St. Paul of the sea
Among the other improbable converts Cousteau has won over to his cause is President George W. Bush.
In April, 2006, Bush invited Cousteau to the White House to screen his documentary “Voyage to Kure.” Kure is one of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, a 1,200-mile-long chain that includes Midway. Kure is 3,000 miles from the United States, 2,000 miles from Japan and 4,000 miles from Australia.
“We went to Kure expecting to find pristine beaches and water. Instead, we found cigarette lighters, mascara tubes, bottle tops and plastic from 52 different countries, including France. On the reefs we found tons of abandoned fishing nets,” Cousteau said.
After the disappointing discovery, Cousteau invited Hawaii governor Linda Lingle to visit the island with him. She had never previously been to the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. The governor’s 20- member entourage would include U.S. Navy and Coast Guard scientists and the chair of the White House Council on the environment Jim Cunningham.
Cunningham was so alarmed by what he saw that he arranged the screening of “Voyage to Kure” for the President.
“After the screening, Bush invited me to sit at his table for dinner,” Cousteau recalled. “He seated me on his right and biologist Sylvia Earle, the head of the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, was on his left.
“He asked me questions non-stop about sanctuaries, what we saw, and finally, what he could do. I asked my friends afterwards how the food was because I didn’t have a chance to touch it. They said I didn’t miss anything.”
Just two months later, Cousteau was invited back to the White House to stand at the President’s side when he signed an executive order creating the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands National Marine Monument, the nation’s most restrictive level of environmental protection. Its 140,000 square miles made it the largest marine reserve in the world.
“Bush is not a gentleman known for environmental concerns. But given the information, he made the right decision. Common sense will prevail,” Cousteau said in the willed optimistic tone that often colors his remarks.
“We all have the power, at different levels, to educate people about the ocean. I was at a child’s birthday last weekend where helium balloons were released. I said to the host, do you know where the balloons will go. They will settle on the ocean and turtles will mistake them for jelly fish. She said she didn’t know that and she would never buy a helium balloon again.”
