The following blog was filed by Inge Wallage:
The Warrior’s current mission is part of our global plan to protect our oceans by zoning off 40% of them as marine reserves. The Med is one of the areas that is especially vulnerable to overfishing and climate change
Currently less than one percent of the Mediterranean Sea is protected, vital fish stocks such as Mediterranean bluefin tuna are being fished to their limits and monitoring of pirate vessels is patchy at best. What we’re promoting is a rescue plan -- not a “don’t fish” plan, but a solution that will mean fish for tomorrow by creating marine reserves today.
The Rainbow Warrior visits Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Turkey and Lebanon on this tour of duty. In making a case for the need for action, we’re exposing global environmental problems to the world, we’re bearing witness to environmental crimes. In Spain we demonstrated that in the waters near a marine protected area, the bunkering of industrial oil was making a mockery of the notion that this area was “protected.” In Italy the ship pursued a fishing vessel carrying an illegal catch of bluefin tuna and swordfish, to ensure the Italian authorities could confiscate it.
I’ve been temporarily promoted from Senior Management to deckhand, have helped with some of the daily tasks, and been thoroughly inspired by the energy and passion which the crew and volunteers bring to their work. In Syros I witnessed the many facets of Greenpeace’s communications on the ground: from volunteers setting up information boards in the city square, to campaigners challenging local politicians face to face with our demands, to the companionship and camaraderie of all with the extraordinary crew of people who make up the soul of this ship.
Back in Amsterdam, my day to day responsibilities don’t put me in close touch with either the natural world we seek to protect, nor with the peaceful warriors who make it their job to be out here protecting it. It has been inspiring for me to be with these folks, who day in day out make Greenpeace what it is: a campaigning organisation that strives for a green and peaceful future.
One glimpse of this crew from five continents, one listen to the polyglot patter in the galley, is enough to know that this is a ship crewed by, and for, our entire planet. Captain Derek Nicholls and I were chatting on the bridge when he said ‘It all looks very impressive, me being the captain up here, but it is the folks in the engine room right now that ensure all goes well.’
Spending time on board this, the organisation’s engine room so to speak, gave me new insights into the impact which Greenpeace can have all over the world through our ships, with the Arctic Sunrise sailing the Arctic Circle and showcasing examples of climate change, the Esperanza extending our global network of marine reserves into the Pacific to protect local jobs and local fish stocks, and the Rainbow Warrior here in Greece fighting for the sea which cradled Western civilization. If you want to know more, check out our website, and have a glimpse of the view through the lenses of the web cams we keep on all three ships.
And before you take a bite into a beautiful piece of fish, think twice and ask yourself -- and your retailer -- where it came from and how it was caught. If they can’t prove it was caught without risking the future for our oceans, don’t buy it. Every purchase is a vote for a product: our consumer power does make a difference. It can also make a difference to us – so please join Greenpeace and help us to keep promoting those solutions on your behalf.
My stay at the Rainbow Warrior is about to come to an end, but my work at Greenpeace International will continue to contribute to ensuring our children and our children’s children can have a green and peaceful future on this precious planet.
Peace,
Inge Wallage
