Question: Lydia. I was wondering what do you think are the most important things us kids should be doing to help protect and restore the worlds oceans and sea?

Lydia Bach answered on 17 Nov 2014:

Hey,

great question. There are a few things you can do. I think learning about the marine enviroment is always a great thing to do because the more you know the more you can do to make a difference and you can tell people about it too.

For starters start small: don’t litter near the sea. Also when you are in the supermarket try and not take home plastic bags – they are very bad because many animals like turtles confuse them with jellyfish, their prey!

We use a lot of energy every day, which results in more carbon in the atmosphere. That makes oceans warmer and more acidic. So as crazy as it sounds, trying to use less energy, even switching the light off makes a difference to the ocean! Less energy, less fossil fuels burned, less carbon in the atmosphere!

Also, many fish species are now overfished and we must pick carefully to not endanger them more! There are organisations that put labels and certificates on the packaging that help you choosing what fish to buy.
Next time you go food shopping with your parents look out for the Marine Stewardship Certificate! It looks blue and has a tick mark on it that looks like a fish. Check it our here (top left corner):

http://www.msc.org/get-certified/fisheries

That certificate means that we know where the fish came from and that it was caught making sure there is still enough other fish around!