the Cousteau Society

(version française)

The Cousteau Society originated in the very first expeditions carried out by Captain Jacques-Yves Cousteau aboard the renowned ship Calypso. For 50 years, he and his crews of divers, scientists, cinematographers and photographers explored and communicated the beauty of the undersea world, using marine technology like scuba gear and underwater habitats. Soon, they were discovering signs of environmental damage and over-exploitation of natural resources. This led to the creation, in 1974, of The Cousteau Society in the United States, with the purpose of alerting the public and preserving the planet for present and future generations. Subsequently, in 1981, Fondation Cousteau, now Equipe Cousteau, was established in France. Captain Cousteau and his crews have produced more than 100 films that document their wonderful expeditions around the world aboard Calypso and Alcyone. They have published nearly fifty books as well as the magazine Calypso Log which keeps members informed about the Society's activities. Among the major campaigns they have undertaken are the Bill of Rights of Future Generations, the petition for the protection of Antartica, and the creation of UNESCO-Cousteau chairs of Ecotechnie.

Since Captain Cousteau rejoined the <<Silent World>> in June ,1997, his wife, Francine Cousteau, and crew have been continuing his work and his projects. Preparations are underway for The Cousteau Society's next expedition, to the Caspian Sea, the world's largest inland expanse of water, in recoginition of the International Year of the Ocean 1998. Sponsored by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) and UNESCO, Alcyone will fly the flag of the International Year of the Ocean as she sails under the command of Sir Peter Blake.

The IOC and The Cousteau Society are planning to share many other projects in memory of Captain Cousteau, cruises will be developed for children to learn about the ocean from experts so that they will care about protecting it. The Cousteau Society will also participate in the development of educational kits for teaching children about the ocean. The kits will be available initially to Cousteau schools. The Cousteau Society is also supporting the Ocean Charter developed by the IOC; members will find the text of the Charter in Calypso Log where they can sign it. The Cousteau Society is supporting the IOC's Clean Beaches Initiative, too.

In the long term, The Cousteau Society is pursuing its <<Water of Peace>> campaign. The project has dual purposes of keeping containers of toxic substances in shipwrecks from contaminating marine ecosystems and keeping aquatic systems safe from the conflicts or degradation of mutiple uses by protecting them as <<Cousteau Zones>>

You can follow The Cousteau Society activities on the IOC Web site.

Cousteau Society web site: http://www.cousteau.org