Saving the Ocean with Defelia the Mermaid, Part 2 of 3

Using her magic, Defelia turned her into a mermaid temporarily, so that she could use her underwater camera to take photographs. They hope that these photos will show people the devastating effects on the ocean and the sea animals caused by fishing activities and polluting rubbish. “What is that?” “It’s a giant trawler net. This is a kind of fishing net with weighted rollers and heavy doors that’s pulled through water by boats. Millions of people up there eat seafood. Every day, many of my friends are caught by these trawler nets. They’re dragged by big ships, taken to shore, then end up on the humans’ plates. We have been living in constant fear because of it. What’s more, sometimes these heavy trawler nets plow through the ocean bed, leaving nothing alive behind. Did you know that we fish and other sea animals are needed here to keep the ocean life in balance?” “This part of the sea is now called an oceanic dead zone. It’s caused by human pollution. The pollution takes oxygen from the water. It not only hurts sea animals, it also hurts our beautiful coral reef, home of many of our fish friends.” Defelia and Jazzy swam up to the surface. It’s raining up there. They poke their heads out of the ocean from behind some rocks. There, they see lots of farmland filled with grazing animals like cows, sheep, chickens, pigs, and goats. The pouring rain washes all the waste into the river which eventually ends up in the ocean. “You see? The pollution mainly comes from livestock animal raising. There are millions of animals that are raised for human food on earth. Their waste is hurting the reefs and our sea friends. It is called sewage and agricultural runoff.” “Oh Defelia, all this news makes me feel so bad. We have to let people know about this as soon as possible. Eating animals is destroying the ocean and our planet. We have to stop it.” This adventure has been quite an eye-opener for Jazzy, and for all of us watching it, hasn’t it? We have learned that if we stop eating animals and change to plant-based food, we can save the fish, the coral reefs, and restore the health of the ocean.