Feature story - October 17, 2006
After nearly 47,000 nautical miles, and 11 months traveling around the world, the Greenpeace ship Esperanza arrived in Hawaiian waters. The ship and its crew were there to both celebrate and document the wonders and woes of this vital marine habitat.
Prior to our arrival in Hawaii, the Northwestern Hawaiian
Islands were designated as a Marine National Monument. It is the
world's largest protected marine area, and one of the most unique.
Here, life found nowhere else on Earth thrives.
We are calling for the establishment of
marine reserves protecting over 40 percent of the world's
oceans, and both the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands designation and
the protections under consideration for California are an important
first step toward making this goal a reality. But much more must be
done.
Just off of this unique protected area lies a major threat to
Pacific marine life: a swirling
Trash Vortex stretching out to the size of Texas. We traveled
into the belly of the trash beast to dissect the insides of it.
Take action to make a global network of marine reserves
a reality
Follow our journey through the Pacific ocean with
GoogleEarth
