In 1820, a sperm whale rammed and sank the whale ship Essex, shipwrecking the crew on Henderson, the inspiration for Moby Dick. https://marinedevelopments.blog.gov.uk/2019/04/04/henderson-island-expedition/. 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. 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. However, Henderson has been in the news lately for all the wrong reasons. The scientific team includes scientists from the University of Tasmania, the UK Natural History Museum and the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science. 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. 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. Marine industries are estimated to contribute around £49.4 billion a year to the UK economy. The Blue Belt programme is providing financial support and scientific expertise to the expedition as well as supporting the Pitcairn Island community in bringing this to the attention of the world and finding solutions or mitigations against the levels of plastics. 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 is this oceanic current which brings the plastic pollution from the surrounding nations of the Pacific Ocean into contact with Henderson Island. 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.

Many thanks to the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Pitcairn Island Council for their support.To the organisations that made this expedition possible for me; Pew Trusts, Valpak, Blue Belt Programme (UK Government), and Toughsheet Environmental, and especially thanks to the warm welcome from the residents of Pitcairn, and the crew of the ship, Silver Supporter.

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. 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. Our about us page explains the MMO's work in more detail. Scientific investigations will focus on both the terrestrial and marine fate of the plastic pollution. It is a great pity we had to visit for this reason, but one that I am dedicated to represent…. Michael Bushell Henderson Island, one of the Pitcairn Islands in the far reaches of the Pacific, is one of those islands that you think only exist is stories; an uninhabited tropical island in the middle of the ocean colonised only by rare birds, hermit crabs and surrounded by a stunning coral reef. 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. 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. on 04 April 2019. The nearest inhabited island of Pitcairn, with a current population of 48, is both not responsible for the levels of pollution and cannot hope to deal with the problem themselves. The work that I will be undertaking will begin to quantify the impact of the pollution on the surrounding reefs and sandy habitats. On the water the scientists will be looking at the impact of plastics on the surrounding coral reefs and seabed sandy habitats, collecting samples of water and sediment for the analysis of microplastics. 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. An incredible accomplishment when nothing went to plan and the expedition was turned on its head. 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. The weather worsened over the course of the expedition… 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 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. Henderson Island is a raised coral atoll comprising 86% of the land area of the British Overseas Territory of the Pitcairn Islands. 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. Climbing up and down coral cliffs by rope, trekking across a machete made forest coral path, navigating headlands in waist high tides was not the original plan, but when there is no other way, there is nothing like being pushed to your limits. Henderson Island Expedition Posted by: Simeon Archer-Rand, Habitat Mapping and Human Activities Team Leader for the UK Government's Blue Belt Programme , Posted on: 4 April 2019 - Categories: Blue Belt Others include Apollo 11 and the dive to Challenger Deep. 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. On land the scientists will be looking at the quantity of macro and micro plastics, the rate of accumulation and the impact on the local wildlife. In June 2019 a group of scientists, journalists, film makers and artists are taking part in an expedition to Henderson island to investigate the plastic pollution problem and to highlight the plight of this otherwise pristine environment to a global audience. News and updates about the work of the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) and its partners in enabling sustainable growth in seas around England. 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 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. Simeon Archer-Rand, Habitat Mapping and Human Activities Team Leader for the UK Government's Blue Belt Programme said: “We are really excited to be part of this expedition to Henderson Island and to help support the important messages it will convey.

posted on A significant achievement that details of the expedition, including marine plastic pollution data, will now become part of The Explorer Club’s archives and be accessible to other modern-day explorers and scholars.

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