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Our oceans contain the greatest diversity of life on Earth. From the freezing polar regions to the warm waters of the tropics and deep sea hydrothermal vents to shallow seagrass beds, marine organisms abound. By donating to Oceanswell, you are helping us do what we do best – explore, discover, protect, educate and give the oceans a voice. No amount is too little and your support is greatly appreciated.

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13 Ocean Hero Huddles down and many more to go!

Last evening, Hafsa and Naduni hosted a fun and interesting OHH on a hot topic - nurdles - which sound quite cute but are actually very dangerous! We feel it is important to educate everyone on timely issues and this OHH...

We receive many questions on the impact of the MV Xpress pearl disaster on marine species & ecosystems. To help answer them, we teamed up with various Species Specialist Groups of the @IUCNssc which comprises all the world's finest experts, and put together a series of FAQs.

Over the last few weeks, we have received an increased number of photos of stranded marine animals from along our coastline. As you all know, we have maintained a strandings database using crowd-sourced images, newspaper reports and archival material for a few years...

Our team has now curated all of these photos and handed them over, labelled with all the names to the Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA).

#MVXpressPearl #coastlinephotos

A very big thank you to everyone who sent in photos of our coastline prior to the MV Xpress Pearl incident! The response was overwhelming and we received photos from 40 locations along the affected coastline, from 120 contributors in just 24 hours!

13 Ocean Hero Huddles down and many more to go!

13 Ocean Hero Huddles down and many more to go! Last evening, Hafsa and Naduni hosted a fun and interesting OHH on a hot hot topic - nurdles - which sound quite cute but are actually very dangerous! We feel it is important to educate everyone on timely issues and this OHH is a great example of that. In this session we talked about what nurdles are, how they travel (imagine a nurdle with a little suitcase, catching a current!), their impact on our oceans and steps our little heroes can take to stop these nurdles from taking over our oceans! Swipe through the slides for a quick summary of what we discussed! This discussion was based on a TEDEd video titled “The nurdles’ quest for ocean domination” by Kim Preshoff. If you have any pictures of nurdles, do submit them to our nurdle tracker by heading to https://bit.ly/3pDp4hU or by clicking on the link in our bio titled “Nurdle tracker”. For more on nurdles and their impacts, check out our nurdle FAQ by heading to https://oceanswell.org/resources-on-mv-xpress-pearl or by clicking on the link in our bio titled “Resources on MV Xpress Pearl”. @hafsajamel @nadunimallikarachchi @tededucation #oceanherohuddle #nurdles

We receive many questions on the impact of the MV

We receive many questions on the impact of the MV Xpress pearl disaster on marine species and ecosystems. To help answer them, Oceanswell teamed up with various Species Specialist Groups of the IUCN Species Survival Commission which comprises all the world's finest experts, and put together a series of FAQs. To learn more head to https://oceanswell.org/resources-on-mv-xpress-pearl or click on the link in our bio titled “Resources on MV Xpress Pearl”. Please stay tuned as we continue to update this page. We thank the following Species Specialist groups for their support:
🐚Cetacean Specialist Group
🐚Seahorse, Pipefish and Seadragon Specialist Group
🐚Snapper, Seabream & Grunt Specialist Group
🐚Shark Specialist Group
🐚Marine Fish Specialist Group
🐚Coral Specialist Group
🐚Seagrass Species Specialist Group @iucnssc @ashadevos
#MVXpressPearl #nurdles

Over the last few weeks, we have received an incre

Over the last few weeks, we have received an increased number of photos of stranded marine animals from along our coastline. As you all know, we have maintained a strandings database using crowd-sourced images, newspaper reports and archival material for a few years, but with this influx of photos we wanted to ensure we did not miss out on your contributions. So, we created a tool where you can submit any stranding yourself! And the best part? it only takes a few minutes! In case you are wondering, strandings are when whales and dolphins (cetaceans) are found dead, either on the beach or floating in the water, or alive on the beach and unable to return to the water or when a turtle on land or in the water is found dead, injured or exhibits any indication of ill health or abnormal behaviour. Why do we collect this data?
Because it helps us understand causes of death, threats and stressors to marine life, how many individuals wash up on our coastlines a year, what species tend to strand and so much more. What do we do with this data?
We share the data with the Department of Wildlife and the National Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA) In relation to the recent spate of carcasses post #MVXpressPearl Dr. Asha said, “The truth is, animals die at sea. If currents flow shoreward (As they are doing on our southern and western coasts right now), the carcasses get pushed on the beach. We have documented strandings from before this incident which includes the first whale to strand on our shores in 1884! We have to be cautious about making assumptions without evidence”. Today we are lucky to have such an engaged community of citizen scientists to rely on for records. So if you see anything, please do submit to https://bit.ly/2S1YAdu or click on the link in our bio titled “Strandings survey”. Please share and help us spread the word! @ashadevos @esrigram @arcgisstorymaps

A very big thank you to everyone who sent in photo

A very big thank you to everyone who sent in photos of our coastline prior to the MV Xpress Pearl incident! The response was overwhelming and we received photos from 40 locations along the affected coastline, from 120 contributors in just 24 hours! Our team has now curated all of these photos and handed them over, labelled with all your names to the Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA). #MVXpressPearl #coastlinephotos @slmepa

Last year we conducted a study to explore how the

Last year we conducted a study to explore how the initial COVID-19 related lockdowns impacted coastal fisher communities across Sri Lanka. The research was designed to give us insight into how these communities adapted and navigated through this uncertain period. Many lockdowns later, the communities along the west coast are facing closures as a result of the fallout from the fire aboard the MV X-Press Pearl. Here we present our findings and some recommendations on how to navigate the current crisis. Swipe right to learn more! Access the full report, read the summaries and learn more about our research at www.oceanswell.org/publications or click on the link in bio titled ‘Publications’. For more resources on the MV X-Press Pearl incident, head over to
https://oceanswell.org/resources-on-mv-xpress-pearl or click on the link in our bio titled “Resources on MV XPress Pearl” @ashadevos @nadiya.azmy @hafsajamel @arpanax #oceanswellcovid19andfisheries #covid19andfisheries #fisheriessrilanka

We have good news for our younger ocean heroes - o

We have good news for our younger ocean heroes - our 13th Ocean Hero Huddle is happening on Thursday, 17th of June at 5pm IST! This month we celebrate one year of OHH as we kickstarted this series on World Oceans Day back in 2020! Hafsa and Naduni, our huddle hosts, have enjoyed 12 delightful discussions with our enthusiastic ocean heroes and learned heaps about online webinars for kids! Together we have learned so much about our oceans and the creatures that live within and in these sessions we have talked about creatures like the noble sea cucumber and even the majestic killer whale. We have also discussed marine related phenomena like ocean acidification and tsunamis. Missed out on these sessions or want to know more about what we discussed? Check out our ‘Ocean Hero Huddle guide’ to read recaps of all of our sessions! This month at our Ocean Hero Huddle, we will discuss something that has been a topic of conversation for the past few weeks on our tiny island. To sign up, head to www.oceanswell.org/events or click on the link in our bio titled “Events”. These sessions are exclusively for our younger ocean heroes below the age of 15 who are passionate about learning about our oceans. @hafsajamel @nadunimallikarachchi #oceanherohuddle

A few days ago, when this image was released, a lo

A few days ago, when this image was released, a lot of people had questions about what they were seeing and what they were hearing through news outlets. We went back to Dr. Chris Reddy an oil spill expert from Woods hole to get his thoughts. We asked him about the satellite image and it’s predictive capacity, and a bit more about the oil onboard. In short, he said these satellite images can be useful because they allow us to detect monitor, assess, and plan counter measures in the event of a spill BUT false positives do occur. Samples must be tested to understand the source of the oil slick - is it from fuel tanks or is it from the lubricating oil used on machinery. Source can also tell us more about what is happening. To learn more please head to the link in our bio and click on ‘Resources on MV XPress Pearl’ or click here: https://oceanswell.org/resources-on-mv-xpress-pearl @whoi.ocean @ashadevos #MVXpressPearl

11 June - Pamunugama beach: MV XPress Pearl. Just

11 June - Pamunugama beach: MV XPress Pearl. Just back from a field visit to Pamunugama beach and I’m in awe of all the hard work that the navy has done. If you remember my photos and video from last week, the beach was covered in nurdles, but today things were so different! Massive thanks for their untiring efforts in the scorching hot sun, in the middle of a pandemic! While out on site I also met the teams from IOTPF and Oil Spill Response, two international organisations that are here, on the ground, assessing the situation and helping come up with effective and efficient ways to clean up the nurdles. Many of you asked what happens with these nurdles once collected. The Marine Environmental Protection Authority (MEPA) are storing them in sealed containers at a warehouse in Wattala for now. All in all it was a fruitful visit and we are happy that our research will contribute to making a difference. Don’t forget that you too can make a difference by contributing photos to our ‘nurdle tracker’. Simply head to the link in our bio and click on ‘nurdle tracker’ and you are good to go! @slnwebunit @ashadevos #MVXpressPearl

To celebrate World Oceans Day, the department of m

To celebrate World Oceans Day, the department of marketing and tourism management and ICTH sustainability at NSBM Green university reached out to Oceanswell to conduct a webinar for students. We were beyond excited! Chiran and Hafsa got to work on a presentation that highlighted the role marketing plays in protecting our oceans using the example of whale-watching. The duo explored how unrealistic expectations resulting from false marketing can eventually impact species like whales, and explored the idea that responsible marketing can be a stepping stone to a more sustainable industry. Tourism led development has been a key strategy for Sri Lanka’s post-war development policy planning, and is the third-highest foreign revenue generator. Restoring a balance between economies and ecosystems is important for the future of the industry. Interested in having our team talk to you? Email us at info@oceanswell.org with all the details. @hafsajamel @kavindu_chiran @icth_sustainability #whalewatching #tourism #marketinginconservation