Academic Showcase Pages

Third Form Persuasive Speech

Overfishing: Our Oceans’ Biggest Danger

by Felicity Hill (Third Form, Gascoigne)

So, what is overfishing, and why are we not talking about it? Overfishing is the removal of marine life from a body of water at a rate that cannot be replenished. You might have heard of it, you might not have. Either way, I can assure you it is a bigger issue than you think.

In a recent study, scientists predicted that by 2048 there will be virtually empty oceans and no fishable marine life left. That is twenty-seven years. Twenty-seven. But why is this the case? Plastic? Oil spills? Well, the greatest cause of this rapid deterioration is fishing.

In David Attenborough’s book A Life on Our Planet, he states that 90 percent of the fish population are either overfished or fished to capacity. This is not acceptable. You may have a hard time believing this, but it is true. To put it in perspective, 2.7 trillion fish are caught a year: that is 5 million every minute. We must not sit back and let governments and fisheries get away with this. We are running out of time to put a stop to this, to make change, because in only a matter of time, it will be too late to go back. The damage will be done.

In addition, another massive issue for the fishing industry is bycatch. Bycatch is the process of marine species being caught unintentionally while trying to catch another type of fish. Unfortunately, this is one of the biggest issues marine animals face. On average, 650,000 marine mammals are caught per year due to bycatch and a horrific 7.3 million tonnes of marine life. This is disgusting. These animals do not even die for a cause, their deaths are just the consequence of bad fishing methods.

Why do we do it then? And what about the dolphin safety labels you see on tins of tuna and other supermarket fish? StarKist officials, according to court documents, say ‘it is unrealistic for consumers to expect that the label means zero harm or injury to dolphins or other wildlife because bycatch is an unescapable part of any fishery.’ Anywhere from one to twelve dolphins (on average) can be killed for just one can of tuna. Just one. So, your answer: the market is overconsumed, fisheries are desperate for any kind of catch, no matter the consequence.

But the way we fish does not just increase the issue of overfishing, but also many other marine crises. Just a few examples include the plastic crises (specifically the Pacific Garbage Patch). You all know about the dramatic issues plastic can cause to our environment, but did you know that 46 percent of the Pacific Garbage Patch is made up of plastic fishing nets?

On top of that, bottom trawling has a huge impact on our coral reefs - reefs we desperately need. Bottom trawling is a specific type of fishing that scrapes fishing nets along the seabed. This method of fishing is extremely damaging. Data has shown that bottom trawlers wipe out 3.9 billion acres a year: that’s equivalent to losing 4,316 football fields per minute. Scientists predict that if we carry on at this rate of unethical fishing, by 2050, 90 percent of our coral reefs will be dead. Dead. Coral reefs are home to millions of marine animals and are also extremely helpful to us. Over half a billion people depend on coral reefs for food, income and protection. In addition, coral reefs provide massive protection against tsunamis, storms and overall erosion.

This issue does not just affect marine animals. It affects everyone. You. Your friends. Your family. Everyone.

The ocean takes up 71 percent of the earth’s surface; this means it holds incredible power. Power that is crucial to our survival. An investigation into the ocean’s CO2 levels revealed that 93 percent of our planet’s CO2 is stored in the ocean. This means that losing just one of the ocean’s carbon stores - just one - would be equivalent to releasing the emissions of 97 million cars. Losing just a fraction of the carbon would cause mass devastation not just for the environment, but for us as well.

Changes need to happen. We need to increase Marine Protected Areas now. Today.

Unfortunately, only five percent of the ocean is part of a Marine Protected Area and, on top of that, many MPAs still allow fishing. Stricter laws need to be enforced by every government all over the world. We need to be the ones who demand the change because our governments have let us down. If you are not going to do it for the marine animals, then do it for us. Our planet. Our survival. Because the environment, especially the ocean, is our lifeline.

Cambridge Schools Classics Project Ovid Competition

Arachne and Athene

By Eva Graves (First Form, Gascoigne)

Arachne sits in her small, quiet house. She sits weaving in her small, quiet house. But Athene hears of her small, quiet house, What she does in her small, quiet house, How skilled she is in her small, quiet house.

Fierce Athene visits the small, quiet house. Changes shape nearby the small, quiet house. Heads towards Arachne’s small, quiet house. Sees her work inside the small, quiet house. Knocks on the door of the small, quiet house.

Athene’s let into the small, quiet house. Is given wine in the small, quiet house. Gives some advice in the small, quiet house. Is argued with in the small, quiet house. A challenge starts in the small, quiet house.

They weave stories about the big, wide world. Stories of power in the big, wide world. Of strong Artemis in the big, wide world, And of young Phaethon in the big, wide world. All day long focused on the big, wide world.

Athene feels defeat in the big, wide world. Becomes furious with the big, wide world. Curses Arachne in the big, wide world. Strikes, strikes Arachne in the big, wide world. Tries to strike her skill from the big, wide world.

Arachne shrinks in the big, wide world. Smaller than a mouse in the big, wide world. To the first spider in the big, wide world. To a weaving beast in the big, wide world. Another lovely thing for this big, wide world.

Scholars’ Presentation

WENERGY

By George Keates (Fourth Form, Vanbrugh)

Climate change, as we all know, is one of the largest problems humanity has ever faced. Every day we see the stark realities of it. But as we know, there are ways of slowing and tackling climate change. For example, reducing our waste and investing in the electrification of cars.

In the last few years, we have seen huge increases in new technologies which are already making significant impacts on climate change. But there is still room to expand this market and for generations to come, to innovate more products. This is where WENERGY comes in. I assume you are asking yourself what it is?

WENERGY is a new way of powering homes, electric vehicles and in fact, anything that uses electricity. WENERGY is a hydroelectric generator which is linked to a water tank that is situated halfway down a downward drain pipe. It works when rainwater runs into the drain pipe system of your house which then flows into the downward pipe where it reaches the box. Inside the WENERGY box there is a four litre water tank which has a release mechanism for when it fills up.

Once released it is then passed into a pipe network until it reaches what I call the main event, the turbine. This turbine is a modified hydroelectric generator which can power an LED light for two hours with two rotations of the turbine. As the water spins the turbine friction is created which is converted into electricity which then goes into rechargeable batteries. The electricity stored in the batteries as I said earlier can power almost everything.

Now I will explain how the idea came about. For a long time now I have had an interest in Engineering and Design, and in the First Form I found the engineering section of the BBC website.

I found an article on a city in the US, which had implemented hydroelectric sewage drains. This gave me the idea of WENERGY. Whilst I was in First Form, I approached the DT Department and spoke to them about my ideas. They suggested things I might like to think about. Since then, they have been very supportive and have helped me design and create WENERGY.

The plan going forward for WENERGY is to keep redesigning it until it reaches its full potential. This includes larger generators amongst other ideas. I have also begun the patenting process to protect WENERGY for the future.