How To Protect The Ocean

We know the problems that many of the common single-use plastics cause in the ocean and we also know that there are plenty of people working to create policies to ban these plastics, but there are more microplastics being used and are entering the environment; therefore, Joe Barnes and Elisa Davey (graduates students from American University) are going to let you know about some of the microplasti...

When you hear about the issues that are facing the ocean you want to help and you will do whatever you can to help the ocean, but sometimes your effort, although well intended, does not hit right; therefore, in this episode, I am going to tell you how you can maximize your efforts by doing the best actions to save the ocean.   Building an online community through digital storytelling 6-week course...

Countries first started to map the Arctic Ocean to show that their northern continental shelf extended far enough to lay claim to the world's northernmost oil deposits and it became a race for sovereignty, but researchers took advantage of the funding to discover and explore the Arctic Ocean bottom; therefore, the researchers were able to discover that the Arctic ocean bottom is changing and it is...

Graduating with a Marine Biology degree is a great accomplishment and new graduates are ready to start looking for a job with eagerness, but they quickly realize that there aren't many jobs available for new graduates...with little experience; therefore, I am going to tell you how you can stand out from the crowd and get a job after graduating. Facebook Group: https://bit.ly/3NmYvsI Connect with S...

Building a connection to the ocean is crucial to getting people interested in conserving the ocean. Marine theme parks that hold orcas, dolphins, seals, and sea lions are often advertised as ways to build the connection between people and the ocean; however, what cost are we willing to spend on building the connection.  Marine mammals are not healthy in captivity and it's time that we end this exp...

Smoking has been banned in most indoor public buildings and restaurants to increase the health of all people forcing smokers to move their habits outside but smokers now discard their cigarette butts on the street where they end up in rivers, lakes, and oceans. Therefore, more policies need to be implemented and enforced so that we keep the oceans clean. Links: 1) https://www.sciencedirect.com/sci...

Erin Smith, Chief Sole Officer, joins me on the podcast to discuss her journey navigating the tech world to taking over and growing a thriving social enterprise that cleans up flip flops that are washed up on the beach and pay artisans to create beautiful animal pieces from them.  Buy one of their pieces and use the code SPEAKUP for 15% off. If you spend more than $250, you will receive a bracelet...

There were two memes that inspired me to think about how we, as marine biologists, promote our field to aspiring marine biologists. We tell everyone that being a marine biologist is a great profession and brings great adventure, but we leave out some details that may help younger people make a valuable decision as to whether they should pursue their passion. It seems as though we are misleading as...

A recent oil spill that covers 18,000 square meters of the coast of Lima, Peru may result in a fine of $37 million dollars, but is it enough? The Spanish company (Repsol) involved is not new to these offenses as it is the fourth time an oil spill has occurred in the area. Oil companies are made of money and they may not be happy about forking over millions of dollars to pay a fine, but they can af...

Pat Shnettler joins me on the podcast to tell me the story of what led him to co-found 12 Tides, a sustainable seafood business that sells nutrient-rich kelp chips to people who want a tasty snack that is ocean safe.  Buy 12 Tides Kelp chips here: https://12tides.com/ Connect with 12 Tides: https://www.instagram.com/12tides/ Connect with Speak Up For Blue: Website:  https://bit.ly/3fOF3Wf Instagra...

Have you ever had someone say to you that they are over the bans on plastic straws or changing their behaviour to help the ocean is too hard? It's a frustrating experience, but it tells us that people are not educated on ocean issues and may not want to be. However, we need to make sure the right information is out there so that people who want to be educated on the ocean can do their part.  In th...

We often wait too late until we change the bad things we do in society. Climate change is wreaking havoc on our planet and we are still debating on whether it's real.  Now, a study showed that microplastics are in the human bloodstream so are we going to do something more radical about plastic pollution so this doesn't become a bigger problem than the crisis it already is? Link to article: https:/...

You grow up wanting to be marine biologists and pursue the tough road through their undergraduate and graduate careers, but after you graduate, you can't find a job, therefore you get extremely frustrated and sad, or maybe worse, you give up. In this episode, I am going to show you why there is hope for you and your career by offering you one piece of advice that helped me when I was in your posit...

Many scientists love communicating their science to the public and they know that science communication is the key to improving conservation, but when they do SciComm they tend to not be their authentic selves causing their audience to disengage. Therefore, in order for SciComm to be effective scientists must connect with their audience by being themselves. In this episode, I provide advice and re...

Mass bleaching is happening more often for longer periods of time every year causing more damage than in previous years and it looks as though coral reefs will change in composition unless something is done to help them adapt, but climate change is not a switch that can be turned on and off. Therefore, certain adaptations will need to be taken in for the survival of coral reefs as we know them. In...

Climate change is rearing its ugly head in many forms, including wildfires, mass coral bleaching, major glaciers and ice sheets melting, and an increase in major storms. the damage of climate change consequences are costing governments billions upon billions of dollars forcing the same governments to develop policies to help curb greenhouse gas emissions. The governments are also calling on indivi...

Indigenous conservation success may not be the same for Western scientists and conservationists, yet we often approach conservation in Indigenous communities with our own preconceived notions of conservation success.  Angelo Villagomez joins me on the podcast to discuss what Indigenous-led conservation means and how it is important to include it in marine conservation.  Link for Angelo: Twitter: h...

Dr. Nathan Robinson was part of a sea turtle research team when the team discovered that one of the sea turtles had a straw stuck up its nose. The entire ordeal was recorded and the video went viral on YouTube and contributed to the global ban the plastic straw campaign. The virality of the video changed Nathan's future career as he now focuses on how video can help identify deep-sea creatures and...

Science communication is an important part of marine conservation. I dedicated my career to SciComm because I feel that telling the public of what is happening to the Ocean is crucial to changing behaviours to live for a better ocean.  However, there are certain times where I have an smh (Shake My Head) moment as a small number of people use certain language that will certainly offend a group of p...

Marine science papers can be hard to interpret if you are not a scientist so I decided to take you through how to interpret them and where there could be some room for error. You may or may not have read a marine science journal article in the past, but there are certain things you need to know before you read them. First off, marine science searches for the truth using the scientific process. The...

The relationship between Indigenous people and the government of Canada is terrible. the relationship with Indigenous people and commercial fishers is also terrible, especially over the past couple of years when the Mi'kmaq nation started up fishing in Nova Scotia.  There has definitely been a need to repair the relationships which will take time and a lot of effort.  One way to repair these relat...

I know you were expecting an episode on Marine Science and Conservation today; however, I am quite distracted by the news of the invasion of Ukraine this past week. I don't feel very inspired to podcast after watching the videos online of the war.  So I decided to take a week off to get my mental health in check so I can come back next week with some great energy and content.

Julie Kuchepatov is seeking to fight gender inequality within the seafood industry. She launched the Conch podcast where she interviews women at various levels of the seafood supply chain to tell their stories and show how women can be successful in the seafood industry.  I chat with Julie to talk about how she started her organization, Seafood and Gender Equality, and launched her podcast. This i...

In the last episode, I talked about a citizen science project in the Southern Atlantic Ocean targeted at recreational fishers. I'm sure some of you wanted to join that program because let's face it, it was a fun program that saved sharks.  There are thousands of citizen science projects around the world and there is a good chance that one of those projects is in your area.  I provide tips on how t...

Sharks in the southern Atlantic ocean are being protected through a citizen science program with sport fishers who regularly target sharks. Why is this a big deal you ask? Previous to this program, sport fishers were killing the sharks that they caught due to the sharks' bad reputation. A study quantified the number of sharks killed per year as 18 sharks were caught per trip (on average), which eq...