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1. Let's go fishing!. Its our turn to
launch the boat! We put on our life jackets and make sure all
our gear is safely stowed away.
On the way out we pass Seal
Island. It's always great to see the seals swimming and diving
off the rocks. |
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2. "Look, Dad! There's two seals with
fishing nets caught around their necks! How did that happen?"
"Fishermen throwing away their nets. The seals swim into them
and get tangled. When we get back to shore we'll let the Parks
and Wildlife people know that they are there." |
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3. We anchor in the middle of the bay, bait our hooks,
and cast our lines. "I hope the fish are biting today, Dad".
They are! Suddenly my line goes tight and I start to wind it
in .. slowly .. easily. My line is really heavy. Some fish!
It's nothing but an old paint tin! |
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4. There's another boat anchored not far from us.
I wonder if those people are catching paint tins? No. They
are yelling and drinking and having a great old party. One
of them throws a plastic bag full of rubbish into the water. |
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5. The rubbish drifts towards us on the tide and
we pick it up. The bag is filled with paper, rags, plastic
wrapping, chip packets, food scraps and cans. It will take
a long time for this stuff to decay in the sea. Plastic can
take years to degrade. |
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6. Plastic can kill sea creatures. The bags fill
up underwater and look like jellyfish. They're eaten by whales
and turtles and then they choke. |
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7. My rod jumps again and I reel it in. Perhaps its
an old gumboot? No! It's a good sized whiting. "That's dinner
for me. What about you, Dad?" |
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8. Rubbish thrown into the sea can spread right along
the coast, making our beaches look like garbage dumps. We need
to protect our seas. You can join a community group that cleans
up our beaches and waterways. |
