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In recent years, the oceans have faced
some of the most dramatic changes

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in all of its history.

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But to really begin understanding how
vital the oceans are for life on Earth,

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and how we as humans are impacting it, we
have to start looking at

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some of the smallest organisms
that live there: phytoplankton.

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Phytoplankton are microscopic
marine plants

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which produce up to 80%
of the world's oxygen.

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That means, that for every ten breaths
that we take,

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eight of them have come from the ocean.

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In just one cup of seawater, there may be
up to 100 million individual phytoplankton.

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Huge plumes of these microscopic plants
can even be seen from space,

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as they divide, multiply, and move with
the currents around the globe.

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These microscopic life forms are so
crucial to creating the necessary

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conditions for other life to thrive, that
if they were to ever go extinct,

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all other species would die with them.

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Oceanic pH and flow of water are
essential for these invisible plants

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to thrive and produce oxygen as well as
take in carbon, where they then sink to

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the bottom of the sea for thousands
of years.

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They also happen to be the primary food
source of small marine animals,

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and form the base of the marine food
web, which has a knock-on effect on

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larger predators.

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In other words, the healthier the oceans,
the more phytoplankton there will be,

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and the more phytoplankton there is, the
more sea animals there can be.

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One example of a symbiotic relationship
is with whales.

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Their diet consists of fish, krill,
plankton and other small marine animals,

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and they often hunt in the dark depths
of the ocean.

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Due to the fact they must return to the
top of the ocean to breathe in air again,

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they end up bringing those nutrients back
to the vital topsoil-like layer of the sea

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where phytoplankton can then utilize
the iron, nitrogen and sunlight again.

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Blue whales, for example, defecate up to
three tons into the sea every single day.

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Iron and nitrogen rich fertilizer which
provides food for the phytoplankton,

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which then provides food for the
zooplankton, fish, and then ultimately,

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the whales again.

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This vertical movement of animals
up and down the oceans, which mixes up

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the sea, is astonishingly roughly the same
amount of mixing caused by all the world's

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winds, waves and tides.

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Humans, on the other hand, take everything
from the ocean and give nothing back.

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Fishermen claim that the whales and
the seals are eating all of THEIR fish,

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and so they cull these animals, not
realizing that to have more fish in the sea,

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the oceans need to have more whales,
more seals and other predators

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to keep this symbiotic relationship
in balance.

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Humans are the cause of this species
depletion.

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Scientists have now estimated that as many
as 650,000 whales, dolphins and seals

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are killed by fishing vessel per year,
and yet still most people will continue

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to think that this will have little to no
impact on the marine ecosystem.

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When really, they play a vital and
irreplaceable role

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in the oceanic life cycle.

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And those aren't the only animals we are
driving to extinction.

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An estimated 200,000 sharks are killed
every day for the shark fin industry,

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which equates to roughly 73 million
sharks every year.

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All the while, 140 different species
are listed as endangered,

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threatened, or near threatened by
extinction according to the

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Oceanic Preservation Society.

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Sharks are the apex predators of the ocean,

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who have shaped the evolution of
thousands of marine species,

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and have been around for 400 million
years.

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Their extinction would, without doubt,
dismantle the entire ecosystem.

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They have survived the previous five mass
extinctions, and are now going extinct,

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thanks to humans.

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But it's not only the Asian demand for
shark fins, that sell for $400 per pound,

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that is to blame.

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Around 50 million sharks are pulled out of
the ocean per year as bycatch

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all around the globe, by accident.

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Often by so-called "sustainable fishing"
methods.

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So if people are to really be against the
killing of sharks, and want to protect

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biodiversity in the oceans, we must stop
fishing altogether.

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Another endangered species with
dwindling spawning numbers is

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the Pacific bluefin tuna, which has had
a 96% reduction in global stock levels.

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However, Mitsubishi, who in 2009 held
35-40% of the worldwide market for

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bluefin tuna, is reported as having
a fifteen year supply of frozen

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bluefin tuna in its warehouses, yet continues
to fish these threatened species regardless.

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They could effectively stop fishing tuna
for the next fifteen years to give enough

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time for some of the population to
replenish, yet refuse to take such action,

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as the scarcity for bluefin tuna has driven
its cost up exponentially.

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Approximately 2.7 trillion fish are taken
from the sea every year,

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40% of which is discarded as bycatch,
and another third of which is often used

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to feed the animals which people eat
for meat, dairy and eggs.

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In fact, so much fish is ground up into
pellets and fed to livestock that

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pigs, cows and chickens are now
the world's leading oceanic predators.

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Whilst the sewage that these land animals
produce, have created over 500

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nitrogen flooded dead zones
around the world in our oceans,

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and comprise more than
95,000 square miles of

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areas completely devoid of life.

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So any meaningful discussion about
the state of the oceans

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must always embrace as a priority
frank discussion about land-based

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animal agriculture, which is the exact
opposite of what virtually every

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conservation group, like WWF and
Oceana, are doing.

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They are still hooked on the romantic
notion of promoting "sustainable fishing",

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which although makes consumers
comfortably unaware about the true

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exploitation and cost to the oceans
and the animals, can never take away

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from the fact that leading environmental
researchers and scientists say that

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"sustainable fishing" is virtually impossible
when keeping in mind the overwhelming

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debt we already owe to the ocean.

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Out of all the species that humans take
from the ocean, none is as devastating

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on marine animal populations as shrimping.

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Currently, shrimp make up about 2% by
weight of the animals taken from the sea,

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yet make up for a third of global bycatch.

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In some cases, for every one kilogram of
shrimp caught, up to 20 kilograms of other

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animals can be caught as bycatch
in the process.

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Not only that, but since land-based
fish farming has been on the rise in

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recent years, many vessels at sea are
targeting so-called "trash fish", which

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are made up from juvenile fish from
environmentally important species,

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to then grind up into fish food.

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In this way, almost four tons of
wild-caught fish can be used to produce

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just half a ton of shrimp, which ends up
in supermarkets and restaurants

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across the US, Europe, and Asia.

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This has severely impacted the ability for
many species to replenish,

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mature and mulitply. The knock-on effect
of this devastation is almost never-ending.

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In some regions of the world, such as
Southeast Asia, the oceans are so exploited

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that although fishermen are working
several times harder than in the past,

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they are catching fewer and fewer fish.

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This is especially the case in Thailand,
where fishermen are catching 14%

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of what they used to 50 years ago.

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This has led to a loss of profits, increase
in illegal fishing in marine sanctuaries,

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persistent fishing methods that allow no
time for spawning, and also resulted in

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large rates of slave labour, as young men
and women are kidnapped on land,

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drugged, beaten unconscious, and taken
on ships where they may be forced to work

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relentlessly for years, so as to reduce
the cost of the operations for the criminal

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ship owners.

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This is shocking to know, seeing as around
33% of fish are coming from

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developing countries, where not only is
regulation of fishing practices and

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working standards almost non-existent,
but also happen to be in regions

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of the planet where endangered species
reside or migrate to.

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Large-scale commercial fishing 
kills vast amounts of fish,

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and also destroys many ocean habitats.

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Bottom trawling has been linked to mass
deforestation,

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as marine research of Brien Brett states.

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Imagine if you used a fleet of tractors 
to drag 30 tons of gear over a 150 meter

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wide swath of land for most days 
of the year, you would wipe out

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the New Forest in a few months, 
and the rest of the countryside

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not long after that.

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Yet that is what we are doing to the
seabed around Britain, even worse,


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the boats keep going over
the same key areas.

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The seafloor gets no chance to 
recuperate. It is tragic.

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Before being slaughtered, fish 
are sometimes stunned.

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One of the following methods are used:
a blow to the head,

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electrical stunning, cold water 
immersion, and carbon dioxide gassing.

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Carbon dioxide gassing is where 
the fish enter water that has been

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saturated with carbon dioxide. 
This rapid change in their environment

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irritates their gills. 
Fish struggle for several minutes

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before they become immobile from
exaustion and lack of oxygen.

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There is no evidence that the fish 
are anaesthetised at this stage,

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so they are not unconcious when
their gills are cut.

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There are a number of different methods
used to slaughter fish,

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whether from farms or caught in the wild.

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These include asphyxiation, where 
the fish are removed from the water

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so that their gills collapse,
and they suffocate to death.

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It can take some fish, 
such as trout, ten minutes

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to die from this method.
Tearing of the gill arches

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so that fish bleed to death 
is another method.

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It can take up to 4 minutes 
for the fish to die.

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Hoisting the fish from the water
with the hook, and then

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forcing a spike through their
brain is often used on tuna.

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Decapitation is another method, 
while some fish are even sold alive

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and killed by the user, such as
a restaurant or a consumer.

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Some will try to justify the 
consumption of fish, based on their

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apparent lack of intelligence, 
memory, and ability to feel pain.

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Research has shown that several
fish species have accurate memories

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that can last several days, 
or even years in the case of

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migrating salmon. 
Some fish will migrate across

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thousands of miles of ocean, 
returning to spawn at the location

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where they themselves were spawned.

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Fish respond to threats and stress 
through changes in their colour,

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or in their movement, such as 
swimming more rapidly,

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becoming immobile, or even 
swimming at different depths.

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Research has shown that some fish,
particulary trout, show fear

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and avoidance behavior towards
unknown or unfamiliar objects,

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and have been found to take 
their time before approaching

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these objects, sometimes even 
avoiding them altogether.

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Because fish and shellfish live in
increasingly polluted environments,

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toxins from the water
accumulate in their bodies.

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Studies have shown that most 
of the fish throughout the world

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contain dangerously high
levels of mercury.

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In the Faroe islands, 
where the local population

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frequently slaughter and consume 
pilot whales, which there is

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little to no data for to see
if they're endangered or not,

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body mercury levels are sky-high.

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Researchers had also found 
that for every one gram of whale meat,

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there was 2 micrograms of methylmercury, 
the most toxic form of mercury.

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Exposure to this metal has 
serious health consequences,

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including increased risk of cancer,
heart disease, and even death.

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Fish also contain unsafe levels 
of polychlorinated biphenyls,

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which are danregous chemicals that 
have been linked to neurological problems,

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and birth defects in babies 
who have been exposed.

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A plant-based diet automatically reduces
your exposure to these chemicals.

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Touted as a health food, fish has
a reputation for being heart-healthy.

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People who opt for fish to try and 
protect their hearts may not realize

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that fish is often high in cholesterol. 
While an three ounce T-bone steak

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contains 70 miligrams of 
cholesterol, just three ounces

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of shrimp contain a 161 milligrams.

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Numerous studies have shown
that dietary cholesterol consumption

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corresponds with an increased 
risk of artery blockage.

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While fish contain omega 3 fats, 
most of the fat in fish is not healthy.

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Between 15 and 30% of the fat 
in fish is actually saturated fat,

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which stimulates the liver to 
produce more cholesterol.

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High fat foods are associated 
with poor heart health outcomes.

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The good news is, that by eliminating 
foods that contain cholesterol, like fish,

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and opting for more naturally
cholesterol-free plant foods,

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people can reduce both their cholesterol
levels and their risk of heart disease,

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because research has shown that
every one percent reduction

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in cholesterol means a reduction
in heart disease risk by two percent.

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Fish is not a sustainable, kind or healthy 
food source for today or the future.

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There's no reason for us to continue
in this destructive way of

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animal farming for the sake 
of our nourishment.

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The science has proven, without doubt, 
that it is not necessary to our survival

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to consume animals, and in fact,
it is quite the opposite.

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Not only is the elimination of 
animal products healthy for us,

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but it is hugely beneficial for
the planet, and for the other animals

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that inhabit the sea and the earth with us.

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Becoming vegan and reducing your body count
and environmental footprint is easy.

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For more help in progressing 
to a vegan diet and making

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the transition you can visit
these websites for more information,

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and, as always, if you found this video
helpful and want to make a difference,

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comment, subscribe, 
and please share it around.

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00:14:01,033 --> 00:14:04,034
If you also want to help support
the making of more videos like these,

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00:14:04,034 --> 00:14:06,173
which require hundreds of hours to make,

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00:14:06,173 --> 00:14:09,270
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for more information there.

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Thank you for watching.