“Our planet is a natural-resource bank account—we need to stop eating away the capital and start living off its interest.”
So says Fabien Cousteau, the eldest grandson of the famed Jacques Cousteau and an explorer and environmental advocate in his own right. His love for and fierce protection of the world’s oceans are among the reasons why the International Superyacht Society (ISS) has been working with him for more than a year to establish the newly announced ISS Fabien Cousteau Blue Award. In this Leadership Series interview, Cousteau explains how all of us—megayacht builders, designers, owners, captains and crew, and yacht-watchers—can help make a difference. As he explains, “In our personal and professional realms, we are the decision makers.”
Q: You grew up in a far more environmentally minded family than most. What was it like being aboard your grandfather’s boats, and what are some of the earliest lessons you learned?
A: My grandfather started his carrier of ocean exploration during WWII. He pioneered exploration of the undersea world and brought it for the first time to worldwide audiences who had never seen such a strange and wondrous place. For five decades he and the crew of Calypso (and later Alcyone) brought TV viewers on their extraordinary adventures. It wasn’t until the 1960s (through to the late 1990s) that the topic of environmental impact became part of the shows.
I have been scuba diving since my fourth birthday and regularly on expedition since I was seven. It was a unique opportunity for learning and an opening of eyes and mind to the vastness and complexity of our planet and our relationship with it. At the basis of it all, a lesson I try to practice every day is a fundamental line my grandfather would say: People Protect What They Love. Of course, he was quoted all the time with great philosophical thoughts. Between family as the teachers and the ocean world as a classroom, I did get infused with a fundamental understanding of our place as a species and our role as protectors or destroyers of this oasis in the vast emptiness of space. Scrubbing the barnacles off the hull on Calypso at 7, a teen at the helm of Alcyone during the graveyard shift in an inky dark Pacific crossing with 15-foot swells, diving face to face with animals 100 times larger, watching the life-and-death battle between an octopus and mantis shrimp, drinking massato with headhunters in the Amazon… these and many more are the experiences that broadened my understanding and fascination of our amazing, unique little blue planet.
PHOTO: Courtesy Plant a Fish
Q: You’re passionately involved with many ocean-oriented organizations, and you’ve created ones yourself, like Plant a Fish. Can you describe the goals behind Plant a Fish, and some of the accomplishments?
A: I like maximizing positive change. Born with a unique gift, I feel it is paramount that it be used to connect people with the beauty, wonder ,and fragility of ocean planet. Plant A Fish embodies the philosophy I grew up with in a platform that can educate and empower communities worldwide to restore our aquatic “backyard.” From mangroves to corals, from oysters to sea turtles, it’s about connecting people to our “life-support system.” Taking care of and restoring the health of the water world is at least as important as doing so on land.
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Related posts:
- Megayacht News Leadership Series: Richard Beattie, Big Fish
- Details on ISS Fabien Cousteau Blue Award
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