Cousteau Reaches Remote Pacific Atoll

John Roach
for National Geographic News

August 4, 2003

After 20 days at sea, Jean-Michel Cousteau and his crew of 22 landed the Searcher July 26 at Kure, the northernmost atoll in the world and turning point of their expedition to make a documentary film about one of the last pristine, large-scale coral reef ecosystems on the planet.

Speaking via satellite phone from the sun-splashed deck of the vessel en route back to the mainland, Cousteau told National Geographic News that now more than ever he and his crew believe every effort must be made to protect the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.

"We want to do everything we can to make sure these unique treasures are being properly managed and protected," he said.

The natural landscape in question is a 1,200-mile (2,000-kilometer) long chain of islands and coral reefs in the tropical Pacific Ocean nearly void of humans and teeming with marine life. More than 7,000 species have been recorded in the islands, including corals, algae, sea grasses, fish, sea turtles, marine mammals, and diverse sea bird species. (The archipelago is home to an estimated 14 million birds.) Scientists believe hundreds more species remain to be discovered.

President Bill Clinton established the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands as a Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve in 2000. The region is currently proposed to become the United States' 14th National Marine Sanctuary—the highest form of protection afforded a marine environment. If established, it will be larger than the 13 other sanctuaries combined.

Cousteau and his crew embarked on the five-week expedition through the region on July 6. They have visited islands teeming with thousands of sea birds and scuba dived with Galápagos sharks (Carcharhinus galapagensis), spinner dolphins (Stenella longirostris), monk seals (Monachus fleming), and hundreds of unique fish.

The crew will continue to film and dive over the next week as they make their way back to the main Hawaiian Islands. However, Cousteau believes he and his crew have captured enough footage to make "an extremely compelling documentary" that will showcase the islands and promote their protection.

Michael Weiss, deputy director of the National Marine Sanctuary Program at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in Silver Spring, Maryland, applauds the effort of Cousteau and his Santa Barbara, California-based Ocean Futures Society.

"Anything that adds information that helps in our decision-making process is welcome," he said. The agency's goal is to see the region awarded sanctuary status. A final decision will be released in fall 2005.

Voyage to Kure is scheduled to air in fall 2004 on public television stations in the United States. Those who can't wait to watch the adventure on television can follow along via the Web site of Cousteau's Ocean Futures Society (see link below).

Island Impressions

After nearly a month gathering impressions of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands to share with the world, highlights for Cousteau include a thriving Galápagos shark population, the endearing curiosity of a well-known monk seal, and the territorial dominance gained by schools of giant trevally jacks (Caranx melampygus).

Jacks are large, predatory fish that weigh upwards of 70 pounds (30 kilograms). Cousteau describes them as aggressive, territorial "control freaks." On several dives he has seen Galápagos sharks actively avoiding schools of jacks. "It's funny," he said, "because the jacks are in charge and sharks are subservient. It is very interesting to see this."

One jack in particular has followed the Searcher and been present for several of the crew's dives. Nicknamed "Black Jack," Cousteau said he will feature prominently in the film.

Other budding marine stars include spinner dolphins that migrate between atolls to keep their populations in balance, rare tropical fish such as masked angelfish (Genicanthus personatus), and a Laysan albatross (Diomedea immutabilis) chick named "Lanai" whose flight feathers never fully developed. The crew is transporting Lanai to Sea Life Park in Honolulu, Hawaii, where she will serve as an ambassador of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.

Cousteau lamented the fact that his crew has encountered ample impacts from debris tossed or inadvertently lost in the sea by people the world over. Plastic toys, cigarette lighters, and derelict fishing gear smother the coral reefs and litter the island shores. Marine mammals entangle and drown on the fishing nets and sea birds constantly regurgitate indigestible bits of plastic.

"This is coming from the open ocean, coming from the rest of the planet, which means all of us. It is really an issue that needs to be addressed," said Cousteau.

The coral reefs, which are the northernmost and among the hardiest in the world, are also beginning to show signs of stress from global warming, said Cousteau. Scientists are investigating signs of coral bleaching—a loss of pigmented algae cells as a result of waters getting too warm. Coral bleaching has decimated reefs worldwide. Until a year ago, the phenomenon was thought to be absent from the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.

Despite these impacts, Cousteau is optimistic that the tide of damage can be reversed and the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands preserved for the benefit of both the wildlife that calls it home and humankind as a whole.

Sanctuary Protection

By law, once a Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve is established it must be considered for designation as a National Marine Sanctuary, said Weiss. The process is rigorous, involving input from public and private interest groups and the development of management plans and environmental studies that must receive congressional approval.

Weiss said his agency has completed the public scoping process for the reserve management plan and is now shifting gears to develop the management plans and conduct the environmental studies required to designate the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands a National Marine Sanctuary.

"[The Department of] Commerce and NOAA are committed to long-term protection of that area," he said. "That is the long-term goal… Our goal is to have a sanctuary out there, but we will let the process work."

Cousteau said he is ready to lend whatever support he can to see the process successfully completed. His Voyage to Kure aims to raise worldwide awareness of the remote seascape. For the crew privileged to work on the film, the expedition was extraordinary.

"It will remain something in the minds of those 22 people that they will never forget," he said.