Last night was the final installment of Jean-Michel Cousteau's six-part series called Ocean Adventures. Ending a journey that began in April, Cousteau and his team -- which included son Fabien and daughter Celine -- completed a whirlwind tour of America's National Marine Sanctuaries, exploring 7 of the 13 sites and documenting the successes each site has seen. Filled with great undersea footage and some interesting researchers to comment on the work they were doing, the episode was good but, again, light on the science: I could've dealt with some more facts and analysis. That said, the show was nevertheless an excellent introduction to the Sanctuary system and overview of some of the major successes we, as a population, have achieved in trying to protect our environment.
The team opens the show in a big way, with a dive to the wreck of the Monitor, a ship that sunk in 1862. The first underwater location to be designated a Sanctuary, the wreck is intact but crumbling. At a depth of 240 feet, the team dives on helium and collects samples from the ship for researchers to analyze topside. One of an estimated 100,000 wrecks in North American waters, the Monitor is an important piece of history, and archaeologists are working feverishly to preserve as much of it as possible for public display. When I write "feverishly," I mean that figuratively, of course, since restoring an artifact from the site can take a decade!
Next, the team moves to Thunder Bay NMS. Located in Lake Huron, Thunder Bay covers 440 square miles, but this "Shipwreck alley" is home to an estimated 160 wrecks, including the Defiance. The waters, which serve as a training site for Naval Sea Cadets, are chilly and preserve wrecks as though they had just sunk. However, a recent invasion of zebra mussels has covered the wrecks, concerning researchers about how to protect them into the future.
The next destination is Stellwagen Bank NMS, which suffers from an unusual problem: too many lobsters. While most people probably wouldn't consider this an immediate threat, overfishing has removed many of the area's once-abundant cod (which eat lobsters) and left Stellwagen with huge populations of giant lobsters. The problem comes in trying to implement a successful sustainable lobster fishery and convince people to follow the program so that lobsters may be harvested well into the future. By tracking the creatures and studying their breeding habits, researchers hope to be able to manage the population here for decades.
After Stellwagen, the team visits Monterey Bay NMS, a once flourishing sardine fishery that fell on hard times in the middle of the last century after fish stocks collapsed. Having been protected for 40+ years, the Sanctuary now showcases what effective management can achieve: fish are abundant, populations are healthy and diverse, and fishermen, recreational users, and marine life are living together in relative harmony. Moreover, scientists are getting free labor: by installing small tracking devices on the wildlife, researchers are learning more about marine populations than ever before.
Next, the group hits Farallones NMS, and discovers that elephant seal populations are up dramatically. Not surprisingly, white shark populations are up, too. Although the area appears to be rich with sea life, the area was a radioactive material dumping ground in the 1940s and some people are concerned what effect this might have on the marine life, the undersea environment, and even humans, in the coming years.
Cordell Bank NMS is the next destination, and the team has the honor of being the first divers to explore the area in more than 10 years. Due to a strong current and a hearty chop, this isn't a diving mecca. However, the rushing current is responsible for providing plenty of nutrients for this super-productive area. All Sanctuaries should be this healthy.
Finally, the team visits Fagatele Bay NMS, way out in American Samoa. Arguably the prettiest Sanctuary, the lush area is subject to modern fishing practices, including blast fishing. However, through education and conservation, the Sanctuary hopes to monitor and balance the fish populations. Amusingly, even in this tropical destination, while snorkeling children wear just shorts, Cousteau's team wears skins.
In general, the episode was a nice overview of some of the problems and successes in each of the Sanctuaries. I would've liked some more science -- explaining the tagging systems more, for example, or showing how researchers were combating zebra mussels -- but for an hour-long show, the episode was well-done.
Cousteau got the final word, briefly explaining that humans and the sea are intertwined and asking people to be more respectful of the oceans. It was a nice reminder of the relationship we have -- but often forget -- with the planet, but I wonder if his words, buried right at the end of the final episode, will have much effect. In any event, for everyone who watched the show, the message was clear: don't throw trash into the ocean; stop overfishing; respect the oceans; and we'll all be much happier.
Did you watch? What did you think?
