Captain Jacques-Yves Cousteau: Oceanographer

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COUSTEAU: I'm very pleased to listen to such questions. because they are difficult to answer – because they are true also. You are asking me, telling me, people, nations meet in Geneva and argue on details of the coastal waters that have no importance and they cannot agree, so how can they agree on basic things that harm their interest, their economical interests, as the things we're talking about – pollution. True. But the only hope, I think, is precisely in fact that this is going to become vital. As long as people don't feel menaced in their life, I don't think we will progress very much. We must make a brave fight but pessimistically. But when we demonstrate that what is at stake is the survival of mankind, then maybe there will be an understanding, because all the other problems will look very stupid compared to that one – I hope.

This transcript of Captain Cousteau's address and exchange with Alice Ballard was originally published in the Yearbook Issue 1970 NATIONAL FISHERMAN and is reprinted by permission of that publication.

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Captain Jacques-Yves Cousteau is probably the one man most responsible for today's widespread interest in underwater exploration and development. The popularization of his aqualung and other inventions during and after WWI opened the waters of the world to man on a vast scale for the first time. Captain Cousteau is currently director of Musee Oceanographic, Monaco and is often found on board his research ship, Calypso.

PLOWBOY: Sir, the reaction of this group to your talk in the discussion about pollution seems to indicate a great concern with the people in this country. I was wondering could you perhaps tell us, or those people who haven't had the opportunity to see, the reactions of other countries. Could you enlighten its as to their reactions, sir?

COUSTEAU: It's a very good question because it's one of my greatest concerns. The higher the degree of development of a country, the easier it is to move the masses because of the mass media and also the more influence the mass media have on the politicians. This country is by far the most aware of these problems, and it is not much, so you can imagine what the others are. When a country like the United States bravely decides that there will be no DDT used any more from January '71 on, which has been decided, fine. What about India? What about South America? What about China? What about Russia'? What about France? What about Spain? Portugal? If the world does not take the same measure, it will be exactly as nothing. The American manufacturers will send DDT to China, too.

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