Crew Accounts: 2002 Central Pacific Research Voyage
North
Pacific Gyre “Eastern Garbage Patch” Expedition
Matthew Cramer
Documentary Filmmaker
ORV Alguita Crewmember 2002
Back to Newsletters page
As a film student and surfer in the early 1990’s my first short film, shot on Super 8, juxtaposed the images of our beautiful natural surroundings, (things we often take for granted) against the raw and unpleasant sights of large industrial emissions and pollution as it appeared in our communities and on our beaches. The final few frames conclude with a young girl beachcombing not for lost treasures but collecting garbage to help clean the beach she is growing up on.
Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would get an opportunity to sail across the vast Pacific Ocean and be the first to document by video, both topside and underwater, a scientific research expedition on the global affect of plastics and debris in our oceans. The opportunity of a lifetime! Aboard the Oceanographic Research Vessel, Alguita, we were able to document plastic fragments, some barely discernable to the naked eye, which float side by side with nature’s counterpart, plankton. We also encountered a plethora of discarded fishing net buoys, bottles, a 55-gallon oil drum, nylon rope, a basketball and even a television. All of which were collected and tagged and will be discarded appropriately on the mainland.
This journey to the unknown of the deep blue water would soon become another self realization of the ever encroaching impact man has on the natural environment. Never in my worst thoughts could I have imagined the situation to be quite as bad as it is, and more than likely will get worse before it gets better. This expedition led us to one of the most remote places on earth and what we were to uncover would both amaze and disgust me. To view and document some of the most beautiful pelagic invertebrates was a magical sight to be seen, but it was the “Medusa” sea jelly in an entangled mess of man-made hawser that we were able to photograph and collect which really turned my stomach. It was not just the thought of one small sea jelly that would meet its eventual doom but the recognition that these events are growing in number on a daily basis around our planet. I believe it is important to understand and comprehend the symbiotic relationship that these animals have with one another, with mankind and which should be put on the forefront of our agenda.
I understand that many people may think to themselves, “I will never go to the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Heck, I don’t even live near one. What affect is this going to have on me?” Well the same can be said for the destruction of the Ozone Layer. People used to think, “I can’t feel a degree or two of change in temperature. I will never go to the Arctic Circle. What can one person do to make a difference?” On and on the story goes… Obviously, if this were the case then should we continue to allow for the eventual destruction of our planet by CFC’s or other toxic pollutants? Of course not, the times are changing and so are people’s perceptions. It is by these changing attitudes and through the efforts and determination of people such as Captain Charles Moore and the Algalita Marine Research Foundation (AMRF) that over the course of time and action we will embark, for the welfare of our planet, on one of the most important global issues of our time.
For myself, life has come full circle in the past 10 years and re-affirmed my personal commitment to help keep our ocean and beaches clean and safe for the marine creatures who reside there and the people who enjoy their enduring beauty.
Posted: 8/30/02