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Other Ocean Voices >>You Can't Be Too Young to Make a Difference
"... I feel very strongly about the 'Critically Endangered' Eretmochelys imbricata, or Hawksbill Sea Turtle. These defenseless animals are facing extinction because we humans simply want their skin and eggs, and I feel we should do something about it... we should increase the penalty of selling the products... [and] enforce our import laws more efficiently..." "The Beluga Whale (white whale) is a small white whale that is being over hunted and cannot recover due to human activities such as river diversion and harbor construction. Chemical pollution in the ocean stops the beluga whale from reproducing... The companies will not stop their dumping, so it is up to the public to criticize and 'pressure' their actions." Alvin Yee "Manatees are an endangered species for two main reasons: boat propellers and poachers... To reduce accidents involving boats, I think the government should post warnings where manatees commonly congregate...Many people, myself included, are worried that someday manatees will become extinct." Gabriel Blanchard
"The Killer Whale's diet consists mainly of fish and squid, and with overfishing becoming a rising issue, it might not be long before the main part of their diet is endangered... I am aware that laws already exist to prevent overfishing, and I think more should be done to further establish these laws. There should be large consequences for those who do not comply... they should not be able to get away with it." Kate Ferriola-Bruckenstein "Fishing industries around the world usually sweep giant nets underwater trying to catch certain fish. They aren't trying to catch dolphins, but sometimes the dolphins get caught in the nets by accident... it is hard to prevent this from happening, but one solution is to simply use smaller nets, or the fishermen could have special officials on deck, ready to free any dolphins..."
"Sea Otters are endangerd because of people huntng them for their fur, oil spills, pollution and fishing nets... It's not fair for a Sea Otter to get killed just because someone wants its fur. Humans can live just fine without Sea Otter's fur. Sea Otters are such beautiful animals and it would be horrible for them to become extinct." Hannah Elledge "I am writing to you with my concerns about the dolphins being used for military purposes worldwide... The Bottlenose Dolphin is... used to kill foreign divers as well as detect mines that could explode at any given moment... the United States should propose a law stating that cetacean animals are not approved to be trained for military purposes." Mary Claire Lachiewicz
"The biggest cause of the decrease in the ocean's resources is over fishing... Another major problem is the constant mining of minerals on the ocean floor... The last problem to address is the depletion of the oceans' oil... laws should be put in place that limit the amount of resources used. This was, 50 years from now, our children might still have some of its most important resources." Spencer Graham "The introduction of alien species to an ecosystem occurs in several different ways. One way is through ballast water [and] commercial shipping operations... When European Brown Trout were introduced to the Rainbow Trout's habitat, it brought along disease which in turn spread to the Rainbow Trout. Many animals in a habitat are harmed by the introduction of species that breed and spread quickly, overrunning the environment." Emma Ferriola-Bruckstein
Thanks to Debbie Gabriel and the 8th grade students at Guy B. Phillips Middle School (Matthew Nelson, Dylan Smythe, Thane Miller, Allen Hsu, Lauren Hellendall, Katherine Krantz, James Foster, Rachel Sanford, Reed Grimm, Sonia Desai, Cammie Bellamy, Matt Leary, Zoe Thompson, Kevin Swift, Emily Prins, Hannah Osborne, Chelsea Woodfin, Katie Walter, Laura Graham, Nicole Soulier, Camille Johnson, Daniel Holloman, Sally Mak, Maritza Mendoza, Rudy Reeves, Hae-Joon Lee, Rachel Greenberg, Aaron Williams, Carter Sink, Alvin Yee, Gabriel Blanchard, Keila Purnell, Kate Ferriola-Bruckstein, Emma Ferriola-Bruckstein, Paige Holmes, Carolyn Baskir, Hannah Elledge, Mary Claire Lachiewicz, Spencer Graham, Ben Rosen, Coren Helene-Gitomer, Elisabeth Peel and Meghan Smith). Top >Other Ocean Voices >>
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Science teacher Debbie Gabriel, in her first year at Guy Phillips, says that she began the project as an opportunity for the students to get involved in hands-on science, where they could apply and interact with the information in a meaningful way. She has imbued her students with a passion for marine conservation science and a sense that the world is theirs to shape – a breath of fresh air in a setting where the ocean often seems like “someone else’s problem.” All of 13 years old, Gabriel’s students recognize the myriad threats to our global ocean and understand the importance of finding sound solutions to problems both above and beneath the waves.
"I believe that there is a major problem in the world's fishing industry... When fishermen catch fish they not only consume thousands of fish but they also destroy the environment around it... In the long run, overfishing will be detrimental to humans."
"The Sei whale is native to almost every ocean and sea in the world... Though commercial whaling has been officially halted, the species is still subject to scientific whaling in Japan... Education will have people understand the effects of whaling and create whaling laws in more countries." 
"The number of Steller Sea Lions has declined by seventy-five percent from 1976 to 1990... A possble effort to control this rapid population decline in Steller Sea Lions would be to create a designated large area of habitat where they could live without any disturbances... Commercial fishing industries should have restrictions in order to reduce accidental deaths... there should be no human activity within a mile of [Steller Sea Lion] rookeries." 
"There are many species in the ocean that have never been discovered nor thoroughly researched, and never will be if the human race continues to abuse out environment as we are now... I think that we that we need to take steps to prevent or at least reduce the damage to the worlds oceans (like being careful with shipping and sonar testing) so that we can continue to benefit from the ocean." 
"It amazes me that people have not done anything about one of the biggest problems threatening ocean life today: by-catch. And the fact that there are so many solutions to it baffles me... Why, after all this time, is by-catch still a problem? How many voices do you need to listen to that try their best to speak so intensely against this until action is taken? ... I'm tired of ocean creatures becoming extinct from our carelessness." 
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