Cousteau scion in Philippines on marine conservation tour

MANILA, Philippines – The grandchild of renowned undersea explorer Jacques Cousteau, Alexandra, is in the Philippines to raise awareness on sustainable fisheries management and the global fight against illegal fishing practices.

Alexandra Cousteau will help Oceana Philippines campaign to help end the destruction of ocean areas in the Philippines and to push for sustainable fisheries.

During her visit, she will be meeting with national and local political authorities, environment officials, representatives from academe, the youth, and most importantly, local communities who are the front-liners in the campaign to save and protect the oceans.

Cousteau will be exploring the Tañon Strait Protected Seascape, the country’s largest marine protected area, where Oceana is working to end illegal commercial fishing and ensure that artisanal fishers will benefit the most from their municipal waters.

She will be diving in Moalboal in Cebu, where the year-round presence of sardine shoals is one of the top attractions in the thriving tourism industry.

On Apo Island in Negros Oriental, she is expected to interact with community leaders, whose strong partnership with the government, private sector and civil society in protecting their rich marine resources has become a model for protected areas.

One of the highlights of her visit is a diving trip to El Nido in Palawan, which Jacques Cousteau explored in his boat Calypso in the early 1990s. Alexandra will be looking at the impact of climate change and illegal fishing practices in El Nido’s coral reefs and the livelihoods of residents.

Cousteau said that the less than two weeks she will be spending diving and exploring the Tañon Strait, the coral areas in Moalboal in Cebu and Apo Island in Negros was not enough to fully appreciate the beauty of Philippine seas.

“It’s not enough. But it’s a beginning. And I can come back,” Cousteau told The STAR in an interview at the M Cafe when she was presented to the media by Oceana Philippines Tuesday afternoon.

Cousteau has closely followed in the footsteps of her father, Philippe, and that of her grandfather, and has been named a National Geographic Emerging Explorer for her films and advocacy on water issues.

She had joined Oceana in 2011 as senior adviser, helping the group disseminate the importance of their advocacy to a larger global audience through expeditions, events and campaigns. She is currently working with Oceana to produce a documentary about the oceans.

A much sought after speaker, Cousteau will talk about Oceana’s global campaign, “Save the Oceans, Feed the World” at the Silliman University in Dumaguete, and at the University of Cebu Banilad Campus in Cebu City.