Lowell Lecture
Saving the Unorthodox Whales of Sri Lanka
Date & Time
Nov. 12, 2015 at 7 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Location
New England Aquarium
1 Central Wharf Boston, MA 02110
Driving Directions
Speaker(s)
Asha de Vos, founder, Oceanswell and The Sri Lankan Blue Whale Project and Marine Conservation Action Fund Fellwo
Presenting Organization
Topics
Contact
Gina Parente (gparente@neaq.org, 617.226.2247)
Sri Lankan blue whales are a unique, non-migrating, endangered subspecies. They breed six months out of phase with other pygmy blue whales in the Southern Hemisphere, are half a meter shorter and have a unique vocal call. Most unusually, this population does not migrate to Polar regions, but remains in warm tropical waters year-round. Their confinement within the Northern Indian Ocean makes this population increasingly vulnerable to human activities. In particular, their high-use areas overlap with one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, and whale deaths due to ship-strikes are well documented and likely to increase. This talk describes ongoing efforts to mitigate whale death by ships and highlight the importance of coupling both science and engagement for the long-term protection of this unique population of blue whales.