Polynesian Voyaging Society navigates Australian coast in search of ghost gear
News
The Polynesian Voyaging Society (PVS), an environmental and cultural group from Hawaii, will be visiting Australian shores in the coming weeks to raise awareness of the threats our oceans and its animals are facing.
PVS will be navigating the east Australian coast from May to July using traditional way finding techniques that employ stars, waves, wind and birds as mapping points for direction.
The PVS Polynesian voyaging canoe, Hōkūle’a (meaning ‘Star of Gladness’) will make its way from Sydney in May to the Far North Queenlsand coast and across to the Northern Territory through June and July. In support of World Animal Protection’s Sea Change campaign, the PVS team will be monitoring our coast for deadly ghost gear that can cause terrible suffering to marine animals.
Our Sea Change campaign reduces ‘ghost gear’ – lost and abandoned fishing gear that turns oceans into death traps for sea animals.
Abandoned, lost and discarded nets, lines and traps are one of the biggest threats to our sea life. A staggering 640,000 tonnes of gear is estimated to be left in our oceans each year. That gear traps, injures and kills hundreds of thousands of whales, seals, turtles and birds annually. So, through our Sea Change campaign, we’re aiming to save one million animals by 2018.
Founded on a legacy of Pacific Ocean exploration, the Polynesian Voyaging Society seeks to perpetuate the art and science of traditional Polynesian voyaging and the spirit of exploration through experiential educational programs that inspire students and their communities to respect and care for themselves, each other, and their natural and cultural environments.
Find out more about the PVS and their journey to Australia from Hawaii.