Humans have created this world to benefit humans in various ways. But what did they sacrifice to do this?
As you may know, humans are destroying natural habitats and geographical features by the day. This is to create buildings and factories, mostly. One of the things that humans came up with to help with fishing is something called bottom trawling. This is when people in boats use huge nets to grab sea creatures, and it is very effective at catching crabs and shrimp. But when they do this, they catch other things as well. Turtles get caught in these nets and can become injured, beautiful sea coral may get damaged and killed, and seahorses are being harmed as well.
These sea creatures are amazing little animals that look truly majestic.
And it’s not just their appearance that makes them special. With more than 25 different species and their size varying from under an inch to almost 15 inches (and their scientific name Hippocampus, meaning ‘Horse sea monster’), seahorses are very unique creatures. Additionally, their flexible tails can be used to grasp objects, such as Mysis Shrimp, their main diet. They are also among the rare group where the male gives birth to the babies.
Most seahorse types are endangered or critically endangered according to the IUCN Red List. (The Red List is a list of animals that are endangered or vulnerable to becoming extinct. This list also includes animals that are extinct already.) Bottom trawling makes it worse. By pulling a giant net across the floor of the sea, the whole ecosystem gets damaged. Seahorses are one of the many victims of this destructive method of catching fish.
So what can we do to help? “If you can avoid eating anything connected with bottom trawling, you will have done a great service to the ocean,” says seahorse expert Amanda Vincent, on Call to Earth, a show by CNN.
Spreading awareness can also help. Talk to your friends about bottom trawling and how it is destroying the ocean. Tell your parents about it. Raise money for the ocean creatures. Your voice matters. Let’s help save this wonderful animal.
Image Source: https://www.newportaquarium.com/