On Sunday, May 12th, local student Zahra Trott boarded the Arctic Sunrise. During this nearly five-day leg of the ship’s three-week journey, Zahra’s singular mission was to find the ever-elusive Sargassum mats.
This voyage, hosted by Greenpeace UK, brought ocean campaigners face-to-face with the beautiful and wondrous Sargasso Sea. Greenpeace’s ship spent three weeks campaigning in Bermuda and across the high seas of the Sargasso Sea. Zahra joined the voyage during a wildlife-focused leg to seek out and collect data on the extremely rare Sargassum mats.
Zahra was joined by thirty-six other campaigners and crew members, including members from Greenpeace UK, Greenpeace crew members, wildlife experts, journalists, and wildlife videographers/photographers.
With regards to the trip, Briony Venn, the Oceans Campaigner at Greenpeace UK, had this to say:
“It was a pleasure to welcome Zahra on board the Arctic Sunrise for five days. We’re delighted that Greenpeace was able to offer such a unique experience for a youth advocate, as inspiring the younger generations is so critical to building hope and driving change. It was vital for us to involve Bermudian influencers when working closely with the Bermudian community, as local lived experience is powerful in communicating the need for ocean protection in the Sargasso Sea. Zahra was keen to get stuck in with ship life. She integrated seamlessly into the crew and supported with onboard activities such as banner painting, daily cleaning and most importantly, wildlife spotting! We were lucky enough to see a sperm whale, many migratory seabirds and some sargassum mats, showcasing the beauty and wonder of the Sargasso Sea. Unfortunately, we also recovered an 80m ghost fishing net, illustrating why its protection is crucial. The work that BUEI does to foster young environmental advocates is so important – and we are happy to have played a small part by welcoming Zahra on board.”
The Sargasso Sea contains a golden floating rainforest of Sargassum seaweed that supports a plethora of iconic species such as Loggerhead turtles, Bermuda Petrels, and humpback whales. The seaweed “mats” are large quantities of Sargassum clumped together which absorb CO2 from the air we breathe, while acting as a nursery, habit, energy/oxygen source, breeding grounds, and at times food source for possibly hundreds of different species.
Despite all this, the Sargasso Sea remains unprotected. Greenpeace UK’s purpose during this voyage was to build momentum to rectify this issue:
“With the agreement of a Global Ocean Treaty last year, the UK now has a golden opportunity to work with other nations to protect this unique ecosystem. Bermudians can support this by signing our open letter to the incoming UK government, calling for the Treaty to be passed into law without delay, and by championing the Sargasso Sea as the first in a new generation of ocean sanctuaries – that are essential to protect at least 30% of the oceans by 2030.”
Though her time with the Greenpeace crew was short, Zahra’s experiences aboard the Arctic Sunrise left a profound impact:
“Greenpeace had shown me that an Action Coordinator from Russia, a Deckhand from Colombia, a captain from Ukraine, a cook from France and a Social Media Lead from the UK – regardless of things like race, gender, ethnicity, financial class and more could somehow how come together for one reason – the Ocean. No matter where in the world you’re from or what your background is, Greenpeace single handedly showed me that it is possible for a group of people to come together to protect not just the ocean, but the world. There was not a single person on that voyage that did not inspire me. My only regret is that our time together ended so soon.”
Please take the time to read, sign and share Greenpeace’s open letter to the incoming UK government to assist in the ongoing battle to save the Sargasso Sea!
