Freddy says... “Lend a hand and care for the land, do one thing today!"
You can 'do one thing' to help save our oceans
The world’s oceans are full of fascinating plants and animals that depend on each other to survive. Sadly, the creatures that live in the sea are sometimes put at risk by:
- Overfishing
- Climate change
- Pollution
Overfishing:
In some places too many fish are taken out of the sea before they have even had a chance to breed, so we end up with less fish in certain areas.
- Other animals, like seals, dolphins and other fish might not have enough food to eat.
- People might have trouble finding the fish they need to eat too.
One thing we can do to help the oceans stay healthy and full of wildlife is to support fisherman who are not catching too many fish, and who take care not to catch other animals in their nets by mistake.
It’s still OK to eat fish. And a couple of ways to be sure you are helping to keep the oceans healthy is when you visit the supermarket or your local fishmongers with your parents look out for the MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) label on the fish you want to buy, the MSC logo means that this fish has not been over fished and it was caught safely and without harming other marine life. Other ways are to ask your school dinner ladies if they can serve fish with the tick (means again it was caught safely), or when you are in a restuarant aand want to order fish for your tea why not ask your waiter/waitress where their fish came from.
Climate change:
Many items that us humans use make a gas called carbon dioxide (CO2). Cars, vans and airplanes and even the electricity produced which runs our Xbox or TV all make CO2. This then ends up in the air we breathe. If there is too much CO2 in the air it can heat up the land and oceans too.
So what can we do to help?
- Turn out the lights when you leave a room
- Ask your parents, grandparents and friends to carshare as much as possible so less cars are on the road and being used all at the same time
- Use a bicycle to get around
- Turn off your TV and computer at the plug when you are not using it
- Spend a little less time than you normally would in the shower
- Ask your parents/grandparents to use energy efficient lightbulbs
- Make sure if you have a dishwasher in your home that it is only run when it is full
Pollution:
Beach rubbish is unsightly and can be danergous to sea creatures. Much of the litter on our shores comes from people visiting the beach, shipping, fishing vessels and sewage outfalls.
- Do one thing by helping to reduce this problem by taking home your rubbish from your visit to the beach and recycling it. Maybe even collect other peoples rubbish when you visit the beach and take it away with you.
Chemicals getting into the sea can be very harmful to marine life, it is another big problem for the ocean.
- Do one thing at home by making sure that your family is using cleaning products that are safe for the environment and do not pollute. Make sure also that your family try not to use fertilizer, herbicides and pesticides on your lawn and plants.
If you care for our environment then help it and DO ONE THING!
