News and updates about the work of the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) and its partners in enabling sustainable growth in seas around England. Michael Bushell Incredibly proud that our expedition to Henderson Island has been awarded the title of ‘Explorers Club Flag Expedition’, of which there are only 3-5 awarded each year. The hope is that through scientific investigation and the highlighting of the problem through the various media outputs it will encourage more international action on the problem of plastic pollution and be a driving force for change in the coming years. Plastic waste dumped into the sea or accidently lost within the South Pacific will ultimately find its way into the gyre and will eventually pass by Henderson with many items washing up on the beaches. Now back on dry land I am looking forward to the vital scientific research that will come together in the coming months to highlight the issue of this remarkable - but unfortunately named - one of the most plastic polluted areas on the planet. on 04 April 2019. Our about us page explains the MMO's work in more detail. The scientific team includes scientists from the University of Tasmania, the UK Natural History Museum and the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science. Here's most of the team with our Expedition Flag #97 on Northwest Beach, Henderson Island – one of the most remote places on the planet.“Since 1918, the flag has been carried to all of the Earth’s continents, as well as under the sea and into the stars”. “It has been one of the most incredible opportunities of my life to have been part of the Henderson Island Expedition 2019. Adverse weather conditions, and the inability to land on East Beach by RIB (rigid-hulled inflatable boat) due to prevailing winds and swell, posed a significant problem for the expedition. Mandy Barker is an award winning British photographic artist whose work involving marine plastic debris has received global recognition. Others include Apollo 11 and the dive to Challenger Deep. Henderson Island lies on the edge of the South Pacific gyre, a giant circular movement of water moving anti-clockwise across the whole of the South Pacific. Although the 42.7 km2 uninhabited island sits over 5,000 kilometres from the nearest landmass and is part of the Pitcairn Island Marine Reserve – East Beach was found by scientists in 2017 to be the most densely plastic polluted beach on the planet. https://marinedevelopments.blog.gov.uk/2019/04/04/henderson-island-expedition/. A team of 12 - scientists, filmmakers, clean-up crew, divers and journalists, all with the aim to engage the world with the plastic pollution crisis from this remote uninhabited location. The problem with plastics in our ocean is not going to be easy to fix. Communication is the art of hopefully getting things done. Through scientific endeavours such as this we can bring the problem to a wider audience and show that litter is not just a local problem but impacts even the remotest corners of our planet.”, Tags: Blue Belt, marine litter, plastics, pollution, Comment by The weather worsened over the course of the expedition… Henderson Island Expedition - June 2019 . In 1820, a sperm whale rammed and sank the whale ship Essex, shipwrecking the crew on Henderson, the inspiration for Moby Dick. However, Henderson has been in the news lately for all the wrong reasons. Although it is one of the remotest islands in the world it also has the title of having one of the most heavily polluted beaches in the world. New projects LUNASEA, CROWN 2.5L and SHELF-LIFE were created as a result of the expedition, released on 8th June 2020 - exactly 1 year since first stepping foot on Henderson. Guidance on commenting on this blog and our, Simeon Archer-Rand, Habitat Mapping and Human Activities Team Leader for the UK Government's Blue Belt Programme, Tackling Illegal fishing around Saint Helena and the surrounding waters, Blue Belt tuna tagging programme underway in St Helena, Marine Planning Iteration 3 engagement summary, Public register of marine licence applications, Blue Belt team on the international stage at the 6th International Marine Conservation Congress, Next step in the journey to develop the North East, North West, South East and South West Marine Plans. Henderson Island is a protected world heritage site. The work that I will be undertaking will begin to quantify the impact of the pollution on the surrounding reefs and sandy habitats. Henderson Island is a raised coral atoll comprising 86% of the land area of the British Overseas Territory of the Pitcairn Islands. It is a great pity we had to visit for this reason, but one that I am dedicated to represent…. Long-lived plastics debris is constantly being washed up onto the beach and a recent study by the University of Tasmania and the RSPB calculated that 27 new items of plastic wash up on every meter of beach per day. The overarching objective of this 2019 expedition – driven by the Pitcairn Island community and coordinated by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office in collaboration with Pew Trusts – was to study, research, and clean-up the estimated 10 tonnes of pollution on East Beach from this stunning United Nations World Heritage Site and ecological hotspot on which plastic has been deposited – to shine a light on the issue of global ocean pollution and on the beauty and draw of the Pitcairn Island Marine Reserve. It is this oceanic current which brings the plastic pollution from the surrounding nations of the Pacific Ocean into contact with Henderson Island. It has been hard, and not without incident - coping with South Pacific winter swells, judging reefs that surround this testing wilderness - all going to prove why Henderson is known as the ‘inaccessible’ island. Marine industries are estimated to contribute around £49.4 billion a year to the UK economy. posted on On 8th June (World Ocean Day) a multidisciplinary team arrived on Henderson Island – one of four islands making up the Pitcairn Archipelago – to undertake a two-week research expedition. An incredible accomplishment when nothing went to plan and the expedition was turned on its head. The levels of pollution will also be captured in documentaries and editorials created by the team while on the island and then broadcast across the internet and through national media outlets.

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