Story: Marine conservation

Cousteau at Moruroa Atoll

Cousteau at Moruroa Atoll

In the 1960s the French diver Jacques Cousteau had a popular television series in which he sailed the oceans in his vessel Calypso. By filming the world beneath the sea he revealed its diversity and fragility to millions of people. The topic of this 1986 cartoon is the French nuclear testing at Moruroa (Mururoa) Atoll, which only ended in 1996. Concerns about radioactive material contaminating the water led to calls for the French to stop testing. The campaign in the Pacific entered the public consciousness and helped focus conservation efforts on the marine environment.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library
Reference: B-143-074
Cartoon by Eric Heath

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page:

Gerard Hutching and Carl Walrond, 'Marine conservation - The boundless ocean', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/cartoon/5803/cousteau-at-moruroa-atoll (accessed 30 March 2024)

Story by Gerard Hutching and Carl Walrond, published 12 Jun 2006, updated 1 Sep 2015