While sailing the high seas, marveling at the incredibly biodiverse and beautiful coral reefs, Captain Bonehead and his trusty crew stumble upon JP Rothbone's fishing fleet. Equipped with oversized trawling nets, Rothbone is illegally over-fishing the reefs. Not only is this catastrophic for the reef, but it is upsetting the entire marine animal food chain and disrupting ocean-going birds! When Bonehead tries to rescue the reef life, JP and his cronies attempt to sink the H.M.S. Humerus and kidnap Wishbone. It's up to Bonehead to repair his ship, save Wishbone, and rescue the reef.
In the educational documentary portion of this episode, kids learn about the living coral reefs—the species of coral living there, and the diverse ecosystems they support—producers, consumers, and decomposers. They learn that corals are really tiny little animals and that as they die their skeletons form the reefs that support life in the ocean. They are introduced to marine life from the bottom of the food chain, the algae, to apex consumers like sharks and sea turtles. When reefs are destroyed by boats or water pollution or are overfished, the delicate coral reef ecosystems are thrown out of balance and vital species are destroyed—perhaps never to return again. Kids learn how the reefs protect the land and how energy conservation, pollution control, and sustainable seafood eating can all help save the reefs.
In an upbeat NewsFlash!presentation, Children learn that damaged and bleached out coral reefs are capable of recovering, but recovery takes a very long time. They learn that most of the marine life, not all, returns, and the delicate, diverse balance of life on the reefs can be restored.
In the catchy jingle, kids are asked to “Save a zo and help the coral grow!” Kids learn more about the zooxanthellae that co-exist with the coral throughout the reef: how they are vital to the coral health; how they react negatively to extensive carbon emissions; and how the coral turn white, or bleach if the zos die off. There are plenty of simple things kids can do at home and school to help our friends the zos.