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Friday, Apr 25, 2008
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The secret life of marine mammals

The fins of a breaching blue whale

Life was exciting out there in the middle of the ocean. The silence and loneliness in the midst of the vastness of the sea was shattered once in a while by a feeble cry of a stray seabird.

Then there was the gust of wind that blows past the vessel. The occasional sighting of dolphins and whales brought cheer on board Sagar Sampada, the vessel that took Indian scientists to the high seas for a unique study. Discussions and debates follow ed on the species and characteristics of the animals that were sighted and data, including photographs, were recorded for future studies.

This was how life progressed on board Sagar Sampada for four years for the scientists who took a long and painstaking expedition into the secret life of marine mammals.

The researchers spend 5,254 hours in the company of waves, seabirds, dolphins and whales. The scientists of the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute have eventually come out with a marine mammal atlas after the perilous expedition.

The cruises were part of a project, studies on marine mammals of Indian Exclusive Economic Zone and the contiguous seas, which was supported by the Ministry of Earth Sciences. This was the first scientific and organised attempt to study the marine mammals in India, said E. Vivekanandan, who was the co-investigator of the project.

And the team had M. Rajagopalan, E. Vivekanandan, P. Jayasankar, P.K. Krishnakumar, K.P. Said Koya, Anoop Balan, A. Anoop, K.S.S.M. Yousuf and V.V. Afsal as members.

“The sighting of whales was really exciting. Sometimes, the sea becomes rough and everyone would be vomiting. Yet, it was a remarkable and exciting experience,” said Mr. Anoop Balan.

It was earlier reported that there were 26 varieties of marine mammals in the Indian seas. However, the team could identify only 16 species including blue whales, sperm whales, common dolphins, bottle nosed, spinners, humpback and striped dolphins, said Dr. Vivekanandan.

The Ministry has also sanctioned the second phase of the study which will also be for another four years.

K.S. Sudhi

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