While the Esperanza is in the English Channel - our most famous ship, the Rainbow Warrior is currently doing a tour around Korea. The focus of campaigning there is whales - and particularly the critically endangered population of gray whales in the western Pacific, known as 'Korean gray whales'.

I'll hold my hand up and admit that until recently I didn't know too much about gray whales. In some ways they're not the most exciting-looking cetaceans but they are utterly fascinating if you care to find out a little about them. They are coastal whales - and make long migrations along the shore between feeding grounds and breeding areas.

They are unique among the big whales in being bottom feeders - sifting through sand to eat small crustaceans on the sea floor. They are also unique in being the only large whales to have populations that are entirely extinct. Nowadays you only get gray whales in the Pacific (hence the americanised spelling of 'gray') but they used to live in the Atlantic too. Gray whale bones have been found off the shores of Devon and Cornwall - just where the Esperanza has been for the past few weeks.

The team onboard the Rainbow Warrior have joined forces with KFEM, a Korean environmental organisation, and will be monitoring cetacean life during the tour. The Korean gray whales are in real trouble. The remaining population is believed to be about only 100 individuals, and it's thought there are only 20 or so breeding females. And it's feared that these whales may be at threat from bycatch too. Minke whales are certainly bycatch victims in that area, and the loss of even a few gray whales in fishing nets would be devastating to the remaining population.

Our team on the Rainbow Warrior will be meeting the people in Korea, and trying to get their support for the protection of ocean life and the Korean gray whale, specifically in campaigning for a marine reserve to protect the species. Gray whales, like other cetaceans, face many threats from humanity - from direct threats like hunting and entanglement in fishing nets to threats from toxic and noise pollution, oil and gas developments, dredging, and food depletion. We believe marine reserves are an essential solution to protecting the biodiversity in our oceans.

You can keep up with the news and weblogs from the crew onboard the Rainbow Warrior (in English or Korean!) and support them as they try to make sure that the Korean gray whale lives on and doesn't become just a collection of fossils like it's north Atlantic cousin.

Willie, Campaigner