Plight of the sea

Vegan Society parnters up to protect marine life

LONDY SAGATUME Reporter @lsagatume93

The ocean covers 71 percent of the Earth's surface, and to protect the serenity of marine life, the Vegan Society is taking a stand with the help of others.

Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, established in 1977, is a non-profit marine wildlife conservation organization with the mission to end the destruction of habitats, slaughter of wildlife and to protect the ocean, according to their mission statement.

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society of Los Angeles presented their film, “Why Just One?,” to Pierce College students on Nov. 19 from 5 - 7 p.m. in the Great Hall. This film focuses on sea turtles and their species coming to an end due to various reasons, including poaching.

The Vegan Society and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society collaborated on this event to bring awareness of the dangers against sea turtles. The Vegan Society has been focusing on marine life this semester and Winnard thought the film would have great impact on the students.

“Our outreach is to spread awareness of the problem of bycatch caused by the fishing industry,” Winnard said. “We also endorse Prop. 67 as a club and did an outreach about that, which deals with the plastic bag ban. In the film, the plastic pollution is a huge problem for marine wildlife and marine wildlife actually die as a result of plastic pollution.”

Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and Winnard have worked together last year’s Earth Day. They thought that the new film presented gave an outlook to attendees about the threats the sea turtles are facing.

Sea turtles are facing the most danger in coastal areas such as Costa Rica, Honduras and Florida. Of 1,000 sea turtle hatchlings, only one will survive maturity, according to the documentary.

Winnard enjoyed watching the film and believed that the important message was to educate children about the plight of sea turtles.

“One reason why I’m so passionate is because of future generations,” Winnard said. “I want there to be life left on the ocean for future generations to enjoy. It always starts with awareness. It is always the first step to create positive action or any positive change. Hopefully by spreading awareness and bringing this to people’s attention it will bring inspiration to find out more about what they can do.”

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