The eel（鳗） catch is down by 60 to 70%. Marminor, Europe's largest saltwater（盐水的） lagoon（[地理][水文] 泻湖）, is dying. I just wish I could take a tractor and destroy it all. It's a battle of unequals, local residents versus（对） the mighty agricultural（ 农业的） industry. No filming. This is all private property.

  It is 6.30 in the morning at the port of San Pedro del Pinatar on the lagoon of Marminor in southeastern（东南方的） Spain. For generations, some 150 families have earned a living fishing these waters. But for Juan Taraga and his colleague Fulgencio, today might be their last trip out. For them, it's a journey into the unknown. The local fishing community is both witness and victim of an ecological（ 生态的） catastrophe. Europe's largest saltwater lagoon, Marminor, was once an underwater paradise.

  It is separated from the Mediterranean by a narrow sandbar（沙洲） about 22 km long. Juan and Fulgencio keep eight nets anchored here, which they bring in every morning. For the past two years, Juan says, each day has seen fewer fish than the day before. There's so much dead algae（[植] 藻类） down there. Our nets are full of it. It wasn't like this before.

  All we net are dead plants, no fish. That's our biggest problem here in Marminor. A thick soup of phytoplankton and microalgae clouds the water, robbing the vegetation（[植]植被） on the seabed（海底） of the light it needs to survive. Dead vegetation now drifts（漂流） through the water like refuse. Shall we clean the nets? They're so dirty, what else can we do?

  Concern is growing that Marminor may be just a step away from proliferating（增生扩散） colonies of harmful toxin-producing algae（[植] 藻类）. Thus far the lagoon has been spared（节约）, but fishing nets are still empty. We go out every morning, but we don't have a lot of hope. There won't be much of a catch. It wasn't like this before, but that's just how it is. There aren't many fish left in Marminor.

  Our coast sewer（下水道） at the southern tip of Marminor is the most polluted part of the lagoon（[地理][水文] 泻湖）. Coastal（海滨的） residents are also worried, like Angel（天使） Monadero. For a long time he says he has been watching as fallow land near his home has been vanishing（突然不见） and advanced canopies（天篷） of plastic, including areas that are under natural protection. Eventually he filed suit against the agricultural companies. Since then, the retired soldier has been receiving anonymous（匿名的） threats on the phone and on social media. For me this is a war zone.

  Hostile（敌对的） territory. A place where I no longer wish to live. I'm very angry. And I wish I could just take a tractor and get rid of it all. That's how I feel. Why?

  Because this is where I chose to live out my days and they're forcing me to leave. They're turning me into an environmental refugee. Where should I go? Everything I own has gone into my house. And now it's not worth anything anymore. What else can I do?

  Where else can I go? Angel and other local residents feel betrayed（背叛）. They say regional authorities are ignoring the local farming industry in favor of a handful（一把） of agro-industry multinationals. The arid（干旱的） soil has become an assembly（集合） line. Four harvests（收获） a year, made possible with heavy use of plastic sheeting, irrigation, fertilizer and pesticides（杀虫剂）. The melons are under another layer of sheeting, like in a greenhouse.

  They're headed straight for France, Germany, England, Belgium, Luxembourg. This is the negative side of the vegan farming industry. Why? Because they're destroying my environment. And all their nitrates（硝酸盐） and phosphates（磷酸盐） will ultimately destroy Marmenor. Juan and Fulgencio have finished removing all the vegetation from their nets.

  Now they're returning with the day's catch, a poultry（家禽） one. They know that the days in which they could earn a living by fishing are numbered. If we fishermen die out, I've always said it's just like with the honeybees（蜜蜂）. If they die out, then all life will die out with them. It's the same with us. We've always been here since time immemorial.

  We can't allow this to happen. If the sea dies here, then everything will vanish along with it. The entire region. Just two years ago, the daily catch here was still plentiful. Much to Juan's delight, the Langostino shrimp harvest was better than ever. But that record harvest was the first sign of a dramatic change.

  Just one year later, the boom（繁荣） became a bust（半身像）. At first, Juan had no idea what was behind this change. He had just a vague（模糊的） sense of unease that he might be one of the last generations here to earn a living from fishing. Back on land, the fish auction gets underway at 10.30. Prices are hammered out in the Longa, the old fish market. The customers, wholesalers（ 批发商） and restaurant owners are all familiar faces.

  Juan and Fulgencio are running late. They lost a lot of time clearing their nets. Then comes the moment of truth. The catch will be weighed, theirs and those of the other fishermen. Prices, and thus their day's take, are determined by supply and demand. Today we'll probably earn about 150 euros or so.

  But after deducting（扣除） fuel and all our other costs, I doubt anything will be left over. We might not even break even. It all depends on the auction. Rearing for their livelihoods（生计）, Juan and the other fishermen have joined forces with local residents. They hope Angel Manadero will help them with their battle. Hello Jesus（耶稣（上帝之子））.