Greenpeace

"How do I get to the docks from here", I asked the customs officer at the smail airport in Pohnpei.

 "Walk out that door, take a right at the road, and it's about a one-minute walk to the gate", he replied.

Now there's something you don't hear everyday when asking directions from an airport.  It was a welcome and unusual element of proximity for what had been a long and involved series of flights.  In getting myself from Washington, DC to Pohnpei. Micronesia, I had flown roughly 8400 miles over a period of 36 hours, involving six different flights across nine time zones.  Plus I crossed the International Dateline, so I lost a day as well.  During one of the flight legs I took off at 7:00 a.m. on Wednesday, and when I landed five hours later at the first of four island stops along the way it was 10:00 on Thursday.  I'd go into how readers in the US can now peruse my blog entries the day before I write them, but I'm afraid the wormhole it might cause in the universal fabric could have serious implications for cosmic solvency.

Not that I'm complaining.  I'm here to join our ship the Esperanza, and will transit across the Pacific over the next four weeks as part of our international Defending our Oceans tour.  If there's one thing I've learned in my 18 years with the organization, it's that a lot of Greenpeace's magic is found in our ships.  A bit of jetlag and confusion as to what day it is are small prices to pay for an opportunity to join the front lines on the high seas.

I'm joining the ship on the Pacific leg of the tour, during which we will be focusing on illegal fishing and overfishing in this part of the world.  The Western and Central Pacific Ocean is the world's largest tuna fishery, as roughly 60% of the world's tuna comes from this region.  The sustainability of the Pacific fishery is vital to the well being of the Pacific Island nations, both as a critical economic resource and as a primary source of food.  Scientific authorities within the region have expressed strong concerns that Bigeye and Yellowfin Tuna species are being overfished and that fishing levels of these species must be reduced immediately.

Making the problem all the more difficult to address is the fact that illegal fishing in the Pacific is extensive.  Pirate fleets poach these waters using unsustainable methods, practices and destructive fishing techniques that have a considerable impact on the environment.  Not to mention that Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing bypasses revenue streams for the Pacific Island nations that are almost entirely reliant on these fish stocks for income.

These are the issues we plan to address on our transit.  While we're in port, we want to maximize our opportunity to work in this community.  Today we met with several government officials who oversee regulations and licensing for fishing in Micronesia.  They are frustrated with the difficulties they face in policing such a large area for illegal fishing opeations, made all the more difficult by the lack of funds and resources they have for enforcement.  It was encouraging to hear that part of their future management plan includes establishing protected marine reserves - a primary element in Greenpeace's international ocean strategy - in 20% of their waterways.  We also took the opportunity to communicate our feeling that Micronesia doesn't charge foreign fleets enough for licensing fees, as they receive fees equal to only 5% of the total fish value.  In addition to bringing in a more equitable level of revenue for a nation that depends largely on fisheries income for its economy, increased fees could help fund better enforcement of illegal fishing.

Tomorrow we'll hold open boats so the local residents can tour the ship and learn more about our work.

Following our meetings with Micronesian officials, we had about three hours to kill before our campaign planning meeting on board at 8:00 pm.  With some time to spare I hiked to the top of one of Pohnpei's tallest peaks with two of my colleagues, Farah from the Netherlands and Lagi, who is from Fiji.  The summit provided a stunning view of the island at sunset.  It's a beautiful place, with lush rainforest, mountains, monolithic rock formations jutting up from the forest floor and beautiful reefs along the coastline.  The view was a nice reminder of why I do this work.  It's not because places like Pohnpei are strategic nations in a multifaceted game of international politics.  It's because places like this take your breath away, and are stark reminders that this remarkable and delicate planet is a cause worth fighting for.