Business

ISRAs of Sri Lanka – Protecting Hidden Shark and Ray Hotspots

Published

3 months ago

2026/03/22

Palk Bay ISRA

When you think of sharks in Sri Lanka, your mind probably goes to the sleek blacktip reef sharks gliding through the reefs of Pigeon Island. But what most people don’t realise is that Sri Lanka is home to over 100 species of sharks and rays—ranging from reef dwellers and open-ocean giants to mysterious deep-sea, with some juvenile bull sharks being found even in freshwater!. They’re scattered across almost every part of the coastline, from coral reefs and estuaries to muddy lagoons and inland waterways. Yet despite their presence, these fascinating creatures remain deeply misunderstood and largely unprotected in national conservation efforts.

Chances are, if you’ve eaten karawala (dried fish) in Sri Lanka, you’ve possibly eaten shark—without even knowing it. Shark meat often ends up in local markets with no species names, and no questions asked. But here’s the catch: unlike fast-growing fish like sardines or mackerel, most sharks and rays grow slowly, mature late, and have very few offspring. Some only give birth once every couple of years. That means that their populations are usually precarious and they are sensitive even to small-scale fishing operations, which push their populations into serious decline. And in Sri Lanka, while vessel sizes are smaller in comparison to many developed countries, the number of vessels combined with their fishing techniques has resulted in the depletion, and in the case of sawfishes, a likely local extinction.

That’s where Important Shark and Ray Areas (ISRAs) come in. ISRAs are a global science-based tool designed to designate places that matter most for sharks, rays, and chimaeras. They aren’t marine protected areas and don’t come with legal restrictions—but they highlight critical habitats based on rigorous scientific criteria. These include areas used for breeding, feeding, migration, or home to rare, threatened, or range-restricted species.

In 2024, after a thorough review and vetting process, five (of the seven) proposed areas from Sri Lanka were formally designated as ISRAs

Bathalangunduwa Island, located on the fringes of the shallow coastal Puttalam Lagoon and off the coast of Wilpattu National Park in northwestern Sri Lanka, qualifies as an ISRA based on the presence of the threatened Winghead Shark (Eusphyra blochii). This area meets two ISRA criteria: it supports a vulnerable species and functions as a reproductive habitat.

Palk Bay, a shallow, semi-enclosed water body shared between India and Sri Lanka, qualifies as an ISRA due to the presence of multiple important species. These include the threatened Shorttail Whipray (Maculabatis bineeshi), the range-restricted Sharpnose Guitarfish (Glaucostegus granulatus), and reproductive populations of the Grey Sharpnose Shark (Rhizoprionodon oligolinx). This was one of the few trans-boundary ISRAs covering both Indian, and Sri Lankan waters.

: Punnakuda ISRA

: Pigeon Island ISRA

: Pasikuda & Kalkudah ISRA

: Baththalangunduwa ISRA

Pasikudah & Kalkudah, a coastal stretch in Sri Lanka’s Batticaloa District, is known for its coral reefs and nearshore shark activity. This ISRA qualifies due to the presence of threatened and range-restricted species, such as the Stripenose Guitarfish (Acroteriobatus variegatus).

Punnakuda Canyon, a deep-sea canyon located just offshore from Pasikudah & Kalkudah and beyond the boundaries of the coastal ISRA, qualifies based on the presence of threatened and range-restricted deep-sea species, including the Indian Swellshark (Cephaloscyllium silasi).

Pigeon Island, the only ISRA in Sri Lanka that overlaps with a Marine Protected Area—the Pigeon Island Marine National Park—qualifies due to the presence of threatened species and undefined aggregations, notably the Blacktip Reef Shark (Carcharhinus melanopterus).

These areas are already designated ISRAs. In addition to this Sri Lanka also has two “Areas of Interest”; Koddiyar Bay and Hikkaduwa.

While these ISRAs don’t enforce protection on their own, except for Pigeon Island, which happens to overlap with an already established National Park, they’re a vital starting point. They help guide where marine protected areas might be placed, where fishing regulations could be refined, and where development should tread carefully. For Sri Lanka, ISRAs offer a powerful chance to align conservation and fisheries planning before it’s too late.

Most importantly, ISRAs are created using available scientific knowledge. Organisations like Blue Resources Trust (BRT) were able to contribute to the designation of ISRA’s due to long-term monitoring of shark and ray fisheries across the country. BRT has built the largest dataset on Sri Lankan sharks and rays, thanks to contributions from the Tokyo Cement Group, the Save Our Seas Foundation (SOSF), the Marine Conservation and Action Fund (MCAF) of the New England Aquarium, the Hong Kong Ocean Park Conservation Foundation (OPCFHK), the Prince Bernhard Nature Fund, amongst others.

By designating our ISRAs, Sri Lanka now has the recognition to make smarter, science-led decisions for the ocean’s most vulnerable species.

As shark and ray populations decline under pressure from overfishing, habitat loss, and climate change, knowing where they still have a chance to thrive is the first step toward saving them. Through ISRAs, Sri Lanka can take the lead in showing how conservation and coastal livelihoods can go hand in hand.

To explore ISRA maps and learn more, visit: https://sharkrayareas.org

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Business

David Pieris Automobiles opens Sri Lanka’s first GWM Flagship Experience Centre

Published

16 hours ago

2026/06/9

Sahan Weerasooriya

Rohana Dissanayake, Group Chairman and Managing Director, David Pieris Group of Companies along with Mahesh Gunathilake, Director, David Pieris Automobiles (Private) cutting the ribbon to open GWM Flagship Experience Centre at the Access Tower, Union Place, Colombo

David Pieris Automobiles (Private) Limited (DPA), the four-wheeler sales arm of the David Pieris Group, announced the opening of its state-of-the-art GWM Flagship Experience Centre at 250, Access Tower 03, Union Place, Colombo 02, marking a significant milestone in the evolution of Sri Lanka’s automotive retail landscape.

The newly opened flagship facility is designed to deliver a truly world-class automotive experience, showcasing the latest innovations and technologies from GWM, one of the world’s leading automobile manufacturers. As the first and only vehicle experience centre of its kind in Sri Lanka, it offers customers an immersive journey that goes beyond the traditional showroom concept. Visitors can explore GWM’s premium range of SUVs and electric vehicles, including the HAVAL H6 HEV, HAVAL H6 PHEV, HAVAL H6 GT PHEV, TANK 300 HEV and TANK 500 HEV, while enjoying dedicated vehicle demonstration zones, test-drive opportunities, and a host of innovative customer engagement experiences designed to redefine the vehicle purchasing journey. GWM’s product portfolio in Sri Lanka will be further expanded in the coming months with the introduction of several new models, including a range of fully electric vehicles.

With a legacy spanning over four decades, the David Pieris Group has earned a reputation as one of Sri Lanka’s most trusted automotive organisations, particularly for its comprehensive after-sales support and customer service excellence. Strengthening its commitment to GWM customers, DPA has already established a dedicated, state-of-the-art GWM service centre at No. 75, Hyde Park Corner, Colombo 02, supported by an expanding network of authorised service dealers across the island to ensure convenient and reliable customer care.

Commenting on the opening, Mahesh Gunathilake, Director, David Pieris Automobiles, stated: “The opening of the GWM Flagship Experience Centre represents a significant milestone in our journey with the GWM brand in Sri Lanka. This is the country’s first dedicated state-of-the-art experience centre for GWM vehicles, offering customers the opportunity to experience world-class automotive technology, premium comfort and advanced safety features. GWM has successfully redefined modern mobility by delivering high-end luxury and innovation at an affordable price point, and we are proud to bring this exceptional experience to Sri Lankan motorists.”

The opening of the flagship facility further reinforces David Pieris Automobiles’ commitment to expanding GWM’s presence in Sri Lanka while providing customers with an unmatched ownership experience backed by the Group’s renowned sales and after-sales expertise.(DPA)

Business

Sri Lanka’s culinary strengths engagingly explored

Published

16 hours ago

2026/06/9

Sahan Weerasooriya

Issue no.1 of a ground-breaking journal on Sri Lankan food and culture has just been launched and it’s such an engaging ‘read’ that it just cannot be put down by the reader until s/he reaches the last word in the publication. Titled ‘ROOTED’ it is a publication of Rooted Publications Pvt. Ltd. Colombo (www.rootedsrilanka.com).

This is no run-of-the-mill journal on local ‘culinary delights’. It is a profoundly empathetic, sensitive exploration of the uniqueness of Sri Lankan food and the cultures of the country. In other words, it’s a close, appreciative examination of what makes the native food of Sri Lanka and its cultures special and hard to replicate and replace.

Writers of the arrestingly illustrated articles in ‘ROOTED’ have apparently spared no pains to travel the length and breadth of Sri Lanka to unravel, with mesmeric pleasure, the food and drink offers at the heart of Sri Lankan cuisine. The food connoisseur has all his curiosities satisfied in the journal and cannot prevent his taste buds from being stimulated on reading the contents of the journal.

Regardless of geographical or physical location what Sri Lanka has to offer its own people or the visitor to the country by way of particularly indigenous dishes and meal spreads are made to come alive in these pages. The connoisseurs and food experts are taken on an entrancing journey into homes transformed into family restaurants, aromatic eateries and bustling market places with sizzling catch along the sea coast of the island to its interior in this appetizing survey of Sri Lankan food.

What is distinct in terms of food and drink to the different ethnicities and cultures of the land are rendered in larger-than-life eye-catching portrayals via the pen and the lens. Consequently the journal not only celebrates food but also its distinctive cultural roots and identities. That is, people are serenaded alongside food.

In the process, the ‘ambul thials’, the ‘ala thel and brinjal badums’, the ‘thilapia curries’, the multifarious, ‘mouth-burning sambols’ and heady ‘Arrack shots’ experimentally mixed, to name just a few such offers of food and drink with a uniquely Sri Lankan stamp on them, are made to come alive in ‘ROOTED’.

The magazine has been put together by an editorial team headed by editors Chadini Fernando, Vidya Balachander and they need to be commended on a job well done.

By Lynn Ockersz

Business

MO Marketplace App: A space for women to sell in Sri Lanka

Published

16 hours ago

2026/06/9

Sahan Weerasooriya

The team behind the current success of 14,000 registered users

In Sri Lanka, selling something has always carried an unspoken risk for women. Share your number with a stranger. Arrange a meeting. Handle cash. Hope for the best.

MO Marketplace, live since June 2024, has removed every one of those friction points. Buyers and sellers on the platform never need to exchange personal contact details. Payments are held in escrow until delivery is confirmed. Pickup and drop-off is managed entirely by MO. Two people can complete a transaction from start to finish without ever speaking directly to each other.

For women running home-based businesses or women simply have too many clothes and things, that architecture is not a convenience. It is a fundamental shift in what is possible.

The evidence is in the listings. Clothing, fashion, and home goods dominate the platform, categories overwhelmingly driven by female sellers and buyers. From home-based clothing traders to small lifestyle businesses operating out of living rooms across Colombo, women are using MO to participate in commerce on their own terms, without compromising safety or privacy.

The platform has recorded 45,000 downloads and 14,000 registered users in 18 months, with peak monthly active users of 15,000. Commissions are capped at a flat 10%, significantly below the 15% to 30% charged by dominant platforms, making it accessible for small and micro sellers.

Coming mid-2026, AI tools will automatically generate listing descriptions and enhance product images, removing two of the most common barriers to getting started as a seller. Video selling is also on its way.

Sri Lanka has no shortage of entrepreneurial women. Until now it lacked a platform designed around how they actually need to trade.