Preserving our marine life

Preserving our marine life is important to the world. My name is Edward S. Dela Cruz Jr. My summer is being spent interning in law enforcement at the Division of Fish and Wildlife. I’m guided by my mentors, conservation officers John Tagabuel and Jess Omar. I’m attending college at the Northern Marianas College. I joined the CRI [Coral Reef Initiative] internship because I wanted to learn more about our marine life. I wanted to do something over the summer that would help make a difference and learn from it. What better way to learn it than hands-on learning from the guys who protect our marine life?

These fine, brave men enforce the laws established by the government to conserve our marine life. My project in DFW is to learn as much as I can about what these men do and get a hands-on feel. We’ve done land patrols. Made sure sanctuary sites like Tank Beach and Forbidden Island are clear of poachers. I have gone through boat patrols with them, ensuring no one is fishing in the Managaha sanctuary. At the same time we go through the beaches and conduct surveys on the public whether they know about laws like what fishes to catch and what not to catch; what tools are prohibited for fishing like explosives.

Many people reading this article might be wondering why we have marine protected areas and why they are important to protect. Why must we protect the marine life out there? What affects one affects us all. We cannot live in a world where there are no fishes, no coral, any life at all in the ocean. The ocean supplies us food and oxygen and much more Overharvesting of the fishes will lead them to the point of extinction. It will unbalance the food chain. That’s why we have Marine Protected Areas, also known as Sanctuaries for marine life.

People can absolutely not fish in these protect areas. It is like a national park for underwater life. It is a haven for fishes. When people fish there they break the law. That’s when DFWs law enforcement guys go in and enforce it. Our marine life has already been damaged across the globe. The ocean can and will heal itself. We just have to give it time. That is why we must follow the laws made to protect them. Our economy depends on it too. When tourists come over they want to dive and see the beautiful marine life we have here. Not a ghost town of dead corals. We must preserve it for future generations. We must help these fine and outstanding young men protect our marine life to have a brighter future. I want my kids to grow up and see our beautiful ocean life. Don’t you?