One of the Warrior's inflatables following us out of Auckland harbour. (C) Greenpeace / Walsh
Midday Wednesday 26th of May: It's a beautiful, sunny day in Auckland New Zealand. The SV Rainbow Warrior pulls away from Prince's Wharf, the crew waving goodbye to friends and colleagues. It feels good - a relief, in fact - to be finally under way. The Auckland cityscape recedes behind the ship, while some of the guys whisk along beside us in the ship's Avon inflatable. Derek's at the helm, taking the legendary vessel away from the city, under the guidance of the harbour pilot.
While some of the crew had come over from Australia on the Rainbow Warrior, many of the campaign team are from Greenpeace's New Zealand office. Additional members have been arriving over the last few days. Most had been living on board since the weekend, and were settled in. Now we were anxious to get moving, to get the campaign under way.
That is, after all, what we are here for.
While some of the crew had come over from Australia on the Rainbow Warrior, many of the campaign team are from Greenpeace's New Zealand office. Additional members have been arriving over the last few days. Most had been living on board since the weekend, and were settled in. Now we were anxious to get moving, to get the campaign under way.
That is, after all, what we are here for.
So why is the Rainbow Warrior out here, heading off to the sea in the middle of winter? We're kicking off the latest round of Greenpeace's Oceans campaign: to protect deep sea life from the devastation wrought by bottom trawl fishing. Earlier this year, more than 1,000 scientists from 60 countries called for a moratorium - a 'time out' - on high seas bottom trawling. Collaborating with these scientists and other organisations, Greenpeace also is calling for a United Nations moratorium on high seas bottom trawling.
So while we're out here, sailing around the New Zealand coast, we'll be shining a spotlight on the importance of deep sea life. We want to show how destructive fishing practices are transforming seamounts (underwater mountains) from lush forests, full of coral and other creatures, into watery deserts, devoid of life.
Rather than being a dark, and uninteresting place, the deep floor is teeming with life. It really is the final frontier down there - scientists estimate that there's 500,000 to 100,000,000 species inhabiting the deep ocean. Exploration of these incredible new communities has just begun, yet the bottom trawl fisheries are rapidly destroying them. Many species may become extinct before we have even discovered them.
When the bottom trawlers drop their enormous nets, nothing is safe. The mouth of each net is the length of a rugby field and three floors high. Weighted down with massive heavy rollers, they crush or swallow not only the fish, but everything in their path. This includes whole coral forests, thousands of years old. Once a seamount is laid bare, the trawlers move on, seeking fresh hunting grounds, with no guarantee that these fragile ecosystems can ever recover.
As the campaign progresses, we'll talk more about the wonders of the deep ocean, and seamounts in particular. We'll also introduce you to life on board the Rainbow Warrior. For the next few weeks, the Rainbow Warrior will be home to a large crew from around the globe. There's the regular crew - captain, first and second mates, engineers, radio operator, bosun, medic, electrician, cooks, boat mechanics and the hardworking deckhands. Then there's the campaign crew - campaigner, communications officer, marine biologist, logistics experts, videographer, photographer, and me, your web editor. Stay tuned, and we'll introduce ourselves in more detail!
