My interest for the sea began at a very early age.
I was only four when my step-dad Lewis, introdu-
ced me to the mysteries that lie beneath the ocean.
Further, my grandfather Brian, has always been an
avid fisherman with a few European and World fish
species records to his name. Both my stepfather
and grandfather have a great passion for the sea
and have always respected it. They instilled a love
and respect for the sea to both my younger brother
Aaron and I.
My Grandad, now 66, began river fishing when he
was just a small boy living in UK. He recalls leaving
the first fish he ever caught out in the rain for three
days trying to revive it! When he moved to Gibraltar,
he took to sea fishing. At one point he joined the
local EFSA club and in a bid to protect local species,
was one of the pioneers in making sure there were
limited sizes to the fish caught. He still carries the
same ruler to measure when he’s unsure! When he’s
out on his boat ‘Freedom’ he collects all the floating
plastic and brings it back to shore to recycle it.
A couple of years ago Lewis, who is a Marine
Biologist, together with my mum Melanie, decided
to launch The Nautilus Project, a voluntary marine
science educational program. The project runs di-
fferent activities such as The Great Gibraltar Beach
Cleans, Science Talks and Field Trips to schools,
snorkelling and boat trips. We have done 49 beach
cleans along our coastline and retrieved tonnes
upon tonnes of plastic debris already.
My role in TNP team is to snorkel and help my
stepdad find and bring out marine invertebrates on
a catch, learn and release basis. I catch sea cucum-
bers, sea urchins, sea slugs, starfish, conchs, crabs,
and even octopuses. We make sure they all return
back to their habitat once Lewis teaches the school
children all about these animals in a fun way which
my friends really enjoy. Lewis has taught me how
to become a strong, confident swimmer and how to
snorkel responsibly. I take my job very seriously and
I love learning about the sea with him. Snorkelling
is one of my favourite hobbies and the historic Rosia
Bay basin is the perfect place to learn and marvel at
such amazing sea life.
At a recent snorkel I found a really large clam
shell, pinna nobilis, which TNP now use at schools.
Although I’m very proud of my achievement, I’m sad-
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dened by the fact that these clams are decreasing in
numbers around the Bay Of Gibraltar. I also spotted
a cuttlefish at Rosia Bay and I took my chances to try
and catch it with my hands. I was able to actually
touch it but when I went to grab it, it slipped out
of my hands swam away. I was so close! I think my
stepdad was impressed.
As part of our family project, we have been rai-
sing awareness in Gibraltar on the effects single use
plastics have in the sea. My brother and I now use
bamboo toothbrushes, reusable water bottles, and
carry bags for life in our satchels in case we have
to run errands for my mum on our way back from
school. We carry paper straws and recycling is a big
part of our lives. We tell all our friends at school that
small changes can make big differences in the Bay
in Gibraltar.
The lady at the Pet Shop now greets me as ‘the
boy that refuses the plastic bag!’ My mum always
says we must lead by example.
This past summer we found a spider crab tangled
in nylon fishing line. Luckily, we cut off all the line
and released it back in the sea. These crabs are pro-
tected in Gibraltar so I was truly happy to be able to
rescue one and for it to live another day.
A few weeks ago, I was sent out on a rescue mis-
sion. A sunfish had got stuck between some rocks
and was in distress. I jumped into the sea with the
fish and ensured it did not scratch itself against the
rocks. When the rescue vessel arrived, I helped push
the poor sunfish out to sea, near the boat. Chances
are it survived!
Some dolphins and turtles have died on our sho-
res due to plastic and this makes me very sad. My
brother Aaron and I want to show Gibraltar and the
whole world that children care about our ocean and
our sea animals. We want to make a difference and
protect them. If we all do our bit then, together we
can make a big difference. Our motto is #BeThe-
ChangeYouWishToSee
I hope that you’ve enjoyed reading this and that
you will join my family and I as we help protect our
sea animals! They really deserve for us humans to
do better!
Mi amor por el mar
Alexander Sanchez Soiza – The Nautilus Project volunteer
Age 13 - Gibraltar
Alexander Sanchez Soiza – The Nautilus Project vo-
lunteer – Age 13 - Gibraltar
OTWO 05 / DECEMBER 2019
OTWO 05 / DECEMBER 2019
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