Greenpeace

Scorpio. The eighth sign of the Zodiac. According to myth, our scorpion friend spent a lot of time trying to kill the great hunter Orion, and depending on which version you read either was or was not ultimately successful. Which seems odd, since the sky makes it appear that Orion is the one giving chase. Just as the scorpion disappears on the western horizon, Orion appears to the east.

Why am I telling you this?

Because almost every night for the past two weeks, after days spent looking for pirate fishermen, occupying longliners and planning our next steps, we've had a remarkable view of these constellations from the deck of the ship, a sky full of stars stretching across the vast Pacific Ocean on which we sail.

There's got to be a metaphor in there somewhere for our work in this region. The hunter and the hunted, maybe, as it relates to fish? I guess it'd be better if I was talking about Pisces, and supposedly autumn at the equator is the time and place to see this constellation.  But for the life of me I can't seem to find it. Who came up with these things, anyway? I can't see an image of two fish when I have the lines drawn out for me in a book entitled "Astonomy for Kids".  How am I supposed to see it in the sky? Anyone who looks up and says "Hey look! There's Pisces" is obviously bluffing or toying with you.

Scorpio and Orion, however, are much easier to see. I'll stick with constellations that pass the laugh test.

More on this later.

As for life onboard, things have come down a notch since our night on the longliner. The morning we returned to the Esperanza, our surveillance data showed roughly 40 fishing vessels in our vicinity, near the Gilbert Island Chain of Kiribati waters. The next day there were 12. The day after that, none. Like roaches scattering when you turn on the light. Guess word got around we were doing inspections. Think they had something to hide?

On Friday we came across a reefer (large ship that loads supplies and unloads cargo from fishing vessels), headed for Tarawa. Reefers provide a significant hurdle to stopping illegal fishing, as they allow boats to unload their catches on the open ocean.  This in turn provides the opportunity to catch fish without reporting it. One of our demands in this region is to end these so-called "transhipments" at sea.

After doing a bit of research, we discovered the reefer in question was Panamanian, which presented additional intrigue given the questionable status of the country in this region. It also had an expired license. Seemed to be more than enough to board the ship, inspect its operation and potentially arrest a vessel that represents a huge part of the problem. Game on.

Then word came from the Kiribati government that we were not to board it; that we were to allow it to proceed to port. Like walking up to the plate thinking you're gonna swing for the fences and getting the sign that you have to bunt. Once in port the ship was given a renewed license and allowed to proceed with offloading its cargo, no questions asked. I guess a reefer full of fish and the associated financial benefits to the fisheries agency were too much for them to pass up.

Dance with the devil and all that. At least I now have material for my next novel. Something along the lines of the Sopranos go Pacific Island. I think it'll sell.

Soon on the heels of this latest disappointment our patroling work in Kiribati came to an end. We departed the country's waters and set a northeast course towards Hawaii, the ship's next destination. Our arrival will mark the end of the Esperanza's time in the Western and Central Pacific, and will usher in the U.S leg of the Defending our Oceans tour.

Which leaves me to reflect on what's happened while we've been in this region as I stare at the stars. We didn't get the big iconic arrest of an illegal vessel we were looking for. And it still stings to think about what we might have found had the Dong Won 117 not made a break for the high seas.

But we've learned a lot during our time here. From the nature of illegal fishing and overfishing in this region to the enforcement challenges that face Pacific Island Countries who rely on fish for their economic survival. Our newfound knowledge should serve us well as we continue to work through regional forums such as the Tuna Commission to better manage fish resources in the Western and Central Pacific, work with island countries to realize their collective power in dealing with Distant Water Fishing Nations, and push them to manage their waters in a sustainable fashion so their countries can depend on fish for years to come.

These were but some of my thoughts as I sat on the deck last night and watched Scorpio disappear beyond the horizon, then turned to see Orion make his ascent on the other side of the sky. I'll spare you the attempt to turn these constellations into some wingnut stretch of a metaphor. Let's just say it helps put things in perspective and leave it at that.

Then again, our motorized inflatables, which are storied symbols of Greenpeace for our work in the oceans, are often referred to as Zodiacs.