Web Analytics
American Roads and Global Highways

books by Kathleen Wallsarchives of American Roads and Global Highways
subscribe to American Roads and Global Highways
American Roads and Global Highways
 writers, contributors, photographerscontact American Roads and Global Highways

Milagro Means Miracle:
Sea Shepherd's Latest Fight

Article and photos by Kathleen Walls

"The tragedy is that there is so much more incentive - money - to destroy the ecology than there is to preserve it," Paul Watson states. Watson is the founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. The Sea Shepherd fights to protect our environment on the high seas.



 

beluga whale dolphins one blond
 Two of the species Sea Shepherd is fighting to protect, whales and dolphins (also called porpoises)

The most recent fight, Operation Milagro II, is occurring in Mexico's Gulf of California, also known as the Sea of Cortez, home of the world's smallest and rarest cetacean, the vaquita marina porpoise. There are believed to be only about 97 of these mammals with only about 25 females.

 

The females give birth to one calf every two years so without drastic action, they will soon be extinct. The biggest threat to the porpoises are gillnets. They entrap the poroiises preventing them from coming to the surface to breath and they drown.

Mexican President Enrique Pe�a Nieto, has made a commitment to prevent the extinction by enacting a two-year moratorium on gillnet fishing in the porposie's habitat. They have invited Sea Shepherd to aid in the effort. Their ship, Martin Sheen, was the first Sea Shepherd vessel on the scene. As I write this, they have been joined by the Farley Mowat.

MV Farley Mowat at dock
The MV Farley Mowat docked in Tampa

On a recent visit to Tampa, I had the opportunity to tour the MV Farley Mowat. I met Jose Pablo Isaza Jaramillo, from Colombia who began the tour with the decks. Jose has carpentry experience so when he signed on as a volunteer aboard the Farley Mowat, he was able to put that skill to good use. The Farley Mowat is a former coast guard vessel Sea Shepherd refitted to patrol the Sea of Cortez and try to save the vaquita marina porpoise from extinction. He explained the features that make the Farley Mowat such an important part of Sea Shepherd's mission. One item I would have given little thought to was their anchoring system. "We needed to delay or departure date to install this." Jose pointed to a heavy black chain securely fastened to the deck. "Since we are at sea for long periods of time, we can't go into port when the weather turns bad. This allows us to anchor securely and is not likely to snap in a storm."

Deck of MV Farley Mowat with people
Jose giving a tour on the deck of MV Farley Mowat

Often it's the little things that count.  Speaking of little things, I was amazed when Jose led us down to the sleeping area below deck. The bunks are stacked three on both sides. It is close quarters. As Jose said, "We have to be really careful not to step on a bunkmate getting down."

MV Farley Mowat bunks
One side of the bunk room on MV Farley Mowat

The rest of the ship is outfitted for efficiency rather than comfort. The galley is small but well equipped. Incidentally since the Sea Shepherd operates on donation, they welcome donations of vegan foods as well as cash. They couldn't allow me to take pictures of the engine room because of safety concerns but it looks like the most efficient part of the ship.

galley on MV Farley Mowat
This is the part of the galley where the crew dines. The cooking area is on the opposite side of the dividing counter

There is a crew of about 17 and they stay at sea for months at a time. These men and women are really dedicated. They are volunteers, not paid crew. Another crew member I met was Roy, the Communications Officer and Deckhand, Roy is from Canada. The crew is international. One thing they have in common is their dietary habits. Roy explained "Since we are on a humanitarian mission to save ocean wildlife, it is only fitting that we eat vegan while on board. Some of us are also vegans even when we are not on board."

Roy's job is to get the Farley Mowat where it belongs and keep it from getting into places it is not supposed to be. In order to do that, it is equipped with state of the art GPS system. He showed us that system in the bridge. It looks like a laptop screen but is very exact. Roy explained, "There is even a small unit, about the size of a cell phone that you can operate from on deck when the weather is nice."

man showing GPS navigating system on MV Farley Mowat
Roy explains the workings of the navigational system

The GPS not only lets them navigate safely but can spot illegal vessels in the vicinity. That could be a big help in doing the job once in the Gulf of California.  

To clear up a popular misconception about the Sea Shepherd, they are not pirates operating illegally. As Jose pointed out, "Sea Shepherd campaigns are guided by the United Nations World Charter for Nature. This charter gives individuals not only the right but the duty to enforce international conservation laws when the law officers of an area either cannot or will not do so."

Captains chair in bridge on MV Farley Mowat
Bridge and captain's seat on the MV Farley Mowat

Jose explained that it is unlikely the ship will ever return to Tampa since they are sailing through the Panama Canal which is expensive and time consuming to transverse. However, if you ever get a chance to tour any of the Sea Shepherd's ships, I highly recommend it. You will come away with a new knowledge and respect for these people who risk their own lives to save our endangered marine wildlife.

Milagro means miracle in Spanish. If Sea Shepherd can save these precious propoises, it will be a true miracle.

 

 

 

 


 

  American Roads and Global Highways

Promote Your Page Too
  Like us on Facebook Send us an email to
let us know what

you like (or don't like)  about American Roads and Global Highways .
Pin us

Ads fund American Roads and Global Highways so please consider them for your needed purchases.

If you enjoy the articles we offer, donations are always welcome.
--------