The Aquatic Students’ Association – University of Sri Jayewardenepura proudly participated in Knight-Ro 2025 organized by Thurstan College - Colombo

The Aquatic Students’ Association – University of Sri Jayewardenepura proudly participated in Knight-Ro 2025, a massive exhibition held on 28, 29, and 30 August, organized by Thurstan College - Colombo to celebrate its 75th Anniversary. The exhibition was designed to inspire the next generation by showcasing creativity, innovation, and knowledge across fields such as science, technology, healthcare, engineering, business, arts, culture, and even defence services.

Our stall highlighted aquatic resources and conservation, featuring topics such as coral reef protection, ornamental fish culture, seashell diversity, and the preservation of small animals in resin.

Being part of Knight-Ro 2025 was both an honour and a valuable learning experience, giving us knowledge, exposure, and confidence while supporting Thurstan College’s mission to inspire future-ready citizens.

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Sustainability Challenges in Sea Cucumber Farming

Sustainability Challenges in Sea Cucumber Farming

Sea cucumber farming in Northern Sri Lanka plays a vital role in livelihood development and export earnings. However, this growing industry also faces sustainability concerns including resource user conflicts, environmental challenges, lack of reliable juvenile supply, and weaknesses in nursery facilities.

Prof. Chamari Dissanayake and Madavi Jayasekara from the Department of Zoology, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, emphasize the importance of eco-friendly strategies, proper management, and research-based approaches to ensure long-term sustainability of this valuable marine resource.

These sustainable practices are expected to strengthen Sri Lanka’s blue economy while protecting marine ecosystems for future generations.

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Marine Snow: A staple of the deep

 

Marine Snow: A staple of the deep

As we dive deeper into winter in the northern hemisphere, the possibility of snow becomes an increasingly frequent topic of conversation. But did you know that the ocean gets a regular dose of 'marine snow' year-round? 

Marine snow is mostly biological debris that originates from the top layers of the ocean and drifts to the sea floor.

The decaying material is referred to as 'marine snow' because it looks a little bit like white fluffy bits. The continuous rain of marine snow provides food for many deep-sea creatures. Many animals in the dark parts of the ocean filter marine snow from the water or scavenge it from the seabed as their primary food source.

When diving in the deep, sometimes we see a lot of marine snow, and sometimes we see very little. Differences in the amount of marine snow falling through the water column or the density of this snowfall are influenced by many factors, such as the production of plankton in surface water and the consumption and decomposition rates of the organic matter.

They are not uniformly distributed either in space or time but are usually found in higher concentrations in the upper water column and in the more productive regions of the oceans.

Written by - Sayuri Pallewaththa

3rd year (21/22 Batch)

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Beluga Whale: The White Spirit of the Arctic🐬🐋

 

Beluga Whale: The White Spirit of the Arctic🐬🐋

Beluga (Delphinapterus leucas), a small, toothed whale found mainly in the coastal waters of the Arctic Ocean and adjacent seas but also in rivers and deep offshore waters. It is an extremely vocal cetacean and thus has also been referred to as the “canary of the sea.” This whale can also proficiently mimic a variety of sounds. Easily caught in shallow water, the beluga has been kept in captivity since the 1860s, and its coloration and adaptability have made it popular at oceanariums. 

Belugas are about 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) long at birth and grow to a length of about 4 meters (13.1 feet). Newborn calves are gray to brown, but their color fades with age until they become completely white after attaining sexual maturity at four to five years old. Adults have broad flippers with upward-curving tips, but there is no dorsal fin. Belugas have a rounded forehead and extremely plastic facial features, enabling the whales to alter the external shape of their head at will. Female belugas experience menopause, and a significant portion of their 35–50-year life span may be spent in a post-reproductive phase.

Arctic populations of beluga whales are at home in pack ice but must migrate to warmer waters when the sea freezes over completely. They usually live in groups of 5 to pods of more than 1,000, feeding on fish, cephalopods, crustaceans, and worms.

Beluga whales are becoming more and more at risk as victims of different human activities. Among the most pressing concerns is climate change, which is quickly warming the Arctic and diminishing sea ice—a critical component of their environment. This has an impact on both their migratory routes and the availability of their food. Moreover, the echolocation and communication of the animals are disturbed by underwater noise pollution, generated by ship traffic, oil drilling, and industrial activities, which is a prerequisite for social bonding and navigation. They accumulate pollution, especially mercury, PCBs, and other contaminants, in their tissues and suffer reproductive and immune system disorders. Also, belugas are exposed to the risks of overhunting and being accidentally caught in fisheries gear in some areas, contributing to their decreased numbers.

We must create marine protected zones, restrict destructive industrial operations, and reduce pollution in order to save beluga whales. Their long-term existence also depends on ongoing study and public awareness. Together, we can contribute to the protection of these amazing animals and their delicate Arctic habitat.

Written by - Chamodh Ekanayake

1st Year (23/24 Batch)

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Sea salps, the secret swimmer of the ocean.

 

Sea salps, the secret swimmer of the ocean.

I bet most of my dear readers haven't heard about sea salps, ever ! But don't worry I understand your dilemma. If it wasn't for National Geographic Channel's documentary on sea salps I wouldn't be writing about these fascinating sea salps. One fine day , the Storm Bay beach in  Tasmania encountered some strange, transparent, jellyfish like species.On further observation, Dr Lisa Ann Gershwin , who's an American - Australian biologist found that these species were sea salps. Even tough they looked like jellyfish actually they weren't jellyfish. Well how can I be so sure about that?Sea salps don't have any stinging materials called nematocysts, so you are out of danger and they got all the organs like heart, brain, lungs, stomach, muscles which cannot be found in jellyfish.Not only in the beaches of Australia, sea salps were abundantly found in the Southern ocean, near Antarctica.  

Sea salps make friends easily and they stick together.Well, you'll might be thinking as to why I mentioned something like this? It's because these salps are rarely found as individual species instead they're found as chains. They move, feed and live together as a chain. Sea salps got muscle bands encircling their body.Food is taken from the incoming stream and diverted to the stomach.Water exits the body of these creatures due to the contraction of the muscle bands allowing them to move forward through water.This is commonly known as the jet propulsion system.Mechanical engineers you have got something to learn from them.

Sorry to say this but I got to know about a situation where these salps had to say goodbye to their friends and break off. That's during reproduction. So, when the sea salps are aggregated into chains they are female colonies. The females breaks off from the aggregate and release  a single embryo. The solitary females then go on to develop testis,  become males and fertilize the aggregates. Interesting right? I wasn't expecting this too.

Now here's a fun fact.Salps are the fastest growing multicellular animals on earth. They can grow to maturity by 48 hours increasing their length by 10% per hour. Under favourable conditions these species can number upto 400 per cubic meter of water. Well,  now that's fast.Dr Gershwin stated it like this 

" Let's say that it's born at midnight, by noon it's a parent and by midnight it's a grandparent."

But unfortunately they have a short life span. Salp fusiforms found in Storm Bay lives up to only 22 days. As these sea salps are considered as large zooplanktons, they feed on phytoplanktons and algae.

During phytoplankton and algal blooms, the salp population increases rapidly by consuming them. Therefore, the water becomes clean and clear because these salp buddies have filtered out and eaten all the algae. So, it's the perfect time for a dive or snorkel. Salps are also important for recycling nutrients through different depth zones on the ocean. As they move up and down through the ocean eating and excreting, they spread nutrients downwards to other ocean communities 

Another interesting fact is that, the feces of sea salps called fecal pellets sinks to the bottom of the ocean and Carbon is carried away from where it will enter the atmosphere. So because of this nutrients are available for the deep sea plant species.

Now that the cat is out of the box, sea salps are not a mystery anymore but a treasure to be protected everyday.

Written by - Chanmi Dalpadadu 

1st year ( 23/24 Batch )

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