Under the Sea

I've spent the last five years of my life on The Mermaid Files--an expedition to the dark recesses of the oceans and seas. From the ship, I got into my submarine for another journey, this one would go nine feet below the surface of the Coral Sea, off the coast of Australia.
Once I started descending, I made sure all my communications were working. I turned on the submarine's lights to see a wonderful view.
"Great landing, Donovan."
"Are you seeing this?" I asked, maneuvering around the deep sea corals. Something bounced off the submarine, resembling milk jug. "That wasn't a fish." I commented, moving deeper. More bottles, bags, and cups hit the sub. Among the trash were beautiful fish; a blue tang, clownfish, and a school of exotic angel fish. A whale shark came close, narrowly hitting the sub. It was following a plastic bag from Wal-Mart.
"See any great whites down there?" The commander aboard the ship asked.
"This isn't Jaws, Smith." I replied, avoiding a school of fish. This trip had a mission in mind--find some evidence of a new kind of fish, one that's can cure cancer.
"See the fish?" He asked. "Dr. Pearson says it has a gold fin and blue stripes. "
Similar to the blue tang. I continued my search, hitting more plastic than fish. I even came across an underwater mountain of trash.
"You okay down there?"
"I'm fine." I responded, dimming the lights. Strange fish lurked this far below. The organization got it's name from a woman who believed mermaids live below the surface. I kept my eye out for the fish. Smith spotted it on my cameras before I did.
"There it is."
Capturing the fish with a robot hand and a net wasn't easy. I put it into a tank in the sub and started back to the boat and dry land. Smith greeted me on board.
"From reformed criminal to a winner of the Nobel Peace prize."
"Not yet."
He chuckled, "You will be, soon. " He winked and headed over to the phone to call Dr. Pearson.
She was at the ship before midnight. I saw her watching the fish swim around.
"Ms. Donovan, this is an amazing discovery. I'll not forget you."
"Ta." I replied. "Where's the cancer curing part of the fish?"
"The gold on it's fin." She pointed it out to me. "The skin, essentially."
She worked all night on the fish before determining it wasn't what she expected.
"It's body . . ." She started. "I'm sorry, Ms. Donovan." She beckoned me over the microscope. Embedded the fish's skin were microplastics--tiny shards of plastic.
I sighed, sitting down. "I'm sorry. I really am."
She sat down, putting her arm around me.
"Don't be. You can be an advocate for the pollution of our waters. This is only one example."
I nodded, "You're right. I will."
"Thank you." She stood up and walked out of the lab. Maybe she was right. . .