Ocean Collaborations

The day before we sat down in Kiel, a Second World War bomb was found next to our train in Hamburg. The next morning, every phone in the room started screaming. That was the start of the week Graham Patterson (REEF Roundup) and I spent in northern Germany for a three-part documentary series. Below the surface of the North Sea and the Baltic lie 1.6 million tons of munitions. Not lost in battle. Pu...

Marine conservation faces a tough reality: philanthropic grants are shrinking just as ocean crises accelerate. Drawing boundary lines only creates “paper parks” - marine protected areas lacking financial durability, enforcement, and authentic local ownership. In this episode of Ocean Collaborations , Jan Maisenbacher sits down with Angelique “Angie” Brathwaite , Director of Conservation and Scienc...

We talk constantly about regenerating the ocean - but who is regenerating the people doing the work? In my very first solo episode, I step behind the mic to get honest about ocean conference exhaustion, superficial networking, and change leader burnout. How do we move from passive panels to transformative retreats and radical collaboration? Tune in to Episode 37 for an intimate reflection on creat...

What if marine conservation began not with another boundary on a map, but with a question: who has lived with this ocean, and what do they already know? In this new episode of Ocean Collaborations , Jan Maisenbacher speaks with Ihirau Piton , a 23-year-old Tahitian anthropology student and Pacific youth leader. His starting point is disarmingly clear: “Protecting the ocean cannot come without prot...

If you’ve spent any time in the corporate or NGO world, you know the “incremental” trap. We celebrate 2% gains while the system we’re trying to save is heading South at 100mph. My guest Clare Brook reached that breaking point in 2014. After 24 years in sustainable finance-pioneering ESG before it was a buzzword - she realized that moving the dial “gradually” through investor engagement wasn’t just...

I grew up in a small german village, deeply rooted in the rituals of the Roman Catholic Church. For around ten years in my childhood the church wasn’t just a building; it was the heartbeat of our community - a place where faith translated into collective action and a shared moral compass. Fast forward to my first major ocean conference in Nice in June 2025. Amidst the sterile policy halls and the...

Are you tired of attending yet another high-level environmental summit only to walk away feeling like you just witnessed another round of “blue blue blah blah” ? For those of us working towards blue regenerative societies the gap between ambitious political declarations and real-world execution can be a source of frustration. We know what needs to be done, yet institutional inertia (and non- colla...

Arthur is Executive Director of the Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA) and brings more than two decades of experience in marine conservation and marine protected area management. If you work in ocean conservation, marine policy, philanthropy, impact, or the blue economy, you probably know this feeling: there is no shortage of ambition. More targets. More declarations. More co...

Dennis Fritsch from Oceano Azul Foundation talks with host Jan Maisenbacher about the recently launched longterm initiative ‘Re+Valuing Blue Natural Capital’ of the London School of Economics and Oceano Azul Foundation. Because the real systemic challenge is how our world counts value. Our current economic system rewards “extraction” - taking things out of nature until it breaks. A dead fish at a...

The Missing Link: Can We Save the Ocean Without China? We all feel the urgency, but let’s be honest: are we just talking to ourselves? As ocean collaboration change agents, we often treat China like a “blackbox” - too big to ignore, yet too complex to reach. If you’ve feel isolated in your efforts to scale impact this episode is your “energizer”. We’re crossing the bridge to meet Songlin Wang , an...

Join Birgit Liodden and Jan Maisenbacher on an inspiring ocean collaboration ride. 🔥 Why you shouldn’t miss this episode: * A rare insider view (and new moratorium initiative!) on the fight against deep sea mining * Concrete pathways toward regenerative blue economy solutions * A glimpse into how community + technology can unlock system change (like the Female Founder & Owners Initiative , Guardi...

We’re thrilled to launch the very first Ocean Collaborations Reflections Episode - our new quarterly deep dive into ocean truths amid 2026’s chaos! Your hosts: Jan from Switzerland (almost 50, ocean newbie 😊) and Peter Neill (85-year ocean vet from the US 🗽). Peter built the World Ocean Observatory from scratch decades ago, shifting museums from dusty past to urgent ocean future. Jan started his...

🌊🎙️ What does collaboration look like when the ocean itself becomes a frontline? In Episode 27 we are joined by research scientist Alice Guittard . Set against the backdrop of the Black Sea - a region shaped by both ecological richness and geopolitical tension - this episode brings you into the heart of the now-concluded BRIDGE Black Sea project. And what emerges is not just a story of research,...

How can we protect our ocean while also helping our coastal communities? In our latest episode of Ocean Collaborations, Jan Maisenbacher talks with Wietse van der Werf. He is the founder of the Sea Ranger Service , a bold social enterprise that is changing how we think about marine conservation. 🚢 10 (!) years of ocean impact: Sea Ranger Service Wietse believes that to save our seas, we must move...

In this special “premiere collaboration” episode of Ocean Collaborations , Jan Maisenbacher speaks with veteran ocean podcaster and marine conservationist Andrew Lewin (host of How to Protect the Ocean ) . Join us as we reflect on the 13th World Ocean Summit from the Economist with Andrew sharing insights from his experiences having been at the summit. We are exploring ocean conservation, internat...

Our 2nd episode from South America is out! AND: it is a milestone jewel in ocean collaboration… This episode became possible thanks to the media partnership of Podcast Ocean Collaborations at the One Ocean Science Congress in Nice in June 2025 organised from Ifremer & CNRS . From the heart of the Pacific Ocean, a brilliant beacon of hope is shining for all of us: Listen to the magical work of Jorg...

In this episode Nathan Bennett and Jan Maisenbacher discuss the future of the blue economy , marine protected areas , social equity, and the importance of civic engagement in ocean conservation. Learn more about the regenerative blue economy concept and discover how collaboration across sectors can drive sustainable and regenerative ocean practices. Nathan is Global Oceans Lead Scientist at WWF ,...

🌊 Happy 1st Birthday to the Ocean Collaborations Podcast! 🎂 We are so happy to celebrate one year of inspiring ocean collaboration episodes. As a global media & community channel we share authentic ocean collaboration wisdom in times of geopolitical & multilateral crisis - from ocean change makers for ocean change makers to shape blue regenerative futures. 🥳 Here’s our gift episode to our world...

In this episode of Ocean Collaborations, Jan Maisenbacher speaks with Janne van Erten from Ocean Cleanup about the organization’s efforts to combat plastic pollution in the oceans. They discuss the significant impact of the Ocean Cleanup’s initiatives, including the 30 Cities Program aimed at reducing plastic flow from rivers into the ocean. This isn’t just about cleaning one river; it’s a strateg...

In this episode of Ocean Collaborations, host Jan Maisenbacher speaks with Marie-Céline Piednoir, founder of Positive Ripple Consulting, about her journey from the corporate world to ocean conservation. They discuss the importance of personal responsibility in ocean awareness, the challenges of navigating a career in ocean conservation, and the role of women in this field. The conversation also ex...

On 17 January , the BBNJ Agreement (High Seas Treaty) officially enters into force – a historic step for global ocean protection. To mark this milestone, Episode #19 of Ocean Collaborations looks at what this agreement means far beyond coastlines , with youth collaboration and equity at the center. Jan Maisenbacher speaks with Autone Mululuma (20) , a passionate climate justice advocate and one of...

In the #18 episode the Founder and Executive Director of Noventus Foundation , Koen Vriesacker, sails close to the winds of ocean collaboration with Jan Maisenbacher 🌊 . Koen is an belgian-based expert inter-organizational in networks who's spent 16 years mastering the art of wicked collaboration. It is a discussion on the relevance of interorganisational collaboration, and why this is needed to...

In this Ocean Collaborations podcast episode Jan Maisenbachers surfes and dives with Karen Sack , Co‑Founder and Executive Director of the Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance . This alliance is celebrating five years and keeps innovating to deliver 50 finance products by 2030 to drive $500M into nature-based solutions. Their Mission: Build the resilience of 250 million climate vulnerable cos...

In this episode of Ocean Collaborations, Jan Maisenbacher speaks with Karine Toumazeau , founder and CEO of Moshun. Earth They exchange around her innovative work where she is flipping corporate foodprints into ocean wins. This episode starts with an honest conversation around Karine’s Mompreneurship journey. It also explores the opportunities of silo-breaking collaboration across sectors to addre...

In this conversation, Kendra MacDonald , CEO of Canada’s Ocean Supercluster, discusses the challenges and opportunities in the blue economy moving to a blue regenerative economy. She emphasizes the importance of collaboration and innovation and relates it to her career transition from consulting seven years ago to network and promote technology and investment in the ocean sector. The dialogue also...