0:00:07 > 0:00:09The Indian Ocean.
0:00:09 > 0:00:12Home to the world's most exotic islands.
0:00:14 > 0:00:16And beautiful and rare wildlife.
0:00:19 > 0:00:23I'm travelling through 16 countries around the edge of this vast ocean
0:00:23 > 0:00:27that stretches 6,000 miles from Africa to Australia.
0:00:29 > 0:00:34'Steeped in history, the Indian Ocean is vital to world trade.
0:00:36 > 0:00:38It's a journey of extremes.
0:00:38 > 0:00:40'From stunning islands...
0:00:40 > 0:00:43'..across pirate-infested seas...
0:00:43 > 0:00:45'..to remote villages..
0:00:50 > 0:00:52'..and war-torn lands.'
0:00:52 > 0:00:54What was that?
0:00:54 > 0:00:55RAPID GUNSHOTS
0:01:01 > 0:01:03CHILDREN LAUGH
0:01:04 > 0:01:08This is a journey about much more than what's under the waves.
0:01:09 > 0:01:13It's about the lives of the millions of people...
0:01:13 > 0:01:18..who live around this, one of our greatest oceans.
0:01:23 > 0:01:24On this leg of my journey,
0:01:24 > 0:01:27I'm travelling from the edge of Arabia to India,
0:01:27 > 0:01:29and on to the tropical islands of the Maldives.
0:01:33 > 0:01:35'On the way I experience the chaos
0:01:35 > 0:01:38'of one of the great Indian Ocean festivals.'
0:01:38 > 0:01:42Feels like the whole of Mumbai is out on the beach.
0:01:44 > 0:01:46Among beautiful coral reefs I discover
0:01:46 > 0:01:48what threatens the delicate balance of the underwater world.
0:01:48 > 0:01:53It's all dead, like a forest that's been logged.
0:01:56 > 0:01:59And on the high seas I go fishing the old-fashioned way.
0:02:00 > 0:02:01Yaaay!
0:02:01 > 0:02:03FISHERMAN: Nice catch! >
0:02:03 > 0:02:04- I caught it!- Yes!
0:02:04 > 0:02:07In the Indian Ocean, sustainably.
0:02:25 > 0:02:29I'm starting this part of my journey in a remote region of Oman.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32I'm next to the Strait of Hormuz,
0:02:32 > 0:02:37one of the most important entry points into the Indian Ocean.
0:02:37 > 0:02:39Giant super-tankers come through here
0:02:39 > 0:02:42carrying vast quantities of the world's oil,
0:02:42 > 0:02:46which makes this stretch of water one of the most vital on the planet.
0:02:49 > 0:02:53Middle Eastern oil literally fuels the industrialised world.
0:02:53 > 0:02:5840% of all seaborne oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz
0:02:58 > 0:02:59and into the Indian Ocean.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05The oil tankers pass the Musandam Peninsula,
0:03:05 > 0:03:09a strategically vital region of Oman.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13Oman was once a great power in the Indian Ocean.
0:03:13 > 0:03:17For centuries Omanis traded with India, Africa,
0:03:17 > 0:03:19and even the Far East.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22And that tradition lives on into the 21st century.
0:03:22 > 0:03:27In the town of Khasab, I met up with my Omani guide.
0:03:27 > 0:03:33I've met up with Bhada here, who's brought me down to the harbour...
0:03:33 > 0:03:35..to have a look out to sea.
0:03:37 > 0:03:39Hmm.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43Wow, look at the boats go.
0:03:43 > 0:03:44What would these boats be?
0:03:44 > 0:03:47- That's Iranian people.- Iranians?- Yes.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51- Heading across the water to Iran. - Exactly.
0:03:51 > 0:03:55And what do they do? They come over here trading?
0:03:55 > 0:03:58Yes. There is a business between Khasab and Iran.
0:03:59 > 0:04:04The business here is a multi-million pound operation.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07A combination of western sanctions against Iran and high import taxes
0:04:07 > 0:04:10has encouraged rampant smuggling between Oman and Iran.
0:04:12 > 0:04:17They take from here different stuff, like food, electronics, clothing.
0:04:17 > 0:04:19When you say electronics... Televisions?
0:04:19 > 0:04:23TV, radio, fridge, whatever.
0:04:23 > 0:04:27- Sometime they put the car in the boat.- No!
0:04:27 > 0:04:31- They put the car in the boat. - They're not slow, eh?- For sure not.
0:04:31 > 0:04:33Wow, they're like power boats. Look at them go.
0:04:35 > 0:04:42Two, four, six, eight, ten, twelve, thirteen, fourteen in one go.
0:04:42 > 0:04:45And more and more are coming out again.
0:04:45 > 0:04:47It is quite a staggering sight.
0:04:47 > 0:04:50'The smugglers weave their way across the Strait of Hormuz,
0:04:50 > 0:04:54'through the busy shipping lanes, dodging the Iranian Coastguard.'
0:04:54 > 0:04:57I don't imagine the Iranian authorities
0:04:57 > 0:05:00are particularly happy about that, are they?
0:05:00 > 0:05:02No, I don't think so.
0:05:04 > 0:05:08The speed they go at, the size of the boats...
0:05:08 > 0:05:13it does give a sense of a dangerous game being played.
0:05:14 > 0:05:18Sanctions were imposed on Iran because of its nuclear programme.
0:05:18 > 0:05:20But they're not working.
0:05:20 > 0:05:22Iran says it will block the Strait of Hormuz
0:05:22 > 0:05:24and halt global oil supplies
0:05:24 > 0:05:27if the West decides to launch attacks
0:05:27 > 0:05:29to prevent Iran getting nuclear weapons.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32The rising tensions have made the waters off the Musandam Peninsula
0:05:32 > 0:05:34one of the major global flashpoints.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37Bhada took me to explore the craggy inlets
0:05:37 > 0:05:41that scar the coast of this otherworldly area.
0:05:43 > 0:05:47Though it's fantastically remote, people do live here...
0:05:47 > 0:05:49on the edge of the rocky hills.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52We're on our way to a community to meet them.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01This place looks incredible!
0:06:01 > 0:06:03Just nestling under these rocky hills.
0:06:03 > 0:06:07Considering so much of the world's oil is passing by a few miles away,
0:06:07 > 0:06:11the Musandam Peninsula is marvellously pristine.
0:06:11 > 0:06:13Amid this arid moonscape,
0:06:13 > 0:06:17the village of Kumzar is only accessible by boat.
0:06:17 > 0:06:19PEOPLE CHANT, RHYTHMIC MUSIC PLAYS
0:06:25 > 0:06:28The Kumzaris, like most Omanis, are Muslims.
0:06:32 > 0:06:34But after hundreds of years of relative isolation,
0:06:34 > 0:06:37hey have their own unique culture.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41And they roll out the carpet for a foreign visitor.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52MEN CHANT IN UNISON
0:06:52 > 0:06:55I do love how...a journey like this,
0:06:55 > 0:06:58around the Indian ocean,
0:06:58 > 0:07:03can throw up such... incredibly different cultures.
0:07:03 > 0:07:07This is so staggeringly different
0:07:07 > 0:07:12from life in Mozambique, for example...
0:07:12 > 0:07:14earlier in the journey.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17And yet all these countries and communities
0:07:17 > 0:07:20are connected by being next to one of our great oceans.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28All around the Indian Ocean, people showed me great hospitality
0:07:28 > 0:07:32and the Kumzaris were no different.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35We bedded down for the night in the village hall.
0:07:40 > 0:07:42I'm absolutely shattered already.
0:07:42 > 0:07:44It's just the heat.
0:07:44 > 0:07:47It really... saps the energy out of you.
0:07:48 > 0:07:53It's going to be a long, hot, sweaty night.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03Living out here in isolation, on the edge of Arabia,
0:08:03 > 0:08:07the Kumzaris have developed their own language,
0:08:07 > 0:08:12containing elements of Persian but spoken nowhere else in the world.
0:08:12 > 0:08:16But centuries of trade HAVE brought outside influences
0:08:16 > 0:08:19and when I met Abdu Salaam, a village elder,
0:08:19 > 0:08:21some of the language proved surprisingly familiar.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23Different kind of language. >
0:08:23 > 0:08:25Even there is some words of English in it also.
0:08:25 > 0:08:28- Words in English, really? - There is English words.
0:08:28 > 0:08:30BHADA SPEAKS IN LOCAL LANGUAGE
0:08:30 > 0:08:32- Door.- In Kumzari?
0:08:32 > 0:08:36- "Door" is "door".- Door is door.
0:08:36 > 0:08:40Door and, er...star. Najim, Arabic, najim.
0:08:40 > 0:08:44So you would stay "star" for the stars
0:08:44 > 0:08:48and you would say najim in Arabic for stars.
0:08:48 > 0:08:51- Exactly.- We have...we are bonded. We are brothers! Star!
0:08:51 > 0:08:52LAUGHTER
0:08:58 > 0:09:01Can we ask, is this your fishing crew?
0:09:01 > 0:09:02Are these local people?
0:09:04 > 0:09:07TRANSLATION: Yes, my crew starts early in the morning,
0:09:07 > 0:09:10at around 5am, and keeps going until sunset.
0:09:11 > 0:09:15There's a person on the mountain whose job it is to watch the sea.
0:09:18 > 0:09:20Then he directs the others to the fish
0:09:20 > 0:09:23by telling them to move to the left or right or forward.
0:09:23 > 0:09:25So they can catch the fish.
0:09:29 > 0:09:31That is genius!
0:09:31 > 0:09:34So he's the sort of spotter, up there on the cliffs,
0:09:34 > 0:09:39and he says, "OK, now's the time. Get the net out and get them."
0:09:39 > 0:09:41Exactly. That's his job now, on the top there.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46That's your bit. Come on. I'll help you.
0:09:46 > 0:09:48- Bhada, pull harder!- And you!
0:09:48 > 0:09:52- I don't see you pulling. - I'm pulling, I'm pulling!
0:09:57 > 0:10:00Oh, right, I see. That's how it is, is it?
0:10:03 > 0:10:05(He's a tough taskmaster!)
0:10:05 > 0:10:09I want to know more about the benefits in this job.
0:10:09 > 0:10:11What are the holidays like?
0:10:18 > 0:10:21Looks to me like they've got a good catch.
0:10:21 > 0:10:25- Are you happy with that as a catch? - TRANSLATION:- Yes, thanks to God.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28You've got to take the whole scene in to appreciate
0:10:28 > 0:10:31how spectacular this is, really.
0:10:32 > 0:10:34On the edge of the Strait of Hormuz,
0:10:34 > 0:10:36there's a community here
0:10:36 > 0:10:38still pulling fish out of this bay
0:10:38 > 0:10:41in the way they have done for generations.
0:10:44 > 0:10:47There's no heavy industry polluting the sea here
0:10:47 > 0:10:50and no vast fishing fleet decimating fish stocks.
0:10:50 > 0:10:53The sea off Kumzar is plentiful
0:10:53 > 0:10:56and Oman is one of the most prosperous nations
0:10:56 > 0:10:58on my entire Indian Ocean journey.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03Goodbye and farewell. Thank you very much indeed.
0:11:05 > 0:11:09Thank you, thank you. You are very welcome in Kumzar.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13They might be isolated today but throughout history,
0:11:13 > 0:11:15sailors from this area
0:11:15 > 0:11:18used to trade around the coast of the Indian Ocean.
0:11:18 > 0:11:22Omani merchants used the monsoon winds to travel
0:11:22 > 0:11:24thousands of miles and trade between continents.
0:11:26 > 0:11:28I followed one of those ancient routes
0:11:28 > 0:11:30to the west coast of India
0:11:30 > 0:11:34and headed towards the biggest Indian Ocean city of all, Mumbai.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47It's only when you're at a festival like this
0:11:47 > 0:11:49that you really start to understand
0:11:49 > 0:11:52just how many people there are in this country.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00I'd arrived during one of the biggest festivals
0:12:00 > 0:12:02in the entire world -
0:12:02 > 0:12:07the annual birthday celebration for the elephant-headed god, Ganesh.
0:12:08 > 0:12:11For weeks and months before the festival,
0:12:11 > 0:12:14Hindu fans buy or make statues of the god
0:12:14 > 0:12:18before carrying them as part of a huge procession
0:12:18 > 0:12:20down to the Indian Ocean.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23All this is just a temporary installation,
0:12:23 > 0:12:27if you like, that will be taken down at the end of today.
0:12:27 > 0:12:29Wow!
0:12:33 > 0:12:35And this is Ganesh.
0:12:37 > 0:12:40Hindus believe that paying homage to Ganesh
0:12:40 > 0:12:43will remove obstacles to success
0:12:43 > 0:12:45and bring good fortune over the coming year.
0:12:48 > 0:12:51Vikas Vasudev would be my guide
0:12:51 > 0:12:54on this leg of my journey in western India.
0:12:54 > 0:12:57Ganesh is a visitor during these ten days.
0:12:57 > 0:12:59He visits the people of the Earth,
0:12:59 > 0:13:03and then the way you bid farewell to guests,
0:13:03 > 0:13:06you bid farewell to Ganesh, and you put him back in the Earth.
0:13:07 > 0:13:10This is the all-inclusive nature of this festival.
0:13:10 > 0:13:13This lady, who is just receiving a blessing,
0:13:13 > 0:13:17or giving a blessing there, she's Muslim - this is a Hindu god,
0:13:17 > 0:13:23but this festival brings everybody in the city and the country together.
0:13:25 > 0:13:27For the finale of the festival,
0:13:27 > 0:13:30even this huge Ganesh is carried through the streets towards the sea.
0:13:30 > 0:13:33THEY CHANT
0:13:37 > 0:13:39That is nothing short of miraculous.
0:13:39 > 0:13:43Ganesh is on the forklift truck and he's on the move!
0:13:46 > 0:13:50We joined the devotees, as hundreds of other Ganeshes
0:13:50 > 0:13:53flooded in from different parts of the city.
0:13:53 > 0:13:57All sorts of Ganeshes at this festival, from the big...
0:13:57 > 0:13:58to the small.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01DRUMS BEAT
0:14:01 > 0:14:05It's a traditional Indian festival, set to a very modern beat.
0:14:05 > 0:14:07THEY PLAY DRUMS AND CHANT
0:14:07 > 0:14:11It's totally surreal, being here.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14There's these gloriously dressed,
0:14:14 > 0:14:17elderly Indian ladies,
0:14:17 > 0:14:22following a giant wall of speakers...
0:14:22 > 0:14:26playing Ibizan house, with a slightly Indian twist.
0:14:26 > 0:14:30MUSIC PUMPS
0:14:31 > 0:14:34The monsoon winds made this city
0:14:34 > 0:14:37one of the great Indian Ocean trading ports.
0:14:37 > 0:14:38MAN SHOUTS, THEY CHEER
0:14:38 > 0:14:42And that same monsoon delivers this deluge.
0:14:45 > 0:14:47It's raining, it's getting a little bit dark.
0:14:47 > 0:14:49We're moving close to the sea now
0:14:49 > 0:14:51and the festival is really beginning.
0:15:00 > 0:15:03This is an absolutely extraordinary experience.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10It feels like the whole of Mumbai is out on the beach.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15They're starting to spray Ganesh with water over there,
0:15:15 > 0:15:18and then he's going to be immersed into the sea.
0:15:21 > 0:15:24The Ganesh is going into the sea.
0:15:24 > 0:15:25There he goes, into the water,
0:15:25 > 0:15:27to be immersed and return back to nature.
0:15:29 > 0:15:33Ganesh is the god of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36The festival is hugely popular with the millions of people
0:15:36 > 0:15:39who've flooded into this great city in recent years,
0:15:39 > 0:15:43fleeing rural poverty and seeking a better life.
0:15:43 > 0:15:47It's been a very long and magnificent, wonderful day.
0:15:47 > 0:15:52Ganesh is going into the sea until the early hours of the morning,
0:15:52 > 0:15:54but I think we're going to head off.
0:16:03 > 0:16:05It's colossal.
0:16:05 > 0:16:09I knew it was the biggest city in India, but it just seems to
0:16:09 > 0:16:13go on and on and on, like the size of a small country.
0:16:14 > 0:16:19Mumbai has become a great symbol of India's economic growth in recent years.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22It has some of the most expensive property in the world,
0:16:22 > 0:16:25as well as some of the largest slums.
0:16:25 > 0:16:28Like many people in Mumbai, Vikas is not a local.
0:16:30 > 0:16:32Why did you move here?
0:16:32 > 0:16:34Work, man. This is where the action is.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37- Was it a good decision? - I love the city,
0:16:37 > 0:16:39and at the same time, I hate it.
0:16:39 > 0:16:41It's the richest city in India,
0:16:41 > 0:16:45at the same time, it also has the most poor people.
0:16:45 > 0:16:50It has the largest slum in India, so it's just full of contradictions.
0:16:50 > 0:16:55In India, this is seen as the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow,
0:16:55 > 0:16:59isn't it? This is the place to come to, to make your fortune?
0:16:59 > 0:17:00Yes. Definitely.
0:17:00 > 0:17:03This has the biggest pot of gold and the biggest sewer.
0:17:03 > 0:17:05"The biggest pot of gold and the biggest sewer" -
0:17:05 > 0:17:07I need to remember that.
0:17:07 > 0:17:11India's population has more than doubled in the last 40 years.
0:17:11 > 0:17:16There are now at least 1.2 billion people in this country.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19This population explosion is having profound consequences.
0:17:20 > 0:17:21In just a short time,
0:17:21 > 0:17:26Mumbai has gone from being a small port to a mega-city.
0:17:26 > 0:17:29One of the original fishing communities here were the Kolis.
0:17:29 > 0:17:31This is incredible.
0:17:31 > 0:17:36I wondered how India's rapid changes were affecting them
0:17:36 > 0:17:39and the ocean that sustained them for generations.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43We're walking into near total darkness!
0:17:43 > 0:17:47We're down by the sea in a small fishing village that has become an urban warren.
0:17:47 > 0:17:50Are you sure this isn't into somebody's house?
0:17:52 > 0:17:54This is absolutely unbelievable.
0:17:54 > 0:17:58It's really overwhelming here, actually.
0:17:58 > 0:18:02I'm overwhelmed by the sights and senses.
0:18:02 > 0:18:04Bloody hell, look at this.
0:18:04 > 0:18:06The Koli have been fishermen for centuries,
0:18:06 > 0:18:09making a living from the Indian Ocean.
0:18:09 > 0:18:11Now they live down here on the beach,
0:18:11 > 0:18:14surrounded by pollution, muck and tower blocks of the big city.'
0:18:14 > 0:18:17- Namaste.- Namaste.- Simon, Amur.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23'Amur is a community leader.'
0:18:23 > 0:18:25How do we mend a fishing net?
0:18:25 > 0:18:30I'll sit there... or I'll sit next to you.
0:18:30 > 0:18:34OK. Through there...right...
0:18:39 > 0:18:42He's a good teacher.
0:18:42 > 0:18:45Can you tell me a little bit about the community you represent?
0:18:45 > 0:18:49- TRANSLATOR:- 'The Koli are the original inhabitants of Mumbai.
0:18:49 > 0:18:52'We are the fisherfolk.'
0:18:54 > 0:18:56What's the fishing like off here?
0:18:56 > 0:18:58This is a huge city.
0:18:58 > 0:19:00I imagine with all the ships and the pollution,
0:19:00 > 0:19:04the fish stocks must be declining, but is that the case?
0:19:04 > 0:19:07'It's difficult for us.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10'Before, we earned good money and our kids ate well.
0:19:10 > 0:19:15'But because of the lack of fish in the sea,
0:19:15 > 0:19:19our life has become difficult.'
0:19:19 > 0:19:24More people means more stomachs to feed. It means over-fishing and more pollution,
0:19:24 > 0:19:27and lack of fish is just one of the problems faced by the Koli.
0:19:27 > 0:19:31Property developers are now after their patch of seafront.
0:19:31 > 0:19:36You live on what looks to me like prime real estate,
0:19:36 > 0:19:41right next to high-rises and in a city of billionaires.
0:19:41 > 0:19:46'I want to stand up and show you this village of ours.'
0:19:46 > 0:19:48Excuse me.
0:19:50 > 0:19:53'There are no toilets or running water here.
0:19:53 > 0:19:57'The high rises have all the facilities.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00'All THEIR needs are met.
0:20:00 > 0:20:02'But no-one listens to us.'
0:20:05 > 0:20:10The Koli people believe they are being deliberately denied basic amenities,
0:20:10 > 0:20:13so they'll have no choice but to move away from the seafront.
0:20:15 > 0:20:21It does feel a little bit to me as though your whole way of life
0:20:21 > 0:20:25is being threatened, because the fish stocks on which you rely are dwindling,
0:20:25 > 0:20:32and you're being squeezed out by the developers who want your land.
0:20:32 > 0:20:34Does the community here feel under threat?
0:20:34 > 0:20:40'You know, everybody wants a piece of this seafront location.
0:20:40 > 0:20:45'But the sea is our God. We make a living from the sea.
0:20:45 > 0:20:50'It feeds our children. So whatever happens, we're not leaving.
0:20:50 > 0:20:52'We'll stay here, come what may.'
0:20:54 > 0:20:57It's perhaps inevitable that a fishing community like the Kolis
0:20:57 > 0:20:58will struggle to survive
0:20:58 > 0:21:02in the polluted waters off a growing mega-city,
0:21:02 > 0:21:05but as this extraordinary country continues to develop and industrialise,
0:21:05 > 0:21:08the impact of India's increasing population
0:21:08 > 0:21:11is being felt all around the Indian Ocean.
0:21:16 > 0:21:21Nearly 200 million people have been added to India's population
0:21:21 > 0:21:25in the past decade. To understand the consequences for the ocean,
0:21:25 > 0:21:29Vikas and I headed to his home state of Gujarat.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32Along the way, I had a fascinating reminder of the connections
0:21:32 > 0:21:35that have linked countries around the Indian Ocean
0:21:35 > 0:21:36for hundreds of years.
0:21:38 > 0:21:42Incredible, we just stopped to help a rickshaw that's got some kind of problem,
0:21:42 > 0:21:45and it's loaded with what appears to be black Africans -
0:21:45 > 0:21:49We're driving through rural India!
0:21:52 > 0:21:54These are the Siddi people,
0:21:54 > 0:21:57the descendants of black Africans who live in communities
0:21:57 > 0:22:00close to the coast in this area and across India.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06Vikas and I went to meet a local leader.
0:22:06 > 0:22:07Meet Simon.
0:22:07 > 0:22:09- Namaste!- Namaste.
0:22:11 > 0:22:12Very nice to meet you, sir.
0:22:12 > 0:22:16Who are the Siddis? Who are the Siddi people?
0:22:16 > 0:22:22- TRANSLATOR:- 'The Siddis are descended from Africans who came to India.
0:22:22 > 0:22:25'The Muslim princes brought us here from Africa.
0:22:25 > 0:22:27'We have been in Gujarat for 600 years.
0:22:32 > 0:22:34'They were brought here as slaves.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37'They were brought here to work...
0:22:38 > 0:22:41'..because the Siddis are hard-working people.'
0:22:46 > 0:22:48Hello, ladies, namaste!
0:22:49 > 0:22:53African ladies, wearing saris.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56The movement of Africans to India has been little studied,
0:22:56 > 0:23:00but over centuries, the Siddis have found their own place in Indian society.
0:23:00 > 0:23:05Mohammad is saying the communities live very harmoniously,
0:23:05 > 0:23:10and that's pretty unusual, frankly, in this country, which has suffered
0:23:10 > 0:23:16such caste and communal and religious conflicts over the generations.
0:23:16 > 0:23:21It's quite wonderful to hear him saying, "No, we get along fine!"
0:23:25 > 0:23:27Oh, that's the cutest scene!
0:23:27 > 0:23:32'Mohammed took us to a local school, which was full of Siddi children.'
0:23:32 > 0:23:35Namaste. Assalamu alaikum!
0:23:35 > 0:23:40Do any of you know where Africa is? Could any of you come and point to where Africa is on the map?
0:23:40 > 0:23:42Come on, mate.
0:23:46 > 0:23:48Yay!
0:23:48 > 0:23:50SIMON LAUGHS
0:23:50 > 0:23:52Clap, everybody, come on!
0:23:52 > 0:23:56'The children are kept in touch with their history.'
0:23:56 > 0:24:00- TRANSLATION:- 'After they came here as slaves,
0:24:00 > 0:24:04'they were soon recognised as being very hard-working.
0:24:04 > 0:24:06'They were particularly good at working with wood.
0:24:06 > 0:24:09'They were spread right across India,
0:24:09 > 0:24:11'but because of their skills in carpentry,
0:24:11 > 0:24:13'they were brought to Gujarat.
0:24:13 > 0:24:15'They came to Gujarat in 1411,
0:24:15 > 0:24:18'so before 1411, we don't know much.'
0:24:19 > 0:24:24Merchants were trading huge distances across the Indian Ocean,
0:24:24 > 0:24:29centuries before the Atlantic was explored and Columbus reached America.
0:24:29 > 0:24:32They weren't all just slaves, as well.
0:24:32 > 0:24:38So many Africans came as sailors, as merchants, as traders,
0:24:38 > 0:24:42as soldiers, as warriors, to India.
0:24:42 > 0:24:45It's still hardly known about in India itself.
0:24:45 > 0:24:50But this is all about people travelling across the Indian Ocean.
0:24:50 > 0:24:54The ancestors of these little children here
0:24:54 > 0:24:58were blown across the Indian Ocean by the monsoon winds...
0:24:58 > 0:25:00many, many years ago.
0:25:03 > 0:25:07Some experts think millions of Africans travelled to India.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10Many were slaves, but they also came as merchants and warriors.
0:25:10 > 0:25:15There's even believed to have been an African king in central India.
0:25:15 > 0:25:18All around the Indian Ocean, cultures have mingled.
0:25:18 > 0:25:21Sometimes people travelled willingly,
0:25:21 > 0:25:25sometimes they were forced. The ancestors of the villagers here may well been traded
0:25:25 > 0:25:28through the East African slave market I visited in Zanzibar
0:25:28 > 0:25:31on the first leg of my Indian Ocean journey.
0:25:31 > 0:25:33THEY PLAY MUSIC
0:25:36 > 0:25:40MEN BEAT DRUMS
0:25:43 > 0:25:46Centuries have passed since their ancestors arrived,
0:25:46 > 0:25:50but the Siddis still perform dances with African roots.
0:25:50 > 0:25:53This group appears at temples for money.
0:25:53 > 0:25:56MUSIC CONTINUES
0:26:27 > 0:26:32'We travelled on through Vikas' home state, Gujarat, towards the coast.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35I don't like driving at night in India
0:26:35 > 0:26:38because you never know what you're going to find.
0:26:38 > 0:26:41Now, we've got a dangerous obstruction in the road.
0:26:42 > 0:26:44Holy cows!
0:26:44 > 0:26:46How are we going to move the cows?
0:26:49 > 0:26:51Oh, a gentle tap.
0:26:51 > 0:26:53Come on!
0:26:53 > 0:26:55Convoy moving.
0:26:58 > 0:27:00You look a bit tougher.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03Would you mind moving just out of the way?
0:27:03 > 0:27:06Would you mind just moving to one side? We've had quite a long day.
0:27:06 > 0:27:09Would you just mind moving, please?
0:27:09 > 0:27:11Could you help us, city boy?
0:27:13 > 0:27:15He doesn't want to move.
0:27:16 > 0:27:18Whoa.
0:27:20 > 0:27:22The most vital bit of work we've done.
0:27:40 > 0:27:41Oh, my God!
0:27:43 > 0:27:46What a sight.
0:27:47 > 0:27:49Vikas had brought me to Veraval,
0:27:49 > 0:27:51just one of the hundreds of huge fishing ports
0:27:51 > 0:27:54that now dot the coast of India.
0:27:55 > 0:27:58I have never seen anything quite like this.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04It's the biggest fishing port in India,
0:28:04 > 0:28:07and I think it's probably the port in India with the most flags.
0:28:07 > 0:28:11Every trawler is just completely bedecked with flags
0:28:11 > 0:28:13as far as the eye can see.
0:28:13 > 0:28:19There are hundreds, there must be thousands, of fishing boats here.
0:28:19 > 0:28:23There are 4,000 trawlers based here at Veraval.
0:28:23 > 0:28:24On my journey,
0:28:24 > 0:28:27I'd already seen the impact of overfishing on the Indian Ocean.
0:28:27 > 0:28:30This was the first time I'd seen an entire fishing fleet.
0:28:30 > 0:28:33All the boats were moored up,
0:28:33 > 0:28:35waiting for the end of the monsoon season.
0:28:35 > 0:28:39Why don't we see if we can get on this boat? They're waving at us.
0:28:39 > 0:28:40Oh, man.
0:28:42 > 0:28:48A bit of poo there. Afternoon, gentleman! Can we come aboard?
0:28:49 > 0:28:51Several million tonnes of fish
0:28:51 > 0:28:54are landed at ports along the coast of India each year.
0:28:54 > 0:28:57Can there be any doubt this is having a massive impact on fish
0:28:57 > 0:29:00and marine life in the Indian Ocean?
0:29:00 > 0:29:01THEY SHRIEK
0:29:03 > 0:29:05Oh, man, we're going to go into the water.
0:29:05 > 0:29:11It's the world's most polluted water. Save yourself, Vikas! Quick!
0:29:16 > 0:29:19'If anyone could tell me about the health of Indian Ocean fish stocks,
0:29:19 > 0:29:22'it was a Veraval skipper.'
0:29:22 > 0:29:25Is it becoming harder to fish the waters off here
0:29:25 > 0:29:27because of the number of boats?
0:29:29 > 0:29:32TRANSLATION: Yes, the fishing has become very difficult.
0:29:32 > 0:29:35The number of fishing boats has been increased,
0:29:35 > 0:29:38and that's what makes it difficult.
0:29:38 > 0:29:42Because of this, we have to go quite far out to fish. 400-500 kilometres.
0:29:44 > 0:29:46500 kilometres?
0:29:46 > 0:29:49That's the distance you're having to travel out into the ocean?
0:29:49 > 0:29:51That's incredible.
0:29:51 > 0:29:56Do you think we might be destroying fish stocks in our seas -
0:29:56 > 0:29:59is this what you are seeing?
0:29:59 > 0:30:02TRANSLATION: Every year we are catching less fish.
0:30:04 > 0:30:07So every year, fish stocks are reducing.
0:30:09 > 0:30:12It could be that this season will be very bad for us.
0:30:16 > 0:30:19On my journey, conservationists had already warned me
0:30:19 > 0:30:21we're fishing our oceans to death.
0:30:21 > 0:30:24But despite the collapsing fish numbers,
0:30:24 > 0:30:26they're still building more boats here.
0:30:26 > 0:30:29In fact, the fishing industry is subsidised by the Indian government.
0:30:29 > 0:30:35Colossal fishing fleets like this are wiping out the fish in our seas.
0:30:35 > 0:30:38It's devastating to learn about,
0:30:38 > 0:30:42to be told about it - not just by scientists, but by the captain
0:30:42 > 0:30:47of a fishing boat who says he's seeing his catch diminishing.
0:30:47 > 0:30:51He's worried the fish are being wiped out - he's worried,
0:30:51 > 0:30:54I'm worried, we all, in my view, should be worried.
0:30:54 > 0:30:55This might look beautiful,
0:30:55 > 0:31:00but what this sight really is is the destruction of our oceans.
0:31:01 > 0:31:03Ultimately, it's up to governments to reduce
0:31:03 > 0:31:08the impact of the world's growing population on the environment.
0:31:08 > 0:31:11Politicians have to take a long-term view and protect our seas.
0:31:16 > 0:31:20I left India and headed south-west towards the coral island paradise
0:31:20 > 0:31:21widely seen as a barometer
0:31:21 > 0:31:25of the health of the world's oceans - the Maldives.
0:31:35 > 0:31:38I can see literally dozens of tiny little islands
0:31:38 > 0:31:42strewn across a perfectly flat sea.
0:31:42 > 0:31:43Almost like little emeralds.
0:31:48 > 0:31:49This is definitely a contender
0:31:49 > 0:31:52for the most beautiful sight in the world.
0:31:52 > 0:31:54The 1,200 islands which make up the Maldives are scattered
0:31:54 > 0:31:58over 35,000 square miles.
0:32:01 > 0:32:05Every year, hundreds of thousands of tourists fly in for a unique
0:32:05 > 0:32:08Indian Ocean experience.
0:32:13 > 0:32:14What a way to travel.
0:32:16 > 0:32:21Look at this. Paradise. We've landed in paradise.
0:32:23 > 0:32:27The Maldives specialises in high-end and high-cost tourism.
0:32:31 > 0:32:34This hotel was keen to show off its luxury suites.
0:32:39 > 0:32:41I know what you're thinking.
0:32:41 > 0:32:45Honest to God, we don't stay in many places like this.
0:32:47 > 0:32:50This is a deluxe beach villa.
0:32:50 > 0:32:53- Is this all for me?! - This is all for you.
0:32:57 > 0:32:59What's this?
0:33:08 > 0:33:11I've got my own swimming pool!
0:33:11 > 0:33:14This is what people come to the Maldives for.
0:33:15 > 0:33:18And, to be honest, I can really see the attraction.
0:33:24 > 0:33:28Apart from how posh it is here, the thing that really strikes me
0:33:28 > 0:33:31is just how flat the Maldives is.
0:33:31 > 0:33:35The highest point on these islands is only about here above my head.
0:33:36 > 0:33:40So Maldivians say they're very keen on environmental issues,
0:33:40 > 0:33:43because they're aware of what could happen to them
0:33:43 > 0:33:45from things like rising sea levels.
0:33:46 > 0:33:49It also means they're very connected to the ocean.
0:33:53 > 0:33:57And in this luxury resort, you can even have a meal under the sea.
0:33:59 > 0:34:00What is this?
0:34:02 > 0:34:05This is an underwater restaurant.
0:34:05 > 0:34:07HE GASPS
0:34:09 > 0:34:11It's like we're in an aquarium.
0:34:11 > 0:34:14'My guide to the Maldives was Marie Celine,
0:34:14 > 0:34:18'an expert in the environmental issues facing these islands.'
0:34:19 > 0:34:21So, how do you describe yourself?
0:34:21 > 0:34:24You're a scientist, a conservationist,
0:34:24 > 0:34:25coral reef specialist?
0:34:25 > 0:34:27I would call myself a preservationist now.
0:34:27 > 0:34:30We do rely on coral reefs here in the Maldives, in the sense that
0:34:30 > 0:34:34our whole livelihoods depend on it, and our survival.
0:34:34 > 0:34:38- Tourism is that important to the Maldives?- Yes, it is.
0:34:38 > 0:34:42Tourism and fisheries, which are boats connected to the reefs.
0:34:42 > 0:34:46The entire Maldives archipelago is made up of coral islands,
0:34:46 > 0:34:50one of the most extensive reef systems in the world.
0:34:50 > 0:34:53Marie runs a unique coral conservation project,
0:34:53 > 0:34:56and offered to take me there on her boat.
0:34:56 > 0:34:58Hello, gentlemen.
0:35:04 > 0:35:06Let's set off.
0:35:13 > 0:35:18- Where are we and where are we going to?- You see that?
0:35:18 > 0:35:20We are somewhere around here.
0:35:20 > 0:35:26So we're moving up and then we'll cross this big channel here.
0:35:26 > 0:35:30How long is it going to take us, given that it's already very dark?
0:35:30 > 0:35:32- We're trying to get there by sunrise.- OK.
0:35:32 > 0:35:38- So that you will see the beauty of the atoll.- Tomorrow morning.- Yes.
0:35:59 > 0:36:02The sort of sky that Turner painted.
0:36:02 > 0:36:05To be greeted by a dawn like this is...
0:36:09 > 0:36:12A tonic, is what it is. A tonic.
0:36:13 > 0:36:16We'd reached an area called the Baa Atoll.
0:36:16 > 0:36:19It's a UNESCO biosphere reserve
0:36:19 > 0:36:23because of the fantastic diversity of marine life underwater.
0:36:31 > 0:36:33It's also a truly stunning sight.
0:36:35 > 0:36:39Although they make up less than 1% of the global marine environment,
0:36:39 > 0:36:42coral reefs around the planet provide food
0:36:42 > 0:36:46and shelter for more than 25% of all marine species.
0:36:50 > 0:36:54These awesome coral structures are made by tiny animals called polyps.
0:36:56 > 0:36:59Reefs are a crucial habitat for hundreds of unique fish
0:36:59 > 0:37:01and marine invertebrates.
0:37:04 > 0:37:06They are also a nursery for many young fish
0:37:06 > 0:37:08from the rest of the ocean.
0:37:15 > 0:37:17It is amazing down there.
0:37:19 > 0:37:20I mean, the colours of the coral
0:37:20 > 0:37:23are like the colours on a paint chart, really.
0:37:26 > 0:37:31And the size of the coral reefs, just from these tiny little corals
0:37:31 > 0:37:35the size of my small finger right up to great dining tables of coral.
0:37:36 > 0:37:40Amazing. It's an amazing place to visit.
0:37:44 > 0:37:47Coral has created this stunning seascape.
0:37:48 > 0:37:51The reefs form protective barriers around the islands,
0:37:51 > 0:37:54creating atolls with stunning turquoise lagoons.
0:37:55 > 0:37:58This is the Indian Ocean at its most glorious.
0:38:00 > 0:38:03I had a poster on my wall when I was a kid
0:38:03 > 0:38:05growing up in London.
0:38:05 > 0:38:09A poster of a tropical island. And this...This looks like it.
0:38:11 > 0:38:13It's just staggering.
0:38:16 > 0:38:18Climate change threatens to raise sea levels,
0:38:18 > 0:38:21which could put the Maldives underwater.
0:38:25 > 0:38:27But scientists fear it is also causing
0:38:27 > 0:38:29the temperature of the sea to rise.
0:38:35 > 0:38:36That's a catastrophe for coral
0:38:36 > 0:38:39because both here and around the world,
0:38:39 > 0:38:42coral reefs are incredibly vulnerable to change.
0:38:47 > 0:38:51- Wow.- That's a nice piece of coral. - Why is this coral white?
0:38:51 > 0:38:55When the temperature rises even one centigrade above the usual
0:38:55 > 0:39:01average, and stays like that for a while, the coral polyps get upset.
0:39:01 > 0:39:04Then it dies and this is what becomes of the coral.
0:39:04 > 0:39:08We're not talking about the temperature plummeting to freezing
0:39:08 > 0:39:12- or rocketing to boiling, are we? - No, not at all. A slight change.
0:39:12 > 0:39:14In what ways is the coral reef
0:39:14 > 0:39:17so important to people here in the Maldives?
0:39:17 > 0:39:20The coral reef keeps the rest of the ecosystems in balance.
0:39:20 > 0:39:22They are like the rainforests.
0:39:22 > 0:39:24And like many of our great rainforests,
0:39:24 > 0:39:27coral reefs around the world are now being devastated.
0:39:27 > 0:39:32There's reef just over here, maybe only 20 metres away from us,
0:39:32 > 0:39:36which Marie was saying was vibrant and healthy just 18 months ago.
0:39:43 > 0:39:46Sea temperatures are now at an all-time high.
0:39:46 > 0:39:50Around the world, coral reefs are dying at an unprecedented rate.
0:39:50 > 0:39:52It's called coral bleaching.
0:39:54 > 0:39:58Coral is also threatened by pollution and fishing.
0:39:58 > 0:40:01Even here in paradise,
0:40:01 > 0:40:03a great swathe of reef was a barren wasteland.
0:40:15 > 0:40:19It's all dead. It really is all dead.
0:40:21 > 0:40:25It's a devastated, and a devastating site as well.
0:40:27 > 0:40:29Like a forest that's been logged.
0:40:32 > 0:40:34The figures are really frightening.
0:40:34 > 0:40:39Three quarters of the world 's coral reefs are now at risk
0:40:39 > 0:40:42of a severe decline because of climate change,
0:40:42 > 0:40:46because of pollution, and because of overfishing.
0:40:46 > 0:40:49And if we lose them, which is possible - some scientists think we could lose coral reefs
0:40:49 > 0:40:53within a single generation - we're not just losing something that's
0:40:53 > 0:40:57pretty for tourists to come and look at, we're losing an absolutely
0:40:57 > 0:41:02fundamental part of our seas, of our oceans, of the marine environment.
0:41:04 > 0:41:08Marie has started a groundbreaking coral regeneration project
0:41:08 > 0:41:11to try to stem the tide of destruction.
0:41:12 > 0:41:16You sure you know the way? Goodness.
0:41:19 > 0:41:24The salvation of the coral... starts here, does it?
0:41:25 > 0:41:29The team here are welding hundreds of special frames
0:41:29 > 0:41:32to literally build new coral reef.
0:41:35 > 0:41:37Do you think I could have a go?
0:41:42 > 0:41:47I love the idea that this is actually going to be used
0:41:47 > 0:41:48to save coral!
0:41:49 > 0:41:53I don't think he's very impressed with my work.
0:41:53 > 0:41:55Happy with that?
0:41:57 > 0:42:00- You got in eight out of ten! - Eight?! Thank you, sir!
0:42:00 > 0:42:02You must have been bribing him!
0:42:02 > 0:42:06How dare you? This was natural welding skill, I'll have you know!
0:42:06 > 0:42:10'The frames are given a rustproof coating.
0:42:10 > 0:42:14'Then carefully selected live coral cuttings are attached.
0:42:14 > 0:42:16'Marie's husband, Tom, showed me how to do it.'
0:42:16 > 0:42:20I was expecting it to be more complicated.
0:42:20 > 0:42:24You're basically just attaching the coral with cable ties.
0:42:24 > 0:42:28- Yes, basically, that is what it is.- Fantastic.
0:42:28 > 0:42:31'Over time, this will grow into a new reef.'
0:42:33 > 0:42:38How many of these frames have you put into the water so far?
0:42:38 > 0:42:42- Over 1,000 structures. - More than 1,000?- Yes.
0:42:42 > 0:42:46'This project is run at a resort and largely funded by tourists.
0:42:46 > 0:42:49'People who contribute get to have their own name on the reef.'
0:42:56 > 0:43:00We're in a bit of a rush now because this is a live coral
0:43:00 > 0:43:03and it's out of the water. We need to get it back into the sea.
0:43:12 > 0:43:15This innovative project has been a huge success.
0:43:15 > 0:43:18Marie and Tom's reefs are flourishing
0:43:18 > 0:43:22and the technique is being used elsewhere in the Maldives
0:43:22 > 0:43:25and around the world to help save and regenerate endangered coral.
0:43:33 > 0:43:38There's more to the Maldives than just tourism.
0:43:38 > 0:43:40More than 300,000 people live here
0:43:40 > 0:43:43and half the workforce are employed in the fishing industry.
0:43:45 > 0:43:47This is the locals' fish market?
0:43:47 > 0:43:52Yes, it's where the local boats bring their catch.
0:43:58 > 0:44:03They must have had a load just come in.
0:44:03 > 0:44:05'The main catch here is tuna.
0:44:05 > 0:44:08'Some is eaten locally, but much of this is exported to the UK.'
0:44:10 > 0:44:12Does this look familiar?
0:44:12 > 0:44:15That is some yellowfin.
0:44:15 > 0:44:21- This is yellowfin tuna?- Little... They're tiny.- Baby yellowfin.
0:44:21 > 0:44:24'Tuna is one of the main fish taken from our seas.
0:44:24 > 0:44:29'In the Indian Ocean alone, it is a multibillion pound industry.'
0:44:29 > 0:44:33Skipper, can I ask, how long have you been fishing?
0:44:33 > 0:44:35TRANSLATION: 33 years.
0:44:35 > 0:44:37How has the fishing changed
0:44:37 > 0:44:40in the three decades that you have been fishing?
0:44:40 > 0:44:44TRANSLATION: Before, we used to get big fish.
0:44:44 > 0:44:47Nowadays, we get very small fish.
0:44:47 > 0:44:49These are the fish left
0:44:49 > 0:44:51after the big boats have caught the fish in the nets.
0:44:51 > 0:44:58Ten years ago, they started using big nets to catch large amounts of fish.
0:44:58 > 0:45:01That's when the changes started.
0:45:03 > 0:45:06After overfishing our other oceans, in the last ten years
0:45:06 > 0:45:09the giant industrial trawling fleets from Europe and Asia
0:45:09 > 0:45:13have begun targeting the Indian Ocean with vast nets
0:45:13 > 0:45:15that scoop up entire shoals of tuna.
0:45:16 > 0:45:23Do you ever see the giant fishing trawlers with the really big nets?
0:45:23 > 0:45:25Do you ever see them when you're out at sea?
0:45:25 > 0:45:29TRANSLATION: We do see those boats.
0:45:29 > 0:45:32Mostly we see the nets which are left after fishing,
0:45:32 > 0:45:34which we see drifting in the sea.
0:45:34 > 0:45:37They're so huge, they can weigh tonnes.
0:45:41 > 0:45:45Here, they don't fish using those obscenely big nets.
0:45:45 > 0:45:49They fish in a much more traditional, sustainable way.
0:45:49 > 0:45:52Tomorrow, I'll get up at the crack of dawn and head out on a boat
0:45:52 > 0:45:55and see how they do it.
0:46:00 > 0:46:05Fishermen in the Maldives have pioneered sustainable tuna fishing.
0:46:05 > 0:46:08But out of sight over the horizon, huge foreign trawlers
0:46:08 > 0:46:10pull hundreds of thousands of tonnes of fish
0:46:10 > 0:46:12from the Indian Ocean.
0:46:14 > 0:46:16Yasir Wahid has witnessed the industrial nature
0:46:16 > 0:46:18of their trawling operation.
0:46:20 > 0:46:23It's quite hard for people to get a sense of the scale
0:46:23 > 0:46:27of the fishing nets used by the big industrial trawlers.
0:46:27 > 0:46:30Can you try to describe to us how big they are?
0:46:30 > 0:46:36Six of them could even cover the entire Maldives archipelago.
0:46:36 > 0:46:38- If you square the islands...- Wow!
0:46:38 > 0:46:40Yes, to the area.
0:46:40 > 0:46:44They would be able to spread their nets all over our archipelago.
0:46:44 > 0:46:45- Around the country?- Yes.
0:46:45 > 0:46:48'Using nets more than seven miles long, the foreign trawlers
0:46:48 > 0:46:51'indiscriminately scoop up marine life,
0:46:51 > 0:46:54'including huge quantities of fish they cannot sell
0:46:54 > 0:46:57'and dolphins and turtles.
0:46:57 > 0:47:00'Often this unwanted bycatch, as it is called,
0:47:00 > 0:47:02'is just dumped back into the sea, dead.'
0:47:02 > 0:47:07Every bit of life that was in that part of the sea will be taken out
0:47:07 > 0:47:08and put into a boat.
0:47:08 > 0:47:11It's an incredibly destructive form of fishing
0:47:11 > 0:47:15and I think it's contributing to killing life in our oceans.
0:47:15 > 0:47:18The method used by these Maldivian fishermen
0:47:18 > 0:47:20could not be more different.
0:47:21 > 0:47:24First step is to try to spot the tiny fish
0:47:24 > 0:47:26they use as bait for the tuna.
0:47:29 > 0:47:31They've seen bait.
0:47:31 > 0:47:34He's given the signal and now they want to get the nets in,
0:47:34 > 0:47:38catch the bait... Oh, it's all go!
0:47:38 > 0:47:42MAN SINGS
0:47:44 > 0:47:47Let's get the net in.
0:47:51 > 0:47:55The fishermen surround a small shoal of live bait
0:47:55 > 0:47:57and haul it to the surface.
0:48:11 > 0:48:14This here, fishing like this, they use everything.
0:48:14 > 0:48:17And they don't end up with dolphins in the net.
0:48:20 > 0:48:23In they go, thousands and thousands of them.
0:48:26 > 0:48:30- Is that a good haul? Are they happy with this?- Yes.
0:48:32 > 0:48:36With the bait in the boat, all eyes were peeled for signs of tuna.
0:48:39 > 0:48:42They're getting ready, they've seen some activity in the water.
0:48:42 > 0:48:47We might be about to start fishing. Tuna? Here we go.
0:48:47 > 0:48:49The live bait goes in and the tuna start flying out.
0:48:49 > 0:48:52- Be careful.- Wow!
0:48:55 > 0:48:59This is pole and line tuna fishing. It's fast and furious.
0:49:01 > 0:49:03Blinking heck!
0:49:03 > 0:49:06It's a skipjack!
0:49:07 > 0:49:09A skipjack!
0:49:09 > 0:49:14This is a skipjack tuna that Yasir has just caught.
0:49:14 > 0:49:18This is what we eat masses of in tins, in the UK.
0:49:18 > 0:49:22So much of it comes from here in the Indian Ocean.
0:49:22 > 0:49:26Catching fish like this leaves most of the shoal alive
0:49:26 > 0:49:29so they can reproduce - they're not annihilated.
0:49:29 > 0:49:32Tuna caught this way is now available in Britain.
0:49:32 > 0:49:34It's sold as pole and line tuna but it costs just a little more
0:49:34 > 0:49:37than tuna caught by the industrial fishing fleets.
0:49:37 > 0:49:40I haven't caught a single one yet.
0:49:43 > 0:49:45Yeah! Here's a big one.
0:49:45 > 0:49:51- How many have you got now? - Ten.- Ten? Ten?!
0:49:51 > 0:49:56- Yes!- This is why we need to pay a premium for this fish,
0:49:56 > 0:49:58it's bloody impossible to catch!
0:49:58 > 0:50:02Come on!
0:50:02 > 0:50:04Yes! I caught a tuna!
0:50:04 > 0:50:09- In the Indian Ocean! - Sustainably! Pole and line!
0:50:09 > 0:50:14Sustainably! You are so right!
0:50:14 > 0:50:16Oh, I feel like a proper fisherman.
0:50:16 > 0:50:20You've got to believe in fishing sustainably.
0:50:20 > 0:50:23We have to fish sustainably,
0:50:23 > 0:50:27otherwise we're going to wipe out life in our oceans.
0:50:27 > 0:50:30Fishing this way means that there's very little bycatch.
0:50:30 > 0:50:32There's very little wasted fish,
0:50:32 > 0:50:36and we're not pulling dolphins or turtles out of the water.
0:50:38 > 0:50:41The Maldives is in many ways a unique country.
0:50:41 > 0:50:45They've pioneered eco-friendly tourism
0:50:45 > 0:50:47as well as sustainable fishing.
0:50:47 > 0:50:49But there are contradictions here.
0:50:49 > 0:50:51Despite concerns about climate change,
0:50:51 > 0:50:55the only way tourists can get here is on long-haul flights
0:50:55 > 0:50:58with a huge carbon footprint.
0:50:58 > 0:51:00And of course, tourism has other by-products.
0:51:03 > 0:51:06It's easy to forget that these are populated islands,
0:51:06 > 0:51:09with lots of tourists as well.
0:51:09 > 0:51:11They produce a lot of muck.
0:51:11 > 0:51:19This is really behind the scenes in the Maldives, eh? Oh, my God.
0:51:19 > 0:51:24What a sight! There's a stinking smoke hanging in the air.
0:51:26 > 0:51:33It's actually cascading off the edge there into the water.
0:51:34 > 0:51:37My God.
0:51:37 > 0:51:40There's flies everywhere.
0:51:40 > 0:51:43Are you OK? I don't know if we can get through here.
0:51:47 > 0:51:50This is where the Maldives dumps its rubbish.
0:51:51 > 0:51:57Just 20 years ago, this was another unspoiled coral island.
0:52:01 > 0:52:03Bloody hell!
0:52:05 > 0:52:07The stink, and the dust!
0:52:09 > 0:52:13'Since then, up to 300 tonnes of waste every day
0:52:13 > 0:52:16'has been shipped here.'
0:52:16 > 0:52:18I just swallowed another bloody fly,
0:52:18 > 0:52:21there are so many around here.
0:52:21 > 0:52:25- Look at this!- Oil drums.
0:52:26 > 0:52:28This is quite a gobsmacking sight.
0:52:30 > 0:52:32These drums here are rupturing and leaking.
0:52:32 > 0:52:35Do you think the toxins will hit the sea?
0:52:35 > 0:52:40I think so, because it is quite porous, the sand,
0:52:40 > 0:52:44here in the Maldives, so then it would seep into the sea from here.
0:52:44 > 0:52:45It's not very far.
0:52:45 > 0:52:49You can just about make out the water there,
0:52:49 > 0:52:52through the haze from the burning of the rubbish
0:52:52 > 0:52:55which appears to be going on.
0:53:00 > 0:53:01FLIES BUZZ
0:53:03 > 0:53:05It's sort of apocalyptic here.
0:53:08 > 0:53:10I don't mind the dust, natural dust, at all.
0:53:10 > 0:53:12But the smoke that is coming off here,
0:53:12 > 0:53:18and the dust that's being blown up is really toxic.
0:53:21 > 0:53:23Bloody hell!
0:53:28 > 0:53:33The scenes here are gobsmacking. Gobsmacking.
0:53:33 > 0:53:35Really upsetting as well.
0:53:35 > 0:53:39More flies than I have ever seen anywhere in the world.
0:53:44 > 0:53:46This is a poisoned environment.
0:53:47 > 0:53:50It shouldn't be happening anywhere, least of all here.
0:53:54 > 0:53:58This feels about as far removed from my images of the Maldives
0:53:58 > 0:54:01as I think it's possible to get.
0:54:01 > 0:54:04For all of us, it is. Even for the Maldivian, this is not real.
0:54:06 > 0:54:09- You don't often see this. - No, we don't. We don't.
0:54:09 > 0:54:12On the islands, you see little heaps that are being burned,
0:54:12 > 0:54:14but not at this scale.
0:54:15 > 0:54:18You've got such a fabulous environment
0:54:18 > 0:54:24and you've got such an amazing patch of Planet Earth.
0:54:25 > 0:54:29It's desperately sad to see this bit of it being poisoned like this.
0:54:29 > 0:54:33It is. But at the moment, this is the only solution,
0:54:33 > 0:54:36just dumping it here and burning it.
0:54:36 > 0:54:39We need to find proper solutions to manage the waste.
0:54:39 > 0:54:42For me, this is not waste management,
0:54:42 > 0:54:43this is just dumping and burning.
0:54:46 > 0:54:49Yeah, I have to admire the Maldives as well,
0:54:49 > 0:54:53because we're not being stopped from being here.
0:54:53 > 0:54:57For a country that depends so heavily on tourism,
0:54:57 > 0:55:01there hasn't been any attempt to muzzle us,
0:55:01 > 0:55:04or prevent us from seeing this site.
0:55:04 > 0:55:07Partly, I think, because people here in the Maldives
0:55:07 > 0:55:10face the same challenges as we all do.
0:55:10 > 0:55:13The entire world is creating this sort of rubbish
0:55:13 > 0:55:16and nobody really knows what to do with it.
0:55:18 > 0:55:23The government here says that it will sort out the rubbish island.
0:55:23 > 0:55:26I hope that they're true to their word.
0:55:26 > 0:55:28These islands lie at the very heart of the Indian Ocean
0:55:28 > 0:55:31and the environmental stakes couldn't be higher.
0:55:31 > 0:55:35Industrial fishing, pollution, rising sea levels
0:55:35 > 0:55:40and the warming of these coral waters are all insistent threats.
0:55:40 > 0:55:43Before I left, I was hoping to see one of the wonders of the seas
0:55:43 > 0:55:46that make this place so worth preserving.
0:55:46 > 0:55:52- You see the black blanket that pops up?- Just where the bird is now?
0:55:52 > 0:55:54If you keep looking there...
0:55:54 > 0:55:59'Every new moon, this area receives some very special visitors
0:55:59 > 0:56:04'who come in great numbers to feed on clouds of plankton.'
0:56:06 > 0:56:09These are manta rays.
0:56:15 > 0:56:21Measuring up to seven metres across, they're the largest rays in the sea.
0:56:27 > 0:56:31They travel hundreds of miles from other parts of the Indian Ocean
0:56:31 > 0:56:34to mate among the coral reefs here.
0:56:39 > 0:56:42The mantas seem playful and inquisitive,
0:56:42 > 0:56:46and, despite their huge size, were completely unthreatening.
0:56:59 > 0:57:01That was amazing!
0:57:03 > 0:57:07Actually quite moving. Those are huge creatures!
0:57:09 > 0:57:13Yet they're so... they're so graceful in the water.
0:57:14 > 0:57:21They sort of fly. They fly through the water with these giant wings.
0:57:21 > 0:57:25The mantas are one of the most spectacular examples
0:57:25 > 0:57:27of the riches of the Indian Ocean.
0:57:27 > 0:57:30We still don't know much about them.
0:57:30 > 0:57:33And yet, like the rest of the environment here,
0:57:33 > 0:57:35we're threatening their very survival.
0:57:36 > 0:57:40I found the Maldives one of the most breathtaking countries
0:57:40 > 0:57:43I've ever visited, but what had really surprised me
0:57:43 > 0:57:45about my short visit was just how much I'd learnt here
0:57:45 > 0:57:48about the challenges facing the whole Indian Ocean
0:57:48 > 0:57:49and our global seas.
0:57:49 > 0:57:53This is the end of this part of my journey.
0:57:53 > 0:57:56I've spent so much time in boats, my legs are still wobbling
0:57:56 > 0:57:58now I'm back on dry land.
0:57:58 > 0:58:02But in the next leg, I'll start in Sri Lanka. I'm going to head around
0:58:02 > 0:58:07the Bay of Bengal, and then down the eastern edge of the Indian Ocean.
0:58:09 > 0:58:12Next time: I'll be helping Indian fishermen
0:58:12 > 0:58:13fighting to save our seas.
0:58:13 > 0:58:16I don't think it's good to be the tallest person!
0:58:20 > 0:58:23And in Bangladesh, I'll see the graveyard
0:58:23 > 0:58:25where the world's ships go to die.
0:58:25 > 0:58:30Giant ships with great, huge chunks ripped off them.
0:58:50 > 0:58:53Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd