May 31, 2005

Deep Sea, Dinner and Dolly Parton

© Greenpeace/Pullman

It was a classic example of a well planned and executed event, backed up with sound resource allocation and creative flair, all captured on film, in true Greenpeace style.

I walked up the alleyway, still damp and chilly after a couple of hours of boat training in an inflatable - the same one that will carry our photographer and videographer while we are out documenting bottom trawling vessels. Entering the galley, I found Carmen, lead campaigner on board, flushed and focused, in the midst of preparing dinner for a ship's crew 24. On Sundays, our cook Emilse, and assistant, Kate, get a day off from their usual work: preparing astoundingly tasty meals in a kitchen that is around the size of a large wardrobe, and constantly in motion. While Chris and Logi, logistics coordinator and boat driver respectively, had volunteered to be chefs for the evening; somehow they had managed to make themselves too busy to actually come up with the goods. So it was up to Carmen and I to get the job done, and on time.

However, Chris has insisted we mention that he did manage to holler crucial courgette cooking instructions to Carmen while he zipped by in an inflatable.

Washing my hands and rolling up my sleeves, I asked for a debrief and update on preparations and planning so far.

"We need 15 pizzas to feed everyone, 6 meat and 9 vegetarian," said Carmen referring to a set of arcane calculations scribbled in her notebook. I saw she had planned out each pizza, allocating and assigning ingredients under themed headings: ham, courgette, mushroom, spinach, and olives.

"Working back from dinner at 6pm, the potato chips will take 15 minutes, each pizza around 20 but we can only bake them in sets of four, so if we keep serving when people start eating we need to have them assembled by 5:15," said Carmen in rapid fire, while chopping mushrooms.

"You can start with the salad."

For the next 3 hours we worked hard, dicing, slicing and sweating in the increasingly hot galley. Carmen kept us to deadline; I focused on presentation, true to our professional roles. The crew and the pizzas kept coming, with apparent success AD The only negative comment came from the cameraman, Wooly, who remarked that a noise like cats fighting was coming from the galley. I think he was referring to the accompaniment I was providing to my favourite Dolly Parton cooking music.

For the final impressive event we whipped up some banana and cinnamon loaves AD completing a well-rounded team effort.

We are now waiting eagerly for next Sunday, when it will be over to Chris and Logi to make up for their excuses and deliver on their grand talk.

- Erin & Carmen

Meet Naomi: 2nd Mate

© Greenpeace/Pullman

Name: Naomi
From: New Zealand
Job: 2nd Mate

I am the 2nd Mate on board, which means that I take the midnight to 0400am and midday to 0400pm navigation watches, plus all the activities in between, and get to bed pretty early when I can. A 2nd Mate also looks after all the navigation equipment and charts, and safety gear. That is normal for all ships, and what makes a Greenpeace ship different is that you can also be up in the middle of the night or day to launch an inflatable and set off on an action. When we do this we take a lot of care about safety - some of the things we end up doing are pretty challenging.

I first went to sea on an old sailing ship called 'Fri'. In 1973, we sailed to Moruroa atoll from New Zealand to try to stop French atmospheric testing in the Eastern Pacific, near Tahiti. For those who know their Greenpeace history, this was the year that former Greenpeace chairman David McTaggart sailed back to Moruroa for the second time, and the year that the Prime Minister of New Zealand sent a frigate to oppose the testing, which in effect became a support vessel for us. Both McTaggart's and our sailing vessels were boarded by French marines and foreign legionnaires on the high seas. David McTaggart was badly beaten and lost partial sight in one eye. We were put under arrest ashore, avoided being deported as planned, because we had hidden all passports, went on hunger strike, and were returned to the vessel after the last test was detonated.

The crew of the 'Fri', on return to New Zealand, were instrumental in setting up Greenpeace New Zealand in 1974, and some of those crew are still very actively involved (for the record, Martini Gotje, Rien Achterberg). Greenpeace returned repeatedly to Moruroa in the following decades, and the old Rainbow Warrior was on its way to Moruroa in 1985 when it was bombed and sunk in New Zealand by what NZ police and observant public rapidly realized were carelessly obvious French espionage agents. The captain of the Rainbow Warrior then was Pete Willcox, who is also our captain now. The new Rainbow Warrior returned to Moruroa in 1995, but the battle to stop French nuclear testing in the Pacific turned out to be one of the longest and most difficult Greenpeace campaigns.

The sailing ship 'Fri' was the start of a career at sea for me, which has continued until now, although not always with Greenpeace. At times I came close to being on the wrong side of a Greenpeace campaign, like when I met my partner, a fishing skipper, deep sea longlining for high value large Southern Bluefin tuna which are flown fresh to Japan for the sashimi market. During a short stint on NZ's fisheries research vessel, (I was gaining sea time for my 2nd Mate's Foreign Going qualification), I took part in deep sea bottom trawling as the scientists on board surveyed life as deep as 1800 metres, and I started to get an inkling of the richness of deep sea bottom life around seamounts, from what came up in the trawl. The skill involved at trawling at such depths and difficult terrain was impressive, and the destruction of habitat was not yet obvious (mid 1990s) although the destruction of the fishery certainly was. It is only the recent footage of the destruction of deep sea coral reefs - so far just to 300m depth - (I look forward to seeing deeper footage), taken by remotely operated diving vessels, that has made me realize that serious protection of the sea bottom is necessary.

I finally achieved my goal to be a ship's officer, and worked for 6 years on a container cargo ship, before returning now to the new Rainbow Warrior where I spent 20 months at the beginning of her life in 1989, and the early 1990's. I haven't sailed on her for 12 years, so there has been a lot of catching up to do, but so many details are exactly as I remember them (except the sailing rig which has been radically changed), that she is rapidly becoming familiar again. It is an excellent crew on board, and I look forward to the coming campaign.

Regards, Naomi

May 30, 2005

Launch the Boats!

© Greenpeace/Walsh

We've been at sea for a few days now - and have been dealing with some pretty awful weather. Whenever it's improved though, the crew of the Rainbow Warrior have been getting to know each other, and gelling as a team. With a new crew on board, we all have to get to know each other's idiosyncrasies - but we also have to make sure we're all trained up for life at sea. Part of the beauty of sailing on Greenpeace ships is that you end up with a great group of people at the end - but that group only exists for a short period of time. While you might sail with some of the same people again, it's rare to get the actual group back together again.

We've been at sea for a few days now - and have been dealing with some pretty awful weather. Whenever it's improved though, the crew of the Rainbow Warrior have been getting to know each other, and gelling as a team. With a new crew on board, we all have to get to know each other's idiosyncrasies - but we also have to make sure we're all trained up for life at sea. Part of the beauty of sailing on Greenpeace ships is that you end up with a great group of people at the end - but that group only exists for a short period of time. While you might sail with some of the same people again, it's rare to get the actual group back together again.

These last few days, we've been busy learning about using and maintaining the inflatables we have on board. Some of this has involved training people up for the loading and unloading of boats from the deck of the Rainbow Warrior. Once in the water, we've been practicing our boat-driving skills, including the safe transfer of people and equipment between the Warrior and the boats. We've got some extremely experienced boat people on board - well able to handle an inflatable in tough sea conditions, anywhere in the world. Having said that, we have some new crew members who've taken to the boats like they were born to it. It looks glamorous - all those photographs and video of activists hurtling across the waves. Physically, it's very demanding - every time the boat touches the surface of the water, there's a jolt to the bones. But it's not all high-speed - we often spend hours 'standing-by' for one reason or another. This means cold, hunger, being soaked through, and even seasickness. But perhaps the true mark of 'being comfortable' in an inflatable is when you can catnap in such conditions...

Back on deck, and in between the vicious squalls of rain, boat mechanic Medi has been giving us exhaustive tuition on how to treat our boats and outboard motors with tender loving care.

- Dave

She'll Be Alright, Mate!

© Greenpeace/Dave Walsh

My name is Erin, I'm the communications officer onboard the Rainbow Warrior. It's my job to write press releases, liaise with our videographer and photographer and generally make sure that the story of the Rainbow Warrior's voyage gets back to our land-based team, so they can get it out to the rest of the world. It's my first time at sea, so my anticipation and excitement about going on the Rainbow Warrior has been mixed with a certain amount of apprehension. I've been so busy with preparation, organising a press conference and the larger whirlwind of work involved with our campaign, that it wasn't until we were waved off by a group of friends and family that I was hit by the fact that I was going to be away from land for the next month.

Luckily, my casual 'she'll-be-right-mate' approach seems to be working pretty well so far. I felt quite seasick on Friday - three bites into dinner, I realised that I'd been a bit ambitious in filling my plate - but today my stomach seems to be getting its sea-legs, and I think I'll be ok.

Now we are all looking forward to finding bottom trawling vessels, to show the world the catastrophic impact they have. Out in international waters, these vessels can do pretty much whatever they want and they are destroying whole worlds in their quest for orange roughy and other deep sea fish.

It's hard to imagine the environment a fish came from when it's sitting on your plate or in the fish market - even scientists know very little about life in the deep sea. But the life we do know about is astounding - thousands-of-years-old coral reef forests, glow-in-the-dark sponges, bundles of legs called basket stars and schools of deep sea fish like orange roughy, which are gathering now to spawn above underwater mountains thousands of metres below the surface.

It's while orange roughy are spawning that bottom trawlers target them, scooping up entire shoals and the ocean floor below them at the same time. The weighted nets destroy nearly everything in their paths - who knows what wonders are lost every time a trawler goes across the deep sea floor?

I feel especially privileged to be out on this voyage in the lead-up to the 20th anniversary of the bombing of the first Rainbow Warrior. Sadly, that tragedy helped to make the Warrior perhaps the most famous ship on the surface of the ocean. To be out on the second Rainbow Warrior here today is a solemn thing for me - in the last 20 years ,the environmental problems the earth faces have increased. But it is inspiring to know that the Rainbow Warrior, groups like Greenpeace and concerned people around the world are still working to make governments and industry listen and act towards making a sustainable future.

The beautiful creatures of the deep sea have no voice of their own, so it's up to people like you reading at home, and us, out here, to make sure they are protected.

- Erin

May 28, 2005

Heavy Swells and Second Lunches

© Greenpeace/Dave Walsh

On Friday morning, the Rainbow Warrior pulled away from Prince's Wharf, leaving behind a group of hooting, waving and tearful supporters. For some of us, it was good to be finally going - some of us had been dancing about on the deck all morning with itchy feet, eager to get the expedition underway.

From the stern, Auckland receded into the distance. The crew were milling around, storing away the mooring lines, taking photographs - or in the case of Naomi, our 2nd Mate, waving to all the crews of the ferries (she seems to know them all!). The scent of lunch wafted up on deck, luring us down to where Emilse and Kate had prepared loads of spaghetti.

After lunch, we got down to business - training. The deckcrew practiced their fire drills, while newbies and campaigner got to try on the weird and wonderful survival suits. Bright red, with lobster-claw hands these suits are designed to keep the wearer alive in cold water. Let's hope it doesn't come to that. Still, we had fun, fighting our way in and out of the suits.

Later in the afternoon, the giggling died down a bit, as we left the shelter of the coast and hit the heavy swells. After a couple of hours at sea, none of us newcomers had our sealegs - so lunches were encountered for a second time, and some people (myself included) ended up trembling in our bunks. In fact, this correspondent will admit that yesterday was, his worst seasickness experience ever. Just lovely.

Groggy or not, I managed to drag myself to the bridge last night, to where Oscar (Chief Mate) and Abri were on watch. I stepped outside to feel the wind in my face, and watch the moonlight dancing on the waves. It's good to be back on board on the Rainbow Warrior.

- Dave

May 26, 2005

PRESS RELEASE: Rainbow Warrior to campaign on deep sea life

Auckland, New Zealand: In the lead up to the 20th anniversary of the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior, Greenpeace's flagship vessel leaves today for international waters around New Zealand to highlight the destructive impacts of bottom trawling.

"Bottom trawling is the most destructive fishing practice in the world," said Carmen Gravatt, Greenpeace Oceans campaigner, at a press conference on board the Rainbow Warrior in Auckland harbour. "The deep sea is the largest pool of undiscovered life on Earth. Bottom trawling these unknown worlds is like blowing up Mars before we get there."

When the Rainbow Warrior sailed to the Tasman Sea last year, the crew documented New Zealand and Belizean bottom trawlers hauling in huge amounts of by-catch, rocks from the sea floor and bottom dwelling marine life, including endangered black coral.

Around the world, scientists and environmental groups are calling for a United Nations moratorium on high seas bottom trawling. The Rainbow Warrior will head out to international waters around New Zealand again to underline the lack of government action in the face of the urgent threat that bottom trawling poses to deep sea life.

"Each day bottom trawling continues, more deep sea life gets wiped out and the situation becomes more critical," said Gravatt.

"A moratorium on bottom trawling in international waters is urgently needed to protect life in the deep sea and New Zealand and Australian Governments should be joining other states in leading the global push for one at the UN."

"Since last year, the New Zealand and Australian Governments have only made statements about establishing a regional fishing agreement. But they have been talking about ways to manage the Tasman Sea for 15 years already and so far failed to come up with any effective biodiversity protection. By the time they sign any agreements, it will be too late."

"The New Zealand and Australian Governments are risking their international reputations and contributing to the destruction of ancient ecosystems we know little about, for the sake of a few fish."

Peter Willcox, captain of the first Rainbow Warrior when it was bombed, will be skippering the ship again during this trip.

"The bombing of the first Rainbow Warrior was a terrible tragedy, but there could not be a better way to commemorate the event than to continue challenging the big environmental issues of today such as bottom trawling in international waters," he said.

For more info:
Carmen Gravatt, Greenpeace Campaigner: 021 302 251
Erin Farley, Communications Officer: 021 034 8818
Dean Baigent-Mercer, Communications Officer: 021 790 817

Deja Vu - The Rainbow Warrior is back in Auckland

© Greenpeace/Dave Walsh

Deja vu, anyone? Our flagship, the Rainbow Warrior is pulling away from Prince's Wharf, Auckland, the crew poised for a pursuit of trawlers wrecking the ocean floor. Bottom trawling is the most destructive fishing practice in the world - and it's destroying the largest pool of undiscovered life on Earth....

It's a familiar scene. Exactly a year ago, the crew of the Rainbow Warrior - myself included - left Auckland to track down bottom trawlers in the Tasman Sea. We found them, hundreds of miles west of the New Zealand coast, dragging their nets across the Challenger Plateau. We documented the activities of seven ships - six from New Zealand, and one registered in Belize - as they trawled seamounts for their target species of orange roughy. We watched them raising tonnes of fish, corals - and even rocks from the ocean floor! Dozens of species of 'unwanted' deep sea life, snapped from habitat 1000km below us, were turfed over the side of the bottom trawlers, internal organs blown apart from the violent change in pressure. Hundreds of albatross - a bird usually considered a loner, drifting at the mercy of the winds - squabbled over the dead or dying fish.

The crew of the Rainbow Warrior bore witness to this pitiful waste of deep sea life, sending video and photographs to our colleagues at the UN, where the laws of the sea were under discussion. But although we were supported in our demands for a moratorium on bottom trawling by scientists worldwide - no action was taken.

At the beginning of October, the largest of our ships, the Esperanza, left Falmouth in Cornwall, rounded the coast of Ireland, and trekked into the Rockall-Hatton area of the North Atlantic. I was fortunate to be on board, as was Vanessa, one our NZ campaigners. For six gruelling weeks, the crew of the Esperanza battled with relentless force 10 gales as we shadowed Spanish and Lithuanian trawlers while they strip-mined the Atlantic's seamounts. In one sobering afternoon, 41 dead sharks were dumped out through the bycatch chute of a Spanish bottom trawler - along with loads of other species. On another occasion, a team of activists spent a rough night on the deck of a Lithuanian-registered bottom trawler, and an attempt to prevent it from setting its nets.

While the Esperanza toiled on the high-seas - our New-York-based people were raising the issue at the UN, this time at the General Assembly. Again, there was lots of talk - but neither the UN or national governments offered any real commitment.

So we're back - and ready to sail again.

There's some familiar faces on board, from both last year's expedition, and the North Atlantic trip. We'll introduce the crew in the coming weeks, such as Pete Willcox, captain of the first Rainbow Warrior when it was bombed in Auckland harbour, 20 years ago. Back then, the Warrior was preparing to confront nuclear testing in the Pacific. The spirit of that event still endures - the current Warrior's task of bearing witness to the obliteration of our oceans.

Deja vu - we've said it before - we're saying it again - time is running out for deep sea life.

- Dave

May 20, 2005

The Esperanza's cold-water coral reef expedition

The Esperanza set sail with the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) to explore one of the oldest and least understood habitats on Earth.

The expedition to the Mingulay reef, located in around 150m of water off the west coast of Scotland, will provide vital scientific data on one of the biggest cold-water coral reef complexes so far discovered in UK waters.

The Esperanza set sail with the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) to explore one of the oldest and least understood habitats on Earth.

The expedition to the Mingulay reef, located in around 150m of water off the west coast of Scotland, will provide vital scientific data on one of the biggest cold-water coral reef complexes so far discovered in UK waters.

A research consortium led by SAMS carried out surveys on the reef in July 2003 and found that parts of the Lophelia coral formation are 3,800 years old - the base may be over 10,000 years old.

View this computer-generated video clip* to 'fly' over the seabed and see the major features of the reef.

Using remotely operated vehicles - essentially small, unmanned submarines - scientists onboard the Greenpeace ship Esperanza will study, sample and document the reef and the numerous species it is thought to host.

An onboard aquarium will allow scientists to closely examine small samples taken from the ocean floor.

During the expedition, which sets off from Greenock, near Glasgow, on 12 May, scientists will also be looking for any evidence of damage to the reef. Although the extent of any damage to the Mingulay reef is currently unknown, coral habitats around the world face many threats - particularly from destructive fishing practices such as bottom trawling.

Bottom trawlers drag heavily weighted fishing nets across the seabed - effectively steamrolling the ocean floor and smashing everything in the way. They are the number one threat to fragile cold-water coral structures, which provide habitats for a diverse range of species including fish, sponges, starfish, sea urchins and crustaceans. Lophelia reefs also serve as important fish spawning and nursery grounds.

It takes one year for Lophelia to grow 2.5cm. It takes just one typical fishing trip for a bottom trawler to sweep approximately 33 square kilometres of the seabed.

Greenpeace is calling for a moratorium on high seas bottom trawling to protect ocean life.

Visit the Esperanza's ship's weblog to read daily reports from the crew.

* Animation based on data from British Geological Survey, SAMS and the MINCH Project