EXPEDITION ANNOUNCEMENT: "Out of Sight, Out of Mind"

I apologize for the lack of posts over the last two months. I've been hard at work on my biggest kayak fishing trip to date. After many moons of pitching and planning, we're finally ready to announce the details.

EXPEDITION ANNOUNCEMENT:

"Out of Sight, Out of Mind"
Gulf of Mexico Kayak Fishing Expedition

November-December 2011 

The dispersant released under water at the source of the Deep Water Horizon oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico has never been done, and the effects are unknown. Scientist have found enormous plumes of microscopic oil particles hundreds of feet below the surface. It's been shown that a small combo of dispersant and oil can alter DNA in creatures at the bottom of the food chain, which makes the effect an inheritable trait. This "toxic salad dressing" of crude oil, chemical dispersant, and sea water will work its way up the food chain, into all living organisms, and onto our tables. 1/3 of the seafood consumed in the US comes from the Gulf.

 

Our project, dubbed "Out of Sight, Out of Mind", (outofminds.com is under construction as we speak.) aims to see what effect this undersea dispersant has had on the wildlife. We will observe wildlife and collect samples where allowed with the least invasive sport fishing techniques possible. The key to sampling via kayak is that we can work the shallow estuaries, mangrove swamps, flats, and reefs that power boats cannot, as well as the deeper waters off shore. We can approach wildlife with a level of stealth unobtainable with any other craft, and we travel at a slow pace in order to get a more accurate sense of place.

Our title refers to the fact that somewhere underneath the surface, 4.9 million barrels of oil are still hiding out of sight, and the Gulf has slipped from peoples minds. The effects from this spill are long term and still not fully understood. We're looking for the "canary in the coal mine" fish; An indicator of the effects of the toxic salad dressing on life in the Gulf.

As we travel the Gulf Coast, we will document our experience through video and still imagery, interweaving interviews with local people, (sport & commercial fisherman, oil industry reps, sea kayakers, kayak fisherman, surfers, etc.), incredible scenery and wildlife (tarpon, snook, speckled trout, redfish, goliath grouper, bonefish, permit, gators, crocs, sea turtles, snakes, and 500,000 birds) as well as kayak surfing and fishing action with the goal of producing a documentary film of our experience. 

Beginning November 1^st, 2011, Chris Bensch, Shay Bickley, and I will spend a week in each of the following locations camping, touring, recording observational data, and fishing via sea kayaks (surfing when we can); Padre Island National Seashore (TX), Delta National Wildlife Refuge (LA), Gulf Islands National Seashore (MS), Everglades National Park (FL), and Key West NWR (FL). Along the way we will kayak the major industrial areas, including the Houston ship channel, Mobile Bay, and Pensacola to contrast the natural areas. 

Our end goal has many facets, but the overall mission is to promote the ecological importance and intrinsic value of the Gulf of Mexico in the wake of the largest human caused, single-event ecological disaster in recorded history.

We'd like to thank those companies supporting our project so far:

Kokatat

Werner Paddles

Tiderace Sea Kayaks

Keen Footwear

Thule

We're still looking for businesses interested in supporting our project. Current opportunities exist for outdoor/active clothing, sunglasses, tents & sleeping bags, fly rods and reels, campers/trailers, and vehicles. If you or someone you know is interested in working with us, please contact me at jason@aldercreek.com


I will keep you posted on my kayak fishing antics here, but future posts specific to this project will appear at www.outofminds.com from now on. As soon as it goes live in the next couple of weeks , I'll announce it here first!


-Jason