P22

	It occurred to Junior that that was why there was not as much whale meat in the stores as before.   Senior said: "You know the humans cannot swim long distances. I was told that they use burning fuel to propel their ships. Humans call it oil, though. It comes from the bodies of creatures that lived long ago, lying deep under the ocean -- for many a century. Humans dig the sea beds and siphon off the oil. They use it for moving boats and ships in the sea. They are probably using it for other purposes on land. They carry the oil in huge tankers."   "The oil is the problem; it causes us a lot of troubles. Do you know why? Tankers sometimes run aground. And oil gets spilled all over once there is an accident. You cannot imagine the problems the oil spills cause!!. Our fins get darkened and tarred. Once it gets in the wings of a sea bird, he cannot fly again no matter how hard he flaps his wings. Some fish die after swallowing the oil spilt from shipwrecks. Many suffer from stomach illnesses. Seals' and otters' furs get damaged and some die from the freezing cold weather because their fur can't protect them well enough. I have seen many, many dead fish at the bottom of the sea who had lost their lives because they could not swim or breathe for whatever the reason might be. I'd be in big trouble, too, if I could not find small fish."