Sea shanties have always held a social purpose aboard ships. Deckhands commonly used shanties to break their prolonged state of loneliness, alleviate boredom, and lighten the burden of repetitive synchronized tasks. Though perhaps the most significant motive for sailors to write and vocalize shanties was to lessen and rationalize an anxiety-filled life at sea. Just as sailors sang shanties to comprehend their omnipresent fears of the vast, threatening ocean, I use the shanty verse to act as a cautionary tale bringing to light society’s consumerist burden on aquatic ecosystems.