Filtered Press Release : 2021 Apr

Assessing the critical habitats of sharks and rays around Jaffna

By Daniel Fernando and Gobiraj Ramajeyam

Sharks and rays (elasmobranchs) are a unique group of fishes with skeletons made of cartilage. They play an important role in the marine food web, with many found in the higher trophic levels helping to maintain natural balance. Most elasmobranchs are extremely vulnerable to external pressures, such as fishing, due to their long lives, slow growth rates, late maturity, and low reproductive potential.

Unfortunately, overfishing, and other anthropogenic activities (such as destruction of their critical habitats like coral reefs and mangroves) have increased the extinction risk of most shark and ray species across their global ranges. They are captured in both target and bycatch (incidental capture) fisheries driven by growing international demand for shark and ray fins, meat, gill plates (from manta and mobula rays), liver oil, and other derivates. Many of the fisheries resulting in their overexploitation are mismanaged and unregulated. Given that living organisms are interconnected, their presence is important for ecosystem equilibrium. And the removal of even one species, and particularly keystone species like sharks, can have devastating impacts on the ecosystem and associated habitats.

In recent years, sharks and rays have received a lot of conservation attention around the world. However, there is still a lot more to be done. To effectively protect them, we have to study their life history, population status, their habitats and movements, and also their definitive role within marine ecosystems. Armed with this information, we will be better placed to provide scientific recommendations to halt population declines and enable recovery of depleted stocks, while supporting sustainable fisheries for the more productive species.

Sri Lanka, being an island nation relies heavily upon fisheries – and sharks and rays – as affordable sources of protein and as a means of employment. Supporting fisher livelihoods is essential, however for long-term sustainability, we also must consider the survival of the species. If a species goes extinct or is depleted to the extent that commercial fisheries for that species are no longer viable, the associated fisher livelihoods would also collapse.

Since 2017, Blue Resources Trust (BRT) have been conducting a systematic shark and ray research project across Sri Lanka. This includes surveys of landing sites to determine the magnitude and composition of Sri Lanka’s shark and ray fisheries and expand available knowledge on their biology and ecology. This dataset also provides a baseline with which we can assess future population trends to determine the effectiveness of fisheries management.

BRT data have shown that nearly half of the Sri Lankan shark and ray species diversity is present around the Jaffna peninsula. In this region, small-scale artisanal fisheries are prevalent, and their fishing is mostly restricted to the coastal areas. This area also appears to be key sites for some priority species, such as the sharpnose guitarfish (Glaucostegus granulatus, an IUCN Red List Critically Endangered species).

Subsequently, BRT have initiated a project, with support from the Tokyo Cement Group, focusing on identifying the critical habitats of sharks and rays in northern Sri Lanka and to improve understanding of this fishery and associated fisher communities. With this scientific data, it will become possible to recommend effective, sustainable management measures to prevent overfishing of sharks and rays and enable their recovery.

About the authors:

Daniel Fernando

Daniel is a marine biologist and the co-founder of Blue Resources Trust; a Sri Lankan marine research and conservation organisation, where he leads the Sri Lanka Elasmobranch Project. Since 2013 he has been providing technical support for elasmobranch management policy at conventions such as CITES, CMS, and the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission, thereby helping bridge the gap between science and policy and encouraging a shift towards sustainable fisheries. He has served as a ministerial advisor, is currently the Regional Co-Vice Chair of the IUCN Shark Specialist Group for the Indian Ocean, an MCAF Fellow, and the Vice Chair to the Sessional Committee of the CMS Scientific Council.

Gobiraj Ramajeyam

Gobiraj is a marine biologist currently working on the Sri Lankan Elasmobranch Project with Blue Resources Trust. He completed his undergraduate in 2017 at the University of Jaffna and is now pursuing his MPhil degree studying the biology of the Critically Endangered Sharpnose guitarfish in and around the Jaffna Peninsula.

Tokyo Cement and Foundation of Goodness inaugurate A.Y.S. Gnanam Village Heartbeat Empowerment Centre in Dambulla

Marking another far-reaching milestone in the company’s ongoing quest to enrich our country and its people, Tokyo Cement Group recently joined hands with The Foundation of Goodness to establish The A.Y.S. Gnanam Village Heartbeat Empowerment Centre in Dambulla. The facility, which became the 12th Village Heartbeat project of the Foundation of Goodness, was declared open by Dr. Harsha Cabral PC – Chairman, together with Mr. S.R. Gnanam – Managing Director of the Tokyo Cement Group and Mr. Kushil Gunasekera, Founder/Chief Trustee of the Foundation of Goodness. Three main Distributors of Tokyo Cement Group in the region, Mr. Dharmasiri Rajapaksha, Proprietor – Kandegedera Hardware, Wilgamuwa, Mr. Wijesiri Perera, Proprietor – Perera Distributors, Dambulla and Mr. W.S. Fernando, Proprietor – Sampath Traders, Bakamuna were among the distinguished guests at the event. The cultural dancing troupe of the Dambulla A.Y.S. Gnanam Village Heartbeat Centre welcoming the guests The Dambulla VHE Centre will open up new opportunities for children in the area Standing from Left, Dr. Harsha Cabral PC, Mr. Dharmasiri Rajapaksha, Mr. Wijesiri Perera, Mr. W.S. Fernando, Mr. Kushil Gunasekera and Mr. S.R. Gnanam, inaugurating the A.Y.S. Gnanam Village Heartbeat Empowerment Centre in Dambulla The A.Y.S. Gnanam Village Heartbeat Empowerment Centre situated in Sisirawatte, Dambulla, will provide free educational support on subjects such as, Science, Mathematics, IT, English, Tamil, and Traditional Dancing, for Primary to Grade 5 students from low-income families. In addition to educational support for school children, other programs carried out at the Centre will include life skills & values, vocational training, and sports, to empower the youth in the area for better employment opportunities. As it progresses, the Centre will offer training programs on widely sought-after vocational courses for youth, such as hospitality, agriculture, bakery, electrical wiring, CCTV installation, and mobile repairing. Women empowerment is a key focus of the Village Heartbeat concept, and as such the Centre also conducts professional courses on dressmaking, cookery, and beauty culture. The A.Y.S. Gnanam VHE Centre is fully equipped to facilitate better learning opportunities for children and youth in the area At the inauguration event, Dr. Harsha Cabral PC, Chairman of the Tokyo Cement Group said that this Centre promises to be a fitting tribute to Late Mr. Gnanam, who had selflessly initiated many charitable causes, that continue to open many doors even today for thousands of people, to realise their dreams. He stated that the beneficiaries of the institute should take pride in acquiring valuable skills that are in high demand and make use of this opportunity to make a positive contribution to the society.
The A.Y.S. Gnanam Village Heartbeat Centre in Dambulla offers free educational support for Grades 1-5 students from low-income families The A.Y.S. Gnanam Centre in Dambulla is a fully equipped training facility built by the Tokyo Cement Group in memory of its Founder Chairman and pioneering self-made industrialist, late Deshamanya A.Y.S. Gnanam. By upgrading the facility, in partnership with the Foundation of Goodness to conduct multiple empowerment programs for deserving rural communities, help keep the legacy of late A.Y.S. Gnanam alive and meaningful. The A.Y.S. Gnanam Village Heartbeat Empowerment Centre addresses much-needed social upliftment requirements of the rural communities in Dambulla – Kandalama areas. People living in the remote villages of Rathmalgahaela, Athuparayaya, Pahalawewa, Yakuragala North, Yakuragala South, Wilhatha and Kandalama Grama Niladhari Divisions will benefit from the initiative. Over 750 families, who’s main livelihood is farming and agriculture related industries, can now utilize the facility to improve their learning opportunities and expand the horizons of their children. So far, more than 800 beneficiaries from various age categories are participating in the multiple skills development courses at the Centre, which stands proof of the value it creates for the people over time.
School children now have access to extra educational support in various subjects at The Centre The visionary behind the Village Heartbeat Empowerment (VHE) concept, Mr. Kushil Gunasekera, Founder/Chief Trustee of the Foundation of Goodness, speaking at the opening reiterated the importance of creating holistic individuals who are not only educated, but more importantly, kind and compassionate. He further requested all beneficiaries of the 12th VHE Centre in Dambulla to pay forward the kindness they receive in the form of better opportunities, to other, even lesser fortunate individuals in their respective communities, with the aim of uplifting the lives of everyone and ultimately our nation. Dressmaking, cookery, and beauty culture courses are conducted at the Centre to empower women to pursue self-employment opportunities The Village Heartbeat Centres empower disadvantaged rural communities, by offering free training courses aimed at improving the standard of living. It is a unique holistic rural development concept to eradicate poverty by bridging the urban-rural divide, using skills development and training as the means to enhance knowledge and attitudes of youth and communities who otherwise do not have access to the required resources. The Foundation of Goodness currently reaches out and touches the lives of over 35,000 beneficiaries annually, from over 500 villages island-wide, through its 10 empowerment divisions conducted free of cost via its Village Heartbeat Empowerment Centres and the Project Headquarters; which is also its flagship venue, the OYOB Centre of Excellence and Sports Academy in Seenigama. Tokyo Cement Group has successfully integrated social welfare and environmental conservation into its corporate DNA, and this latest initiative is one great example of their commitment to social responsibility. What fuels the company to take this path, is the very life of late Deshamanya A.Y.S. Gnanam, whose many business achievements are outshined by his kindness and generosity. The late A.Y.S. Gnanam’s legacy as a compassionate leader and the values he embodied continue to be the driving forces behind the Tokyo Cement Group. Photo: Dr. Harsha Cabral PC, Mr. Kushil Gunasekera and Mr. S.R. Gnanam unveiling the plaque at the A.Y.S. Gnanam Village Heartbeat Empowerment Centre in Dambulla

Filtered Press Release : 2021 Apr

Assessing the critical habitats of sharks and rays around Jaffna

Tokyo Cement and Foundation of Goodness inaugurate A.Y.S. Gnanam Village Heartbeat Empowerment Centre in Dambulla

Archive