Beginning in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, Cousteau's team dived with Goliath grouper, animals that can grow so big that smaller fish use them as a separate habitat. (In the way that loose space debris rotates around planets, small fish gravitate around these fish. The footage was amazing.) Despite serious overfishing and habitat loss up through the 1980s, federal laws protecting these fish were implemented in the early-90s, and as a result, their numbers are increasing. While there, Cousteau chatted with former commercial fishermen who now advocate implementing additional no-take zones so grouper populations can rebound further. The team also visited the Dry Tortugas National Park, and witnessed one of the world's most amazing spectacles: an annual coral spawning event. Again: some beautiful footage here.
Moving to the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary -- a place I've never visited but want to, after last night! -- the team explored the so-called "North American Galapagos." Home to more than 1000 marine species, this multi-use no-take environment is a huge success story: people, marine plants, fish, coral, and marine mammals all seem to live in relative harmony. Although overfishing had previously led to habitat loss for many of the animals, researchers are now beginning to see growing numbers of increasingly large fish inside the Sanctuary. In other words, news is spreading that this place is good for sea life.
Next, the team visited the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, the northernmost reef in the US, where the natural gas industry and the Sanctuary complement each other. In fact, the gas platforms seem to have become an oasis for coral and fish in the area -- and both populations are thriving.
Soon after, the team visited Gray's Reef, where many loggerhead turtles come to lay their eggs. Although threatened by fishing nets, new Turtle Exclusion Devices (TEDs) are helping to reduce turtle by-catch by more than 30%.
The team also visited the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, where they saw Sanctuary officials working hand-in-hand with Native American tribes to remove ghost nets from area waters. While there, they saw giant Pacific octopus, sea stars, jellies, and Wolf-eels -- fish that mate for life.
Last night ended with a visit to the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, where whale populations are thriving, despite problems associated with ship strikes and entanglement.
All in all, it was a whirlwind tour of 6 of the Sanctuaries. However, I enjoyed the undersea footage; the chats with researchers who are trying so hard to bring awareness of these important habitats to the public; and learning that many marine populations are recovering. Some of Cousteau's previous episodes focused a little too heavily on sad news, so watching Part V was a pleasure. Don't forget that next Wednesday, Part VI -- the final installment -- will air. If you want to learn some more about the various Sanctuaries, PBS has an excellent, interactive Flash Guide to the Sanctuaries, boasting photos, information, and lots more. Check it out!
The only question I have is: why did Robert Redford narrate the episode? All the previous installments had been narrated by Pierce Brosnan. What gives?
Did you watch? What did you think?
