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Be an Ocean Helper
Hi, I'm Gabby. I live near the ocean. I respect everything that lives in the sea. I love marine animals — especially dolphins. When I grow up, I'd like to study dolphins to learn everything I can about them.
Even if you live nowhere near the water, there are some simple ways in which kids can help protect oceans and ocean life. Can you get involved? How many of these things can you do to help?
Post this list on a bulletin board or refrigerator as a reminder of what YOU can do for the oceans!
I COULD
DO THIS
I AM
DOING THIS
When visiting the seashore, look closely at the animals and plants in the tide pools, but don't touch them or disturb their homes.
Enjoy looking after animals in a home aquarium, but fill it with fish that were raised to be pets, not wild fish.
Ask your family to recycle motor oil at a gas station. Even if you don't live near the coast, everything that goes down a drain ends up in the ocean.
Research marine conservation groups. Many work to protect sea birds, whales, or other marine animals and plants. Join one that interests you.
Everything you throw away ends up somewhere. A lot of trash is dumped in the ocean. Recycle when possible, especially plastics!
Watch your pets (like dogs) when you're at the coast—they can disturb the local wildlife.
Ask for tap water instead of bottled water. Packaging and shipping the two billion gallons (eight billion liters) of bottled water that Americans drink each year uses huge amounts of energy and produces tons of pollution.
Take the bus, ride your bike or walk rather than asking your parents to drive you somewhere. This will burn fewer fossil fuels, and cut back on acid rain and water pollution.
Eat only fish that come from carefully monitored and sustainable fisheries or aquaculture. Be selective about the seafood you eat.
Respond! Write to your senators and tell them you're worried about degrading coastal ecosystems.
Keep the faucet turned off while you brush your teeth and wash your face. This simple act could save up to 20 gallons (76 liters) of water a day!
Inquire and investigate! Just by being interested and learning about the ocean, you will find ways to help.
Don't bring home wildlife plants and animals. Leave them alone—they're very hard to keep alive!
Seafood guides written by the Audubon Society and the Monterey Bay Aquarium, among others, will help you avoid eating species that are being overfished.
Image Credits:
Promo image: ocean, by aaron-gonzalez/Unsplash and superhero icon, by Gan Khoon Lay/The Noun Project; Gabby, © AMNH