ABOUT ME:

"THEY ARE NOT JUST FISH":

JOHN, The fish guy that came up with the idea and concept of Sea Save.

     I was born an Iowa farm boy, but I spent a few summers in Ft. Lauderdale, Fl. at my grandmother's house. We went fishing on my grandfather.s boat one day and my grandmother caught a trophy sized Sailfin Marlin. My grandpa was very excited. He wanted to stuff it and hang it on the wall, (It was a catch of a life time) but my grandmother made him pull the suckers off the fish and let it go free. I was 5. It was the most amazing thing I had ever seen. My grandmother died one year later of bone caner. (I miss her) but she gave me something that day that changed my life (and that of the creatures she showed me to love). She planted the seed.

     I went back to Iowa and knew someday I would go back and save sea creatures. I started to study them, keep them and breed them. By the time I was 12, I was breeding Seahorses, and selling them back to the pet store. When I was 16, I worked for a chain of stores and learn how to receive and ship fish around the country. I've worked for many pet stores since then, been to a lot of wholesale facilities, and even worked for an aquarium, diving, collecting and followed the creatures around the sea. But the one thing I have learn through all of this is "They are not just fish". They are living, breathing, intelegent beautiful, awesome creatures that deserve our respect.

     I recently went back to Florida and I was pulling creatures out of abandoned cast nets and when I let them go, a school of fish JUMPED out of the water behind me. Like they were jumping for joy, or in celebration. Do you think they are down there crying “Help me...Help me…”, I wonder?

For you grandma I hope your proud of me, Johnny.

Thanks for your support your are making a difference.