COAL VALLEY, Illinois-- The Niabi Zoo is getting ready for World Oceans Day on June 9th.
Last year the zoo debuted a new aquarium. This year's plans are still being organized, but zoo officials hope to remind the community of the importance of keeping the oceans clean.
"On our planet oceans mean life," said zoo director Lee Jackson. "Without healthy oceans you don't have healthy humans."
Jackson believes it's critical to pick a day to stop and remember what oceans do for us and what we do to oceans.
"We create worldwide about 300 billion pounds of plastic and about eight billion pounds of that winds up in the ocean so that's a huge amount of material and it's causing a huge amount of damage", said Jackson.
The zoo is home to the Bangai Cardinalfish which is critically endangered. They are captive bred. They hope seeing the endangered fish serve as a lesson for the dangers sea life encounters.