 2017, a group of small boat operators are allowing foreigners to dive with the whales and touch their fins and bodies, which has led to whales not frequenting the Mirissa waters.  He provided The Morning with several videos showing these harmful practices being carried out. One shows a boat operator chasing down a whale in a small boat carrying tourists, another shows a tourist diving into the water to get close to a whale, while another shows a tourist reaching out from the boat to touch the dorsal area, or the top of the whale’s back. “Our services are limited to whale watching. We go out to sea and wait for the whales to come up for about 10 or 12 minutes and watch them. We spend about one hour with the whales, and then return to the land. According to the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance, it is illegal to dive with the whales or touch them. Recently, a new business has come up where small boats which do not have insurance or life jackets, take foreigners to where the whales are and allow them to dive with them while some of them also chase down whales that clear or breach the ocean surface. This harasses and harms the animals,” explained Manoj. According to Manoj, he had started his business in 2013. “This illegal business began operations in the area from 2017. With the influx of Russian and Ukrainian tourists, a demand for such “sports” was created. This has resulted in a lot of trouble given to the whales as their fins and bodies often get touched. This is why we believe that the whales do not want to stay in our waters. The more we trouble a whale, the further away it will swim from us,” he noted. Manoj further said that the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) has issued about 60 permits for boat operators who engage in whale watching. While usually about 35 to 40 boats used to travel out to sea every day, now only about eight or nine do so. He pointed out three reasons for this: the lack of whales in the sea, the deaths of marine animals that occurred following the MV X-Press Pearl ship-based maritime disaster, and the Covid-19 pandemic. “Back then, we would give prior notice to our customers, with a disclaimer saying that there is only a 95% chance of seeing whales in the sea. Now, there is only a 50% chance of seeing whales and when we add that disclaimer, foreigners do not want to come. We cannot promote our business on a 50% chance. Even on 1 March we only saw one whale, and that too, far out at sea near Tangalle.” Manoj also raised concerns about the safety of the customers who engage in such sports. “If even one guest dies, the entire industry will get a black mark.” Another boat owner who spoke with The Morning said that the number of boats offering this illegal service has increased to 27 this year, from two or three boats prior to the pandemic. “This takes place in broad daylight. If a whale is harassed today, that whale will not come to our waters again tomorrow. I have now gone for about three days without seeing a single whale. For this, I got scolded by the guests also. These people allow guests to even climb on the backs of whales and charge about Rs. 50,000 per guest,” he said. The usual charge levied by those of the association is Rs. 5,500 to Rs. 6,500, where Rs. 2,000 is retained by the boat owners and Rs. 3,500 is paid as a tax to the DWC. The association noted that although they have written several letters to the relevant authorities, including the DWC, the said boat owners continue to operate illegally. Multiple attempts by The Morning to contact DWC Director General Chandana Sooriyabandara yesterday (2) proved futile.


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