31 Aug 2005

Ocean wanderers and what they can tell us about our marine planet

The albatross is a species revered worldwide by ocean going sailors – it is the ultimate ocean wanderer. To watch a Royal Albatross glide, with complete ease, with utter grace, in a full blown gale in the Southern Ocean is an awe inspiring sight. It is not just something you see – it is something you feel. An adult Royal Albatross has a wing-span greater than any other bird – reaching 11feet (3.5 metres), it is the ultimate gliding machine spending over 90% of its life flying at sea. It is so efficient that its heart actually beats slower when it is flying than when it is sitting on the sea! It flies enormous distances – over four million miles during a 50 year life span (and some live longer than this) and all of this in some of the most inhospitable place on the planet – where water temperature is close to freezing and air temperature much below.

Sir Peter, like all sailors in the Southern Ocean (where Albatross are most common), took great pleasure in watching the magnificence of their flight. However, what he noticed over his 20 years of ocean sailing was the enormous drop in their numbers. From dozens sighted every day in the 1970s to less than one a week during the 1990s – a result of the horrendous by-catch of hundreds of thousands of these birds in the southern long-line fishery. This experience, more than any other, changed Sir Peter’s life from ocean sailor to environmental advocate and lead to his eventual appointment as a Special Envoy for the United Nations Environment Program.

Our planet surface is over 70% water – we are not really Planet Earth at all! Water is fundamental to all life and the sea is critical to the healthy functioning of our planet and all things that live here – Albatross, Dolphins, Insects, Plants and us! The plight of the Albatross is, unfortunately, not an unusual one. It is a pattern that is being repeated over and over – human activities having negative impacts on other living things. However, there are solutions and there are leaders, organizations and nations that are making a positive difference through their actions. We too, can make a difference in our own way and to the best of our abilities. Sir Peter Blake often said “if it isn’t hard, it isn’t worth doing”. Environmental problems are hard to solve – but they are solvable. Young leaders like you attending the Sir Peter Blake Youth Environment Forum can make a difference. Your passion, your talent, your belief in yourself and your cause and your hard work and tenacity will be the things that make that difference.

Dr Mark Orams
Marine Scientist and Ocean Sailor