Hi my name is Jessica Woodhams. I am 9 years old and go to Ōrākei School. We have been learning with EMR, Whitebait Connection , Para Kore Ki Tamaki about how to protect and save our oceans and sea life.

The Hauraki Gulf is in danger of being destroyed. We need to ban fishing in the Hauraki Gulf by stopping fishing nets, bottom trawling and dredging practices. We need to limit the catch limit on fish and shellfish taken from the Hauraki Gulf. For recreational fishing, we should put a ban on fishing in the Hauraki Gulf for 3 months over Winter.

This is so the ecosystem does not fall apart and can recover. We don't want fish like sharks getting caught in trawling nets. 

I would also like to ban these practices so we do not continue to hurt other sea animals / sea life unnecessarily. 

We need to restore the Hauraki Gulf so that kids like me can enjoy snorkeling and exploring it.