A Damaged Sea Floor Gets Better

This is a sea story. It is about a special place. The place is in Scotland. We call it the Summer Isles. This water is a safe area. There are many animals under the water. Small crabs walk on the sand. Many sea urchins live here too. There is pink seaweed on the seabed. This pink seaweed is maerl. Glaciers make this beautiful home. Many young fish hide here. They hide from the big fish. This special area is very big. It is six hundred square kilometers. It covers Loch Broom and Loch Ewe. There is also Gruinard Bay here. There is damage near Eilean Dubh. The damage is from the past. We see the lines today. But boats can damage the ground. Heavy nets scrape the sea floor. This fishing destroys the plants. It also hurts the animals. Now, the area is safe. The water is very quiet today. And the animals are returning now. People check the sea floor. They use a small water robot. The robot has a camera. It swims under the waves. Scientists look at the pictures. They see cat sharks on the sand. They see cushion sea stars. They also see sea cucumbers. These animals hide under the sand. They are safe from the nets. Some people want stronger rules. A group is called Open Seas. They have a new petition. Many people sign the petition. The petition has sixteen thousand names. The group has a meeting. They meet at parliament on Tuesday. They want to protect the sea. Phil Taylor is a group leader. He wants to save the cod. The government says they help. But the activists want more. They ask for quick action. The sea needs help now.