CRIOMM

'Whales Weep Not' Documentary Film

1983

Whale documentary film by James R Donaldson III.

D.H. Lawrence — Whales Weep Not! (read by Dylan Thomas).

Supported by CRIOMM - Dr. Hiran Jayewardene, Cedric Martenstyn and Rodney Jonklaas.

This underwater epic film was shot on location in Trincomalee, Sri Lanka in 1982. It shows the sperm whale and the blue whale underwater for the first time in history and documents the little-known habits and characteristics of the endangered sperm whale.

SMMIO Conference & CRIOMM

1983

In February 1983, the first international Symposium on Marine Mammals in the Indian Ocean (SMMIO) was held in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

The conference was well attended by many sciententists and researchers from around the world. Several papers were presented by authors that included Abigail Alling, J.C. Clark, D.S. Jayakody, L. Joseph, J.S. Lagendijk, Stephen Leatherwood, M. Nishiwaki, S. Ohsumi, P. Rice, M.T. Santerre, R.M. Santerre, M.S.N. Siddeek, Hal Whitehead and others.

Following the conference. in a collaborative effort with the United Nations Environment Programme, UNEP, in Nairobi, the Centre for Research on Indian Ocean Marine Mammals (CRIOMM) was set up in 1983 at Clappenburg Bay in Trincomalee. Here, young researchers were trained by two internationally acclaimed cetalogists, Dr. Roger Payne (US Center for Long Term Research) and Dr. Stephen Leatherwood (Hubbs Marine Research Institute).

First Research Voyages in Sri Lankan Waters

February 1982 to April 1984

A research team led by the marine biologists Hal Whitehead with Jonathan Gordon and Abigail Alling, and supported by NARA conducted the first research surveys in Sri Lankan waters aboard RV Tulip, a 10m sloop. The expedition was the first comprehensive study of sperm whales that had ever been conducted using benign techniques, anywhere in the world. In addition, the Tulip team and their Sri Lankan collaborators also recorded sightings of other cetaceans and examined a number of marine mammal specimens provided by fishermen.

RV Tulip, Little Basses