Update from the Marine Expedition

http://www.marine-expedition.co.za/

Hi everyone

This past month has proven to be a very difficult and testing time for the expedition. Who knew you could make it across West Africa with so much ease, only to be flummoxed by Europe.

Since our last update from Morocco, we have left the African continent and driven via Portugal to Madrid, Spain. Leaving Morocco was interesting, but with all the required documentation for the extension of our visas in hand, we were back on track. A few days behind schedule we entered Tarifa, Spain.

Unfortunately due to some mixed information we were not allowed to purchase vehicle insurance in Spain for a South African vehicle. There was no issue getting into Spain, but if the police stopped us, we were essentially driving illegally. Not one South African insurance company was interested in helping and we were refused vehicle cover. Running further behind schedule we had to leave Spain and enter Portugal, as we had some dives lined up.

We were lucky that a Dutch company was able to insure the vehicle all the way to Russia, so after 2 weeks of driving around Europe illegally we managed to get the required green card, though some help from Mr. Schonknecht, for which we are extremely grateful.

Arriving in Madrid we secured meetings with Oceana, a huge marine based conservation organization and with ICCAT, the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna. The meeting with Oceana was excellent and we were brilliantly received. Not only were we able to interview the Director and chief scientist, Oceana supplied us with a huge collection of images and video footage for our documentary. We are grateful to their generosity and passion for which they conduct their work. As Oceana is looking forward to branching into Africa, and will keep in contact offering advice from our side to the hopeful inception of Oceana in South Africa (Oceana Africa Program), this would be fantastic.

Our meeting was delayed with ICCAT until the 8^th of June due to Linda and my visa application for the UK been denied. We do feel it was denied unjustly and look to make a comment about the situation at a later stage. This problem was huge for us as it blocked our entry to a country where we would get the car serviced, acquire visas for the next leg of the expedition, and would allow us to ferry across to Norway. Furthermore due to our Shengen days running out we had to fly to Croatia where we could bunk down in our house and work on all the admin to change our flight plans to the US, figure out how the vehicle would get to Norway etc. The circumstance has unfortunately necessitated our need to return to South Africa briefly, firstly to organize our US, Russian and Japanese visas, and to lay an official complaint with the Ministry regarding the UK consulate in Madrid. I may depart SA after a few days and use my Croatian passport to drive the vehicle into the UK (as no visa is required) and then meet Linda in Oslo, either or, the British have really dented a smooth passage for us and have throw us into administrative hell. What this means is that we are currently back in South Africa and are in the process of getting all our visas for Asia, and it looks as if the UK will have to remain off our list of countries to visit as we simply do not have the time to still get the visa and make it to the conference in the USA, and get to Russia by October.

If anyone wants to get hold of us our new numbers down here are Linda 083 348 8474 and Mike 0785218478. We should be around for about three weeks while we pull ourselves towards ourselves and possibly begin work on a new trailer for the Documentary.

Hope you are all keeping well, were disappointed that we will not be seeing everyone in the UK ,but im sure well meet up soon.

Till then

Happy travels

Mike and Linda

‘Moving Sushi’ Expedition grows awareness of illegal fishing worldwide

Mike Markovina and Linda Schonknecht are the fearless duo that make up the Marine Resource Expedition – also known as “Moving Sushi” – which has been travelling across the African continent, Europe and Asia, documenting illegal fishing and producing a documentary aimed at raising awareness about positive effects of marine conservation.

The cross-continent expedition starts and ends in Cape Town, South Africa. The route, which commenced in April 2008, covers 42 countries over approximately 22 months.

“The world’s oceans are in deep trouble,” Markovina points out.  “From the northernmost reaches of the Arctic Circle to the Southern Ocean surrounding Antarctica, the seas are being stripped at an unprecedented rate.

“Since the 1900s, many species may have declined by nearly 90%, and unfortunately it does not stop there. Every aspect of the ocean is being mined for its resources. For example, coral reefs are being destroyed by dynamite and cyanide for both food and the aquarium fish trade, which is suggested to top a billion dollars a year.”

According to Markovina, the challenge of managing global marine resources is impossible without the appropriate knowledge and research.

“By focusing on the positive and motivating aspects of marine conservation, the Marine Resource Expedition hopes to inspire action and generate awareness of the importance of our marine heritage.”

Navigating Africa, Europe and Asia (and their relevant waterways) is not an easy task, which is why Avnic Trading, official Garmin distributors in South Africa, became involved as a sponsor of the expedition.

Getting around

“We’re extremely passionate about both conservation and the outdoors, which is why we jumped at the opportunity to help Mike and Linda out on their expedition,” says Fraser McHenry, sponsorship and communications manager for Avnic Trading.

“What these remarkable two people are trying to accomplish is extremely important for the future of our marine resources, and by providing them with the necessary technology to help them find their way around the continent, we’re hopefully making their extremely difficult jobs just a little bit easier.”

Avnic Trading provided the Marine Expedition with two Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx navigation devices, which is one of Garmin’s most popular outdoor and marine GPS units.

“This GPSMAP 60CSx features a removable microSD card for detailed mapping memory and a waterproof, rugged housing for marine use. The microSD card slot is located inside the waterproof battery compartment. Users can load map data and transfer routes and waypoints through the unit’s fast USB connection,” McHenry says.

“In addition, this unit features a new, highly sensitive GPS receiver that acquires satellites faster and lets users track their location in challenging conditions, such as heavy foliage or deep canyons. The GPSMAP 60CSx also incorporates a barometric altimeter for precise elevation data and an electronic compass that displays an accurate heading while standing still,” he adds.

“We really have to express how important these GPSs have been to us and our expedition thus far,” says Schonknecht.

“We’re just a few months into our expedition, and already we have been through some of the most testing terrain and one of the worst roads in West Africa.

“From the border post of Namibia and Angola (Ruacana) – where we crept along a dirt track going 1km/h with no real indication on any map book where we were – to dragging the car up and down what can only be called a glorified hiking trail in Congo, we probably would not have progressed as far as we have, if we had not had these GPSs,” she adds.

What can you do?

There is a clear and ever-growing need to raise awareness about unsustainable fishing in the waters around Africa, Europe and Asia.  And this starts with both educating consumers about the seafood that they are eating at their favourite restaurants and lobbying governments to police their surrounding oceans more effectively.

Already, organisations such as the Southern African Sustainable Seafood Initiative have set up SMS systems giving consumers the ability to check if the fish on a restaurant’s menu is endangered by sending an SMS classifying them green (safe), orange (over-exploited) and red (highly endangered), by simply texting the fish name to 079-499-8795.

“No matter how small your contribution is, even if it’s checking to see if the fish on the menu is endangered and not ordering it if it is, you’re making a contribution to helping preserve our marine resources,” Markovina concludes.

You can follow the Marine Resource Expedition online at http://www.marine-expedition.co.za as Mike and Linda continue their travels from Africa into Europe and Asia.