She walked through the kitchen and stood by the stove.
“This is the biggest problem, you know.
You catch the fish, but I cook them here,
and I did it three hundred sixty five days a year.
Millions of people catch billions of fish
because billions of people want a fish in their dish.
Once in a while would be OK,
but we billions of people want a fish everyday.
You might hate the boats, but give it some thought.
They only catch fish because the fish get bought.”

We all stood, thinking. The kitchen grew quiet.
The longer we thought, there was no getting by it.
“It's simple,” Daddy said. “Eat more, have less.
We ignored that simple and made this mess.
We have to do something before it's too late.
Let's find an idea that's easy but great.”

I looked at the stove, I looked at the sink,
I looked at the table, and continued to think.
“It's a lot like the seesaw at the park in town.
When one side's up, the other is down.
If we eat fewer fish, the more there will be.
It's an easy, great idea, Daddy, don't you agree?”

For the very first time in a very long while,
Daddy's face relaxed and spread into a smile.
“Yes, that's the answer. Yes, I agree.
We'll eat fewer fish and leave more in the sea.
For five days a week we'll have something else to eat,
maybe vegetables and bread, fruit salad or meat.
The fish will have time to have babies and then,
slowly the oceans will fill up again.”

Mommy said, “Let's start here and let's start today.
We'll show everybody there's a different way.
We'll tell our friends and our family and our neighbors, too,
about this idea that's easy to do.”

Then life changed quickly for my family and me.
Fruit ripens slowly but falls suddenly.
Mommy made a cookbook of no-fishes dishes
and for five days a week they satisfied my wishes.

Daddy met people who work hard to save fish.
He asked for ideas and they told him this:
“A no-take zone is a very good way
to give some fish a safe place to stay.
If you find a place and are willing to try it,
our people and money will help you supply it.”