I’m a mermaid on a mission

Kathryn Nelson, 35, Byron Bay, NSW

Chatting with scientist Dr Andrea, my heart dropped as she explained the effects that plastic had on our beautiful ocean.

‘Plastic doesn’t break down, so it ends up as tiny bits of microplastic. They stay in the ocean forever, and are causing havoc on the marine ecosystem,’ she said.

‘I had no idea!’ I gasped.

It was 2009, and I was being trained to work as a volunteer for an ocean protection