We were starving to death, I couldn’t see enough sea grasses to provide our need for food and survival, I pity other fishes and I because it appears that we were the one begging for food and not those monstrous engines. If I could just speak, if I am just strong enough, I could have knocked that engine down and say “we’re hungry, cant you see?”
There came a time when every part of our community was busy, I mean, there are lots of us, of various kinds and sizes but not anymore. When a strange creature came and started to overfish, a large number of us were caught leaving our community die to loneliness, huh! How I wish I was able to save them! If only, I could just….!
After the explosion, we migrated and found a new place to dwell, the place where we fishes and corals are taken good care to grow and develop, we call it sanctuary. Wow! Living there means changing our lifestyle, we are free from danger, away from human’s illegal acts, I met new friends, our home and our community turned out to be better and peaceful ever than before.
Life was never been the same before, life has never been fun, I got sick that time so I stayed home watching my friends playing outside, then suddenly a dark silk poured from above, it was a trap! A fine mesh net! Thinking that they won’t be trapped, my friends continued playing till they noticed themselves shouting for help as they were raised out of the water, since then, young fishes were afraid to go out and play.
I was on my home that time, my friends were already at my eyes when out of a sudden a monstrous engine rushed through the area, I swam faster to warn them but I was too late. Boom! A big explosion occurred, my friends, our homes, and our community vanished together with the explosion. Some of us were able to survive yet we were left wounded and homeless.
We’d go hungry for days and eat Toyo (Soy Sauce) with Lana (Cooking Oil) mixed in our rice again, if there’d be rice at all, sometimes, father would work over time and if the money he earned isn’t enough, It’s likely that we move to the City and try our luck there.
The ocean is becoming more polluted and wastes from nearby areas are dumped in the sea! Our kind are slowly decreasing in number as we swim around dead corals, due to loud explosions which are frequently heard within the ocean floor, damaging aquatic resources which we clearly need to survive!
My home suffers from Man’s abuse and selfish motives. We have lost much of our Seagrasses and Mangroves — our food and breeding grounds — to industry and infrastructure. Toxic materials together with dynamite and illegal fishing kill us. PLEASE HELP US!
The Mangrove area is the place where we lay our eggs but not anymore, all I can see are pools, I mean, FISHPONDS. Mangroves are cut and converted to fishponds. Where now could I lay my eggs?
They have turned our sea grasses to land, and our mangroves to fishponds. Our waters have turned murky, the sun cannot shine through, nothing grows here anymore. All we have left to eat are Man’s leftovers.