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The South Pacific is on the face of it, still a healthy ocean. |
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We depend on it. |
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Over 60% of the world's fish catch comes from the Pacific. |
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But like all oceans, it has little or no protection,so it may not stay healthy much longer. |
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So what's being done,one to preserve its natural treasures? |
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And what does the future hold for this fragile paradise? |
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For the South Pacific, this is a critical time. |
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It's changing in ways that, if left unchecked,could develop into a global crisis. |
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Some of its residents have been through crisis before. |
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Humpback whales were hunted so relentlessly during the last century that their numbers crashed by 90%. |
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But recently, they've made a comeback, surging from 5,000 to 60,000 animals. |
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Their blubber is no longer boiled down,for oil. |
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Today, these whales are greeted by boats loaded not with harpoons, but with tourists. |
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The waters of Tonga are one of the few places in the world where it's legal to get in and meet the giants face to face. |