16 March 2007

So long and thanks for all the fish...

Dear Ocean Defenders,

Well it's the end of the road, or maybe "end of the shipping lane" would be more appropriate. Together, we've been from Capetown to Hawaii, the Southern Ocean to West Africa, the Azores to the Philippines. We've seen oil spills, toxic pollution, pirates and fishy tuna fishermen. Together we've pressured corporations, governments, banks and the UN itself.

We have shaken the corporate foundations of Japanese Fisheries Agency whaling, confronted the financiers of Lafayette Mine, put bottom trawling on the agenda at the UN, sent thousands of messages to the Icelandic government about commercial whaling, and much much more. We've outlined the need for a global network of marine reserves, and called for stricter enforcement of laws against overfishing.

Ocean Defenders, we salute you!

We'd like to thank you for truly being with us on this amazing journey. Thank you for taking action, sending hundreds of thousands of emails, leaving comments and ideas on our blog, talking to us in the forum, sending your artwork to Art4Oceans and your pictures to Flickr, creating an Ocean Defender myspace page with over 6000 "friends" before we even thought of it (thanks Dougie!), visiting our ships, writing to newspapers, downloading Blame Canada! ringtones, linking to us from your websites and blogs, watching the webcam, and telling your friends and family about the crisis facing our oceans.

The journey might be over, but our work isn't. We will keep working around the world to ensure the health of the world's oceans and the plants, animals and people that depend on them - read on to see how you can too.

Thanks again and all the best,
Adele,
Defending Our Oceans Web Coordinator,
(for Rose, Shane, Sara, Kate, Cristina, Andrew and Team DOO

What happens now?

This blog will be archived and we'll have a whales blog as we head to Tokyo and then to the International Whaling Commission. The Defending Our Oceans website will have the latest oceans news, but will be gradually folded back into our ongoing oceans work - so, although the expedition is over, we will still be Defending Our Oceans.

But wait - we still need your help!

You don't have to stop taking action! You will soon start receiving emails from your local Greenpeace office. If you don't have one you will be placed on our international list. You can also choose to join our International (English language) mailing list here.

And we hope you will all join us on the Defending Whales community website. We have a lot of work to do before the next International Whaling Commission meeting (at the end of May), and could really use your help.

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9 March 2007

Audio slideshow - Daniel Beltra's photographs from the Southern Ocean 2007

Posted by Dave, on the Esperanza

Throughout the Defending Our Oceans voyage, you've been treated to some fantastic images, as seen through the eyes and cameras of our photographers. The final leg, where the Esperanza went to the Southern Ocean to put a stop to whaling by the Japanese government, didn't turn out quite as expected. This didn't stop our photographer, Daniel Beltra, from capturing some amazing images.



Watch earlier Defending our Oceans audio slideshows by Greenpeace photographers »

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Let's go to Tokyo

Posted by Dave, on the Esperanza

We're currently alongside in Sydney, Australia, having returned from a drama-filled 42 days at in the Southern Ocean. And there's no rest yet, at least not from the task of putting an end to whaling. After a brief 48-hour stopover to refuel, resupply and recrew, the Esperanza will be off again, this time heading directly for Japan!

As I'm putting this blog together, a press conference is taking places on the quayside. Aussie rockstar (remember Midnight Oil?) and Shadow Minister for Climate Change, Environment and Heritage Peter Garrett joined to give his take on the Australian government's lack of action on the protecting Southern Ocean whales.

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Esperanza in Sydney!

Posted by Dave, on the Esperanza

Hi folks - after a 7,000 mile voyage, lots of unexpected situations, and 42 days at sea, we're currently alongside in White Bay, Sydney. Earlier, we sailed in past the famous Opera House and Harbour Bridge. Right now, we've got a ship-full of customs and immigration officials, so we haven't yet put foot on terra firma.

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8 March 2007

Last night at sea!

Posted by Dave, on the Esperanza

It's our last night at sea. Sakyo, Karli, Regine and I are sitting in the campaign office, banging away on our keyboards. It's dark outside, and it's hot inside. It feels like only a few days ago that I was sitting here with thermal gear, reading to walk out on an icy deck. Now, I'm sitting here sweating, and Zeger and Cat have come in from the bridge because of the jasmine fragrance that's wafting around the ship - Regine is the culprit, apparently it's the shampoo she just used, the scent is hanging on the air. Karli, inspired by Regine, has bailed, but I realise there's little point in cooling off under the shower till I'm finished at the keyboard - so here I am.

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Keep the pressure on Denmark!

Posted by Dave, on the Esperanza

In February, the Japanese government held a meeting in Tokyo to "normalise the IWC. As we reported, it seemed that "normalise" means "business as usual" – in this case, keep catching whales. Denmark was one of the countries participating in the meeting. Because of statements made by the Danish commissioner, the Danish Foreign Affairs Minister is under pressure.

In the near future the minister has to explain the Danish IWC position to parliament - a debate that is desperately needed.

To keep up the pressure we urgently ask you to send an email to the Danish minister for foreign affairs, Per Stig Møller.

Keep the pressure on Denmark! »

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7 March 2007

Ocean Defenders TV: Distress!

Posted by Dave, on the Esperanza

The last three weeks have not only been about a vessel and a crew in distress. The tragedy in the Southern Ocean has shown how vulnerable the Antarctic environment is. It has been an alarm bell for every one and a warning of what might be if the whaling fleet returns
Watch Ocean Defenders TV »

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6 March 2007

Last birthday of the trip!

Posted by Dave, on the Esperanza

Hello from the Tasman Sea. As predicted - we're now out of the roaring forties, and into warm, easier seas. It's actually hot on the Esperanza today - for the first time since we left Auckland in January, people have been actually commenting on the heat (but not complaining!). The sun was shining today, and the rough seas are disappearing - no more thunderous banging of the anchor as the ship pitches. After the hatches being battened down for the last week, it seemed odd to be free to stroll down to the heli-hanger without worrying about the cold, or the sea conditions.

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5 March 2007

The last of the Roaring Forties

Posted by Dave, on the Esperanza

By the time you read this, chances are the Esperanza will have left the Roaring Forties. It's some days since we left the Furious Fifties behind. It's got to be said, those old sailor men weren't mucking around when the coined those names, referring to the Southern lines of latitude. Let's hope the thirties are timid. This is my third time sailing in the Tasman Sea with Greenpeace - both previous trips have been on the Rainbow Warrior - and my current crewmate, Logi. So far, he and I have failed to convince anyone that it was really quite calm on both of our trips - both of which took place in winter!

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It's not fair...

Posted by Sara, on the Esperanza

Well, that's the general consensus on board the Esperanza, as we battle through yet another storm. We thought we had seen off the worst of the Southern Ocean, or as Frank said "the Southern Ocean had taken its last bite out of us" when the sheer power of the waves blew one of our portholes to pieces, in the middle of the night.

It was the storm before the calm, or at least we thought. Yesterday the morning came bright, sunny and FLAT. Deadlights up, portholes flung wide, fresh air and the long-forgotten smell of Earth greeted us all. We pointed inanely at the land in vests, shorts and sandals making stupid "oooh, land!" comments (well, I was!). It looked like it was going to be a good day, AND it was a Sunday so we didn't even have to work.

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3 March 2007

The Power of the Ocean

Posted by Dave, on the Esperanza

Well, it's goodbye to the coldness and wildness of the Southern Ocean. Gone are the thermals and heavy jackets. Sandals and t-shirts are starting to reappear on board the Esperanza, and the Oocean is almost flat. The evenings are getting shorter - we actually have proper nights again. Emilie just made an announcement over the intercom, "beautiful moon rising on the starboard side!"

Last night, as you'll have seen from the conversation between Andrew and I, the scene was a little different. So different, in fact, that earlier in the day, Penny and Pep had toured all the cabins on the main deck, ensuring that the deadlights - the brass covers for the portholes - were sealed down. It was a good idea...

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The really really big, colossal squid

Posted by Dave, on the Esperanza

The damaged Japanese whaling factory ship, the Nisshin Maru wasn't the only thing making recent news in the Ross Sea. New Zealand skipper John Bennett, longlining for toothfish in the Ross Sea, managed to hook his second colossal squid there too, on February 22nd. Now wait a moment... most people have heard of the giant squid, but whenever the colossal squid is mentioned, a sceptical eyebrow is raised. "What's next?" is the question, "the Really Ginormous Squid?"

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2 March 2007

Rough weather chatting

Posted by Andrew (from the Amsterdam office):

The Esperanza has a 24/7 internet connection, which (judging from my instant message chat with Dave today) even works in really rough weather. It's a little bizarre and a little cool to by text messaging with someone on their way through some of the most legendarily rough ocean on Earth

Anyway, seems things have gone wobbly, and Dave is having a rough time. The Esperanza is built to take this stuff, and the crew is more than capable of seeing her through it. But things can't be fun on board.

Here's our chat from earlier (IM names have been changed to protect the arguably innocent):

[10:08] Dave: hey andrew
[10:09] Andrew: good morning (more or less)
[10:09] Dave: good evening then!
[10:09] Dave: I'm in the middle of trying to edit a blog for today
[10:09] Dave: but the weather has been f_cking rotten all day
[10:09] Dave: which is making sitting at the computer kinda impossible
[10:09] Andrew: heh heh
[10:10] Dave: so if you or adele have anything else to stick up feel free!
[10:10] Andrew: pretty comfy where Im sitting
[10:10] Dave: gonna post something in a while if i can
[10:10] Andrew: I'll take a look in a while and post something if yours doesnt make it
[10:10] Dave: i'm currently jammed, standing up between the wall and the office table

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Inky black splendour

Posted by Celeste, on the Esperanza

This is a little something Celeste wrote a few days ago, about her experiences of the Ross Sea last weekend...

Saturday goes down as one of the most phenomenal days of my life. As you know, the pack ice was moving towards us at an incredible rate and when we awoke on Saturday morning there it was. Captain Frank and his competent mates decided to take the ship through the ice. It makes the largest crunching and grinding noises that you can ever believe and actually also knocks the ship around a bit. It is also just so incredibly beautiful to look at - forget the bergs - it's the pack ice that I love.

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1 March 2007

International Polar Year

Posted by Dave, on the Esperanza

The Esperanza is still rolling in rough weather - there's a few queasy folk and more than one bleary eye this morning. We're still heading north, and the whaling fleet are still near us.

The air and sea temperature is starting to warm up, and after spending several weeks in Antarctic waters, it's a little ironic that I'm going to tell you about International Polar Year. Especially considering we're now 600 miles north of the Antarctic Circle.

Today marks the beginning of IYP, a "large scientific programme focused on the Arctic and the Antarctic from March 2007 to March 2009". The year is two years "long" in order to cover both Antarctic and Arctic. The idea is to have a collaborative, international effort combining the efforts of countries around the world in sharing costs to coordinate scientific experiments.

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28 February 2007

The Japanese whaling fleet crosses the line

Posted by Dave, on the Esperanza

The Esperanza just escorted the Japanese whaling fleet, including the factory ship Nisshin Maru, over the 60° latitude line - this means that they've now officially left Antarctic waters, and the northernmost limit of where their whaling takes place.

No more Southern Ocean whales will die from grenade-tipped harpoons this season, and the threat to the Antarctic environment by the fire-damaged Nisshin Maru has now been averted. Earlier today, the fleet pushed its speed up to 12 knots, and started steaming for home.

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27 February 2007

New Internationalist: Defending Our Oceans

From Adele, in the Stockholm office

And now for something completely different... While we wait with bated breath to see the outcome of the Nisshin Maru saga, I just wanted to prod you all gently to check out the very excellent Defending Our Oceans site that New Internationalist magazine has put together. No, this wasn't some expensive sponsorship deal, basically the co-editor was so inspired he thought this was an important issue to feature in the magazine. He says:

"New Internationalist usually takes care not to identify with any other organizations. But this is a bit different. Action is urgently needed. The magazine will have done one useful thing if it encourages you to sign up to the Greenpeace campaign."

I never thought I'd see a mainstream magazine with "More Marine Reserves Now!" on the cover, but hooray, it's happened!

Check out the special features here.

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Hourglass dolphin time

Posted by Dave, on the Esperanza

We've long left behind the serene beauty of the Ross Sea, and are now amidst the wildness of the Southern Ocean. Conditions are a little wilder than last night - as the Esperanza rolls from port to starboard and back, a few untethered items have been seen skating by. Sara is already forgoing her chair, preferring to work towards her "thighs of steel" by standing up at her desk.

Not much else has changed since yesterday - the Nisshin Maru and the rest of the whaling fleet are still strung out across the ocean, still ambling along at seven or eight knots. There's no sign of the fleet returning to whaling, we're pleased to see. Sorry, we're very pleased to see. We're escorting them out of the area, and we never want them back in the Southern Ocean again.

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Post webcam shots on flickr!

Posted by Dave, on the Esperanza

For all the webcam obsessives and flickr fans: You can now upload grabs from the webcam to a flickr group called Webcam Esperanza, started by Wavemaker, herself an occasional Esperanza web editor.

The idea is that whenever any of you Ocean Defenders spot something cool in the webcam, you can upload it to this flickr group, and share it with other people! Otherwise, the moment could be gone - forever. Hopefully there'll be some of the whaling fleet visible...

Why didn't we think of this before?

So, get right-clickin'...

The Esperanza's webcam »
Visit the Esperanza webcam pool »

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Download Southern Ocean wallpaper for your desktop

Posted by Dave, on the Esperanza

Not that were't the type to wallow in honorifics, but the wonderful Daniel and the lovely Elaine have created a few desktop-wallpaper-type things for your computer.

And you can download them from here »

A'int we nice?

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26 February 2007

So, killer whales do attack human beings, don't they?

Posted by Nienke, on the Esperanza

"So, killer whales do attack human beings, don't they?"

Headphones on, drifting in a small inflatable, protected by a thin layer of rubber from an unimaginable amount of icy-water. With killer whales in it, very nearby. "I will protect you", Jetske tells me. I'm not convinced. Even if she was tall and heavy. How big is an orca? Up to nine metres. Weight? What was it... born 150kg in weight, an adult male weighs 5600kg. And then like... ten of them? Organized, intelligent, can easy adapt to its environment, so its habitat is all over the world's oceans. So, Jetske's weight, what would it be? Approximately 55kg? It doesn't sound very promising for us.

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Heading North with the Nisshin Maru

Posted by Dave, on the Esperanza

It's a fairly slack Southern Ocean this evening. We're out of the Ross Sea now, and heading north, with the whaling fleet strung out a mile or two away on our port side. They took off on Saturday night at a great rate - up to 14 knots. Now they're ambling along at 7 knots.

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25 February 2007

Media in a tangle

Posted by captain Karli, on the good ship Ezmerelda

One of the things that has struck me since we have been here, in the far reaches of the Southern Ocean, is just how confused the story gets by the time it gets back to land, and how many different versions there can be of the same story.

Some of this can be traced back to the tales being told by people who have a vested interest in the whaling industry, as Dave and Sara explained the other day in their somewhat more amusing blog, Sorry Mr. Inwood, could you say that again?. While it's definitely the game of the Institute of Cetacean Research (ICR) and their hired help to portray this whole situation as just a small glitch in their whaling season, in reality, and for those actually onboard the ships down here, it is not. There is a body on board a ship, on the way back to Japan as evidence of that.

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Meet the Japanese Fleet Fleet - the Nisshin Maru and its friends

Posted by Dave, on the Esperanza

With all the recent media coverage about the Japanese whaling fleet, it's easy to get confused about which whaling ship is which. So we've put together this useful guide. The Lovely Elaine (as she is now universally known) has put together a fantastic guide to the Japanese Government's whaling fleet currently in the Southern Ocean.

Don't be fooled by the word "RESEARCH" that's plastered over their vessels - that's just part of the "scientific whaling" whitewash used by the Institute of Cetacean Research. In reality, the Japanese government is pushing for a return to commercial whaling - and the "scientific whaling" fleet is at the vanguard of this push - they had planned to kill 945 whales this year for "research" purposes - then sell the meat.

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24 February 2007

Nisshin Maru to finally leave the Southern Ocean (and don't come back!)

Posted by Dave, on the Esperanza

At around 17:30 today, the expedition leader of the Japanese government's whaling fleet radioed, informing us that the Nisshin Maru - disabled nine days ago by fire - plans to start sailing in three hours. He also said that the whole fleet was currently being re-fuelled, in preparation for departure.

This is a relief - after nine long days, the whaling fleet is finally leaving the Ross Sea, and the unsullied environment of the Southern Ocean, and we're ready to escort the fleet out of Antarctic waters.

We're pretty unimpressed with how Japanese government officials in Tokyo - and their PR spindoctor in New Zealand - have done their damndest to trivialise the extent of what has truly been a serious situation here in the Ross Sea. Since the fire last Thursday, they've failed to show transparency - either with the rescue authorities or other governments, about the extent of the fire, as well as the risks both to human life and the Antarctic environment. They even publicly stated - a little too quickly - that they hoped to just keep on whaling!

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More weblog entries »

All updates from the Southern Ocean whaling 2007 leg »
All updates from the Pacific transit »
All updates from the Mexico leg »
All updates from the Hawaii leg »
All updates from the Pacific leg »
All updates from the Philippines leg »
All updates from the India leg »
All updates from the Red Sea leg »
All updates from the Mediterranean leg »
All updates from the Azores leg »
All updates from the Pirate Fishing/Africa leg »
All updates from the Southern Ocean »

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