earth explorers meet enric Sala

This national  geographic explorer  in residence is fighting to save  the world' s  oceans one fish at a time. Picture  this you'er diving  off  the coast of costa Rica when you look up to see 200 hammerhead  sharks swimming above you  later you slowly cruise through  a school of  some 100 Whitetip reef  sharks before setting your gaze on a pod  of giant whale  sharks all in the same pocket of the pacific ocean. This  is what Enric Sala  a national geographic explorer in residenced on  a recent  dive trip of cocos Island a national park about 330 miles (530 km) from costa rica's mainland. As  a marine  ecologist enric  travels the world studying the  wold's oceans and working to save marine life. As  amazing  as some of those trips are enric has seen thingns that  turned his career into his passion. He has seen sharks pierced with rusty steel hooks whales washed  up  on shores with their billies full of plastic  and coral reefs dying off  at alarming rate. Humans are destroying oncen life  because of too much fishing pollution  and climate  change says enric but if we protect  the ocean  marine life can come back. Through his pristine seas  project  enric  is hoping to save the oceans. He and his team  are setting up marine protected Areas (Mpas) throughout the  world. Lake national parks on land these  are safe  Square in the ocean where human activities  like fishing are strictly regulated. So  far the pristine seas project has helped to  establish 19 marine reserves  across the globe is spots like  Russia and Chile still less then 5 percent of  the the world's oceans are officially protected. but enric  is hopeful the number will continue  to increase as people become more  and more aware of the desperate  need to save the oceans and everything it them. The ocean is vital to our survival as it give us food  more than half of the oxygen we breathe and many more wonderful things says enric. About  70 percent  of  earth  surface  is covered with water. In  only there  years we can see  already  more fish  than before in ten year the abundance of fish inside a protected area is on average six  time greater than outside everything  comes back. call to action go in the ocean swim and snorkel. Or just go to any place where  you can enjoy  the natural world says enric. Take  a walk through a forest  explore  a marsh or run through a praise spend time in nature and you 'll fall with it.  The Mariana trench the deepest part of the ocean is deeper than mount  Everest is tall. from called book national  geographic kids almanac.