They plan to work with our Ocean Stars Projects in Vellaimanal, Trincomalee

This year 8 students from the university, half of which have previously taken part in the Egypt expedition, will be undertaking a marine expedition to the understudied island of Sri Lanka for the first time. The expedition will be based in the harbour town of Trincomalee. Efforts will be concentrated on the coral reefs and their associated fish, invertebrate and planktonic assemblages fringing the area of Trincomalee and Pigeon Island, a marine protected area.

The expedition will be based 2km north of Trincomalee town, in the small coastal village of Uppuveli. Along the coast line of Trincomalee there are coral reefs and sea grass meadows (Dharmaretnam, 2004). The area is known for its naturally deep water port that is accompanied by a coastal multiple canyon system (Young, 2014). The presence of large marine mammals in the area should also be noted and there is a large tourism industry as a result of their presence.

There are regular sightings of Balaenoptera musculus (Blue whales) and Stenella longirostris (spinner dolphins) (Alling, 1991). However, this has also raised issues of ship strikes around the Sri Lankan coastline (Priyadarshana, 2015; de Vos, 3013). Pigeon Island and its associated entry fee generate a considerable amount of revenue for the local wildlife and conservation authorities.

When not working with the expedition the students will be visiting Ocean Stars preschools and nurseries and sharing their love of science by teaching through fun and interactive learning. They will also talk to older students about studying science at University and encouraging them to pursue further studies in science.