Speaking at a recent lecture held on dugongs, Marine Biologist and Fishery Expert, Dr Steve Creech said the focal point of conservation of local populations of dugongs should be to stop illegal trawl net fishing in the Puttalam District, which mainly happens in the protected coastal areas of Wilpattu National Park. He said this while declaring measures listed under Convention on Natural Resource Management, will not be effective in protecting the dugong populations.
Dr. Creech said, under the Convention, one method of conservation involves spacial closure, which involves protecting areas frequented by dugongs and restricting the areas fishermen can use ray nets. Ray nets are a type of fishing net made of tough material, with big mesh sizes that accidentally trap dugongs.According to him, from 1988 to 2017, there were 42 known dugong deaths in Mannar and Puttalam areas, due to ray nets, shark nets and sea bass nets.
Creech said special closure will not be successful as dugongs are semi nomadic creatures, who undertake long distance movements. “The existing protected areas fail to protect them. Therefore, it is uncertain whether declaring more areas would actually contribute to the protection of dugongs. Further,even if sea grass beds are protected, fishermen do not set ray nets on sea grass beds,” he said.
Elephant’s elusive cousins
Dugongs are a species of marine mammal and the only marine herbivore, whose local population is currently teetering on the brink of extinction due to disruptive fishing activities, illegal hunting and so on, hence, calling for urgent measures for their conservation. In his research on dugongs in Sri Lanka, in Biodiversisty Education and Research, Ranil P Nanayakkara states that the dugong can be recognised as the most endangered mammal in Sri Lanka, much ahead of the Asian elephant and Sri Lankan leopard. The red list of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) names the dugong as a vulnerable species.
No study on dugongs has been conducted in the recent past, with no records on their current distribution and status. Being highly elusive by nature, they are difficult to spot, hence their dead carcasses that wash ashore and the fisherman’s reports remain the only evidence of their existence. The most recently recorded sighting of this mammal was last November, when a local tour operator spotted five dugongs near Puttalam Lagoon.
As a herbivore, it largely depends on sea grass and its habit of grazing on the sea grass bed has led to dugongs being referred to as the sea cow. Its closest living terrestrial relatives are considered to be elephants and hyraxes.According to the Dugong and Sea Grass Conservation Project, sea grass meadows and dugong habitats in the country have not been mapped, and there is an urgent need for the sea grass habitats and dugong populations, movements and threats to be mapped. Further, Palk Bay and Gulf of Mannar remain the only identified sea grass meadows in the country, although more unidentified habitats may exist in other parts of the island.
Dr. Creech said this association between dugongs and sea grass meadows is so strongly established, most conservation efforts revolve around them. “However, most sightings of live dugongs in Puttalam and Mannar are in the sea, not on sea grass beds. It may be possible that they spend day time in the offshore areas and feed on sea grass at night,” he said.
Another conservation strategy under the Convention is temporal closure, which includes restricting the time period ray nets are used in areas frequented by dugongs. “However, restrictions already exist, fishermen only go to sea from October to March, for two weeks per month. Therefore, 65 fishermen, from seven landing areas,fish for 12 weeks per year,using shark and ray net fishing. Thus, this strategy also will not be successful,” he said.
One reason for the disappearance of the dugong numbers in recent times, is the high demand for its meat among the local populations. Nanayakkara notes due to its trusting nature, the dugong allows humans to approach close, hence making it an easy prey. Chairman of Ocean Resource Conservation Association (ORCA), Sajith Subashana said, he was told that a large population of dugongs were present in Puttalam lagoon 10 years ago. “These creatures’ behaviour is similar to an elephant. When one is captured and tied, others come looking. I was told that a large number of dugongs were sliced and sold this way,” he said. Subashana further said dugong meat has a high demand, with one kilo selling for over Rs. 1000.
Speaking of legal protection afforded to dugongs, Environmentalist and Attorney at Law, Jagath Gunawardana said, under, subsection 2, section 30 of the Flora and Fauna Protection Ordinance, dugongs are strictly protected where killing, hurting, hunting or possession of dugongs is an offence. Further, using nets, harpoon and other fishing gear to catch, kill or keep dugongs or parts of dugong is an offence. “Under this, possession or custody of dugong meat is also an offence. If more than one person is involved, they can be charged for common intention,” he said.
The dugong is also protected under section 29 of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Act, where it is an offence to capture, land, sell or transport marine mammals, which involves dugongs. “Therefore, in this aspect, dugongs are offered dual protection. It is irrelevant what kind of net or instrument is used. Under this, accidental capture is also an offence unless the dugong is released back to the sea,” Gunawardana said. He further noted that the existing law focuses on protection of both the habitat and the species. However, there is a weakness in enforcement due to necessary personnel and facilities not being available in the areas of concern, Gunawardana said.
Deputy Director- Research of Department of Wildlife Conservation, Dr. Lakshman Peiris said a dugong Conservation Communication Centre will be established in the Mullikulam range in Wilpattu.
“This includes developing the communication network with fishermen and Navy to find any threats to dugongs in the area, spot whether someone is causing harm via disruptive fishing practices such as using ray nets and dynamite fishing etc,” he said.
Enshrouded in legend
According to Nanayakkara, fossil records of bone fragments of dugongs were found from stratified layers dating back to 3800 BP and there is evidence that consumption of dugong flesh was practised by pre –Sinhala inhabitants of Sri Lanka, the Yakkas and the Nagas.
Dugongs belong to the order Sirenia, thus referred since they are believed to be the source of the myths surrounding mermaids and sirens due to the whistling, echoing sounds they make.
In the voyages of Columbus, Christopher Columbus describes catching a glimpse of three mermaids in his first voyage to the Americas.
The record says, “….he said he quite distinctly saw three mermaids, who rose well out of the sea, but they are not so beautiful as they are said to be, for their faces had some masculine traits.”
The National Geographic states that dugongs are known to, “rise out of the sea, occasionally performing tail stands. National Geographic describes a record of a mermaid skeleton in England’s Magazine of Natural History, during this time, which says,“a skeleton of a mermaid, as it was called, which was shot near the island of Mombass, was brought to Portsmouth.”
Upon submission to the members of the Philosophical Society, it was proved to be that of a dugong.
Dugongs are a species that has existed for thousands of years, fueled human imagination and satiated their greed.
Time has come for effective conservation measures to be established, to ensure the fascinating creatures themselves do not fade into legend.