• Oceanswell Founder and BES Equality and Diversity Champion 2023, marine biologist Dr. Asha de Vos on the importance of whales for human survival

She has been studying the largest animal on earth for decades and finds it extremely rewarding.  Dr. Asha de Vos is a globally acclaimed marine biologist who was just recently named the Equality and Diversity Champion 2023 by the British Ecological Society United Kingdom, adding yet another to the host of accolades that she has amassed for her groundbreaking work with whales, especially the blue whale. Thanks to de Vos’ research, the International Whaling Commission designated the Sri Lankan blue whale, a species that is non-migratory, as a species in urgent need of conservation and has started collaborating with the authorities on whale ship strikes. de Vos has been named among the British Broadcasting Corporation 100 Women in 2018, the Sea Hero of the Year in 2020 by the Scuba Diving Magazine, is a TED Senior Fellow, the National Geographic’s Emerging Explorer, a Pew Fellow in Marine Conservation, and a Duke University Global Fellow, and was selected as the Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, and is the Founder and Director of the non-profit Oceanswell, which is the country’s first marine conservation research and education organisation. de Vos is also the first and only Sri Lankan to gain a doctor of philosophy in marine mammal research. She is an invited member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature Species Survival Commission’s Cetacean Specialist Group and also founded the Sri Lankan Blue Whale Project in 2008.

de Vos was on Kaleidoscope this week, speaking about the newest developments in her field, her new research endeavours, and about the wonder and importance of the blue whale to the ocean’s ecosystems.

You were six when you started pouring over NatGeo magazines and imagining yourself going to places no one had been to. How did your fascination with marine life start?

How can we not be fascinated with marine life, living in a beautiful tropical island? I’d see the Ocean every day on my way to school, which piqued my interest. My curiosity about nature was also nurtured; as children, my siblings and I would have caterpillars and scorpions in jars in our bedroom and we grew up like wild children in our garden. My parents encouraged that curiosity.

Then, I became a swimmer and water soon became my element. All of these came together and the vision of the Ocean, this massive blue tank of water, came to represent something magical. I knew that if the lid of the Ocean was lifted, it would reveal magical things inside. This is what drew me in.

Why did you hone in on the blue whale?

That was by chance. I studied marine biology as an undergraduate and had all the theoretical knowledge. But, I wanted to go out to the field, because it’s very important to have those experiences. I volunteered on a vessel that was circumnavigating the globe and stopping in Sri Lanka. We were studying the sperm whales around Sri Lanka at that time. One day, we were tracking sperm whales off the Kirinda beach. We had microphones in the water to listen to the whale but we had to see them with our own eyes. I was getting frustrated because we hadn’t seen anything and I really wanted to be the first person to spot the pod of whales. Then, in the distance, I saw a giant spout, a massive powerful blow. It had to be a huge animal with massive lungs, exhaling in the distance. I got the vessel to change course (which is unheard of in scientific expeditions) and even worse, I was the lowly deckhand who was cleaning toilets and polishing the brass on board, but here I was, telling them where to go. Anyway, we turned around and we found not one but six blue whales. I was blown away. That was my first encounter.  All I could think of was, ‘we have blue whales in Sri Lanka’. That was huge for me.  

What are the most recent findings you’ve unearthed?

I’ve broadened my horizons from being just a blue whale scientist. I study sperm whales as well. We’re still in the process of discovering things. We found squid beaks in sperm whale excrement, which can tell us about what kind of squid species the whales consume. That’s the next step in our research. Apart from this, we’ve done the first ever deep sea research in Sri Lanka. It’s pioneering work that we did last year (2022) and we’ve uncovered so many species. We have found a type of squid in the Sri Lankan deep waters who are preyed on by sperm whales in other parts of the world. There are at least two species of shark, two species of rays, and different types of fish that we’ve never seen before in our history, just off our coastline in the deep waters.

How many species of whale are there in Sri Lanka?

There are about five species of large whales in Sri Lanka in total. There’s the blue whale, the sperm whale, and Bryde’s whale. Eight years ago, I discovered the Bryde’s whale that was new to our waters. We knew that it lived in Madagascar and Japan, but didn’t know that it lived around our coastline. It was really exciting because this animal, called the Omura’s whale, can grow up to 30 feet long. It was living right on our coastline and we were overlooking it. If we’re overlooking a giant that can get that big, imagine all the other smaller beings that we’re not seeing and not recording? This shows just how much is left to discover in our waters, which are teeming with life.

People are not too aware of the importance of the blue whale to the environment. Why is the blue whale important to the survival of the earth?

Like all whales, the blue whale is incredible. It’s not just because it’s beautiful and is the largest animal we’ve known. Blue whales also provide many services, as does everything on our planet. Whales go down and dive into very deep waters to feed. In these waters, because it’s cold, there are lots of nutrients like iron and nitrogen that we won’t get on surface waters (because it’s warm in the surface waters). When these animals eat in the deep waters, they come up at some point to breathe at the air-sea interface. So, when they excrete, it’s like dropping a bunch of fertiliser on the surface of the ocean. On this surface are tiny microscopic plants called phytoplankton, which use this excreta as nourishment and combine it with sunlight to produce oxygen. One in every second breath that we take at any given time is produced by the plants in the ocean, and some of them are fertilised by whale poop!

You helped to designate the blue whale as a species in need of conservation. What is actually killing these whales?

In Sri Lanka, one of the biggest threats that blue whales face is ship strikes. There is constant traffic of massive container ships on the South coast in visual range, because the shipping lanes are very close to land. Now, these shipping lanes are in an area that is good feeding ground for the whales. Blue whales and Bryde’s whales feed in these particular areas where the slope of the Ocean floor is very gradual. There’s nutrient rich water coming up, which makes it quite productive and thus, these animals rely on these areas. So, when shipping lanes overlap good feeding grounds, there are vessel strikes, which are the primary whale killer. But, these threats don’t act in isolation; they are compounded with other issues including pieces of fishing gear which are the number one pollutant of our oceans. These wrap around whatever that passes, be it whales, dolphins, turtles, or sharks, which then get entangled and dragged to the bottom or are trapped on the surface so that they can’t dive to feed. Noise pollution is also a factor. For animals that see the world through their ears, their sensitivity to sound is very high. The more ships and boats that we place on the ocean, the sound increases and this disrupts everything from feeding behaviours to the way that a mother reprimands her babies, to how these creatures bring their families together, and the way that they mate. These threats don’t work in isolation, they work together to create disruptions to marine life. It’s quite an obstacle course out there.

Are there any misconceptions and myths that need to be debunked about the blue whale?

If ever a whale strands, one of the first things that people like to do is cut it open, because they’re looking for ambergris. Ambergris is the bile which is only found in 1% of sperm whales. People think that all whales produce ambergris. Sperm whales feed on squid and the squid beak, which is very tough, lingers in their stomach, and irritates them, and bile forms around it and hardens, which comes out as vomit. This is worth millions of United States Dollars. The substance is traditionally used in the perfume industry and makes the perfume stick on your skin better. Thankfully, we have artificial versions of ambergris to use in perfumes and there’s no need to hunt whales to find it. But, the sad news is that each time a whale strands, people hack it open to find ambergris to sell.

You fight for the conservation of the blue whale. How successful have you been in your fight to conserve the blue whale?

There’s always so much more to do. In some ways, my efforts have been successful. Before I started, not many knew we had blue whales in our waters. From that point of view of raising awareness, we’ve taken a big step. People know that these giants, the largest animal to ever roam our planet, live in our waters all year round. However, with conservation, it’s three steps forward and two steps back, a marathon and not a sprint. I recognise that it’s a lifelong task to make a difference. It is frustrating sometimes, because just as I’m making headway, there’s strong pushback for not so great reasons. Then, we try another tactic to bring the problem to the table and address it again. In my lifetime, I want more people to appreciate what a unique situation we are in. A population of the largest mammal on earth lives in our waters throughout the year, throughout our lives. It’s a privilege to have them with us, and it’s our job to protect them for the good of the planet. I want more people to be excited about them and also for people to recognise that if we don’t work towards mitigating threats, we might lose these wonderful creatures. There are always other stakeholders involved, but, if we join together, we can get to a point where everyone has a common goal and vision to make a difference.

Few women are in the space that you’re in. There must be other women who really want to join your field but are scared to take the deep dive. What would you say to them?

The world is designed for men, as we all know. As women, we have to work harder, although it’s not fair. Work as hard as you can to get to a point where people don’t see you for your gender, but for your capability, where you are needed for a decision to be made. Get to a point where you’re the person with the expertise, without whom a problem cannot be solved. We have to make ourselves the professionals that everyone needs. Our background and our gender have to be not thought about.

(The writer is the host, director, and co-producer of the weekly digital programme ‘Kaleidoscope with Savithri Rodrigo’ which can be viewed on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. She has over three decades of experience in print, electronic, and social media.)