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Cousteau legend on the seas again
By Nick Easen
(CNN) -- Like his father before him, Jean-Michel Cousteau is braving the high Pacific seas to explore one of the most remote islands on the planet: Kure. The six-week expedition to the Northwestern Hawaiian Island (NWHI) follows in the footsteps of the late Frenchman and legendary explorer Jacques Cousteau, who spent his life exploring the world's oceans. "We are beginning an adventure reminiscent of my family's legacy," said award winning filmmaker Cousteau in a statement. "We have new, young team members, both men and women, with advanced training," he said. The team includes marine and terrestrial biologists, diving specialists and film and photography technicians from a host of nations including France, French Polynesia, Norway, Hawaii, and California. The trip along the length of the 1,930-kilometer (1,200 mile) U.S. island chain, hopes to film and document this unique and remote habitat both above and below water, as well as assist in biological research. Cousteau told CNN that he hoped the voyage would be able "to accelerate the process to make the NWHI a sanctuary by making the public more aware of this extraordinary place. "[We would also like] to understand its fragility and the fact that as remote as this area is it has already been impacted by humans," he reiterated. The journey will end on the remote island of Kure at the end of the archipelago. People around the world can follow expedition logs and photos at the non-profit Ocean Futures Society Web site. Cousteau and his 19-member crew left on Monday and will travel and film along the island chain, whilst meeting scientists stationed on various remote islands. A documentary will show on public television program in 2004. Unique and diverse
The U.S. is still in the process of turning the archipelago of coral reefs, islands, seamounts, into the largest marine sanctuary after the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. In 2000, the Clinton administration created the NWHI Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve, widely seen as a major step towards preserving this unique environment. Cousteau began planning the expedition at this time. Out of all the flora and fauna in or around the islands, 25 percent can be found nowhere else on the planet. Many are now endangered and protected, such as the Hawaiian Monk Seal. "The NWHI has an abundance of natural history, beauty, diversity, and ecology that very few people have ever seen," Cousteau told CNN from his boat the Searcher in the French Frigate Shoals. I personally have never been here, I'm always intrigued and excited to discover a new place so little traveled by others," he reiterated. In the 19th century guano operations, which provided fertilizer to sugar plantations in Honolulu, devastated some of these remote Hawaiian islands. The collection and exportation of millions of albatross eggs and the slaughter of birds for their feathers, which were used for fashion decimated the wildlife. Although the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, NOOA, and the State of Hawaii have done research and conservation on the area for many years, Cousteau hopes they can make a long-term commitment to the area. On his return Cousteau and his team plan to make recommendations concerning the conservation of the area. Some of the proceeds from the expedition and subsequent film production, says Cousteau, maybe used for future conservation of the fragile ecosystem. On the expedition they are using the latest technology in diving equipment including circuit re-breathers made in England, high definition underwater camera housing, as well as new fins and a full-face mask specifically designed by Cousteau.
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