How To Protect The Ocean

Climate Change is a tough topic to cover not just on this podcast, but in any article or documentary. The number of Ocean aspects that are impacted by Climate Change is impossible to cover in one podcast. However, each aspect of Climate Change needs to be discussed and today I am going to be discussing how Climate Change is affecting biodiversity at the Equator.  It's important to note that many h...

I wanted to update you on a few new developments regarding Seaspiracy. The filmmaker doubled down on the wrong fact that sustainable fishing doesn't exist. He also started a petition for the UK to protect 30% of their ocean by 2030, something is already in progress (since 2019). There was a great review by world-renowned Fisheries Scientist, Dr. Daniel Pauly, who said the movie's solution of stop...

A phosphate mine leaked and released an estimated 237 million gallons of wastewater with exceeded levels of phosphorus, nitrate, and ammonia. These levels in addition to the amount of wastewater released could have massive negative effects on marine life (including manatees, fish, and seagrass beds) in the immediate and surrounding areas. The history of this area shows that the marine habitats may...

Seaspiracy tried to tackle an enormous and complex problem and apply a simple solution that would not work on any realistic time scales or take into account cultural motives for eating seafood. However, the movie did highlight some major problems that are facing fisheries. I thought that I would highlight some of these topics and try to apply how you could help in any way or capacity that you coul...

We are bringing back Ocean Talk Friday! Clay Groves, Chief Executive Fish Nerd of the Fish Nerd Podcast, joins me to discuss a couple of articles on Marine Science and Conservation.  The first story we discuss is on a video where artisanal fishermen discuss how they have been forced to adapt their fishing methods because of the effects of Climate Change. The second story involves how the colourful...

I wanted to take this episode to inform you as to how some organizations such as the Earth Island Institute, which acts as a fiscal sponsor, are critical to conservation projects that are creating successes in conservation.  In this episode, I talk about some of the projects associated with organizations like the Earth Island Institute. Links To Article: 1) https://www.earthisland.org/index.php 2)...

Seaspiracy completely dismissed dolphin-safe labels on tuna as corrupt and a failure; however, they did not look at the differences between the labels and the regulations in various countries.  The US has regulations for companies that say their tuna is dolphin-safe and it stems from their Marine Mammal Protection Act and an Amendment that goes back to 1990. The program decreased the mortality of...

Seaspiracy has generated discussions on every social media platform, which can be considered a good thing if you want more people to discuss reducing/eliminating overfishing in the Ocean. However, the types of conversations that I have seen and in which I participated have shown me a few things that we, as a conservation society of newly inspired activists and marine scientists/conservationists, n...

There is no doubt in my mind that Seaspiracy got many facts wrong and misinformed the viewers on many aspects of the fishing industry. They entangled some facts with misinformation or misrepresentation that will cause people to look for the wrong solutions.  They could have made this film so much better by showing some of the solutions that people could support. So here are 3 things I think Seaspi...

Seaspiracy was released on Netflix last week and it was disappointing at best. It tried to "enlighten" viewers about overfishing with a simple question: "Can Fishing Ever Be Sustainable?" and it got the answer wrong because fishing is a complex issue in the Ocean.  Lack of research and misleading interviews threw a number of great organizations under the bus and touted an organization notorious fo...

I wanted to put together an episode of one of my favourite species in the Ocean, the Sea Turtle. There are 7 Sea Turtle Species and they are all on the Endangered Species List for many countries. They face many dangers around the world and at different scales.  I asked my good friend and colleague Dr. Nathan Robinson about the issues and conservation needs of Sea Turtles in 2021 and he provided me...

In order to manage the Ocean we must manage the People. We, the people, need to change the way we buy things to better protect the Ocean. One way is to move toward a Zero Waste lifestyle, but how do we do that. What do we need to do to move to a Zero Waste Lifestyle? We ask for help. And today, I ask Jeanine Sinclair about her journey to going to Zero Waste. Jeanine's Instagram: https://www.instag...

Over 20 years ago, a global project called the Census of Marine Life observed a number of marine species migrating long distances across Oceans. It was new data that technology allowed us to see through satellite tags, a new tool at the time.  Satellite tags have advanced in technology over the past 20 years and that has allowed scientists to understand a little bit more about how marine species m...

I had a conversation with my youngest daughter the other day about science and she asked whether Marine Biologists are scientists. I was quite surprised because I am a Marine Biologist.  I describe the chat and why people who don't think Marine Biologists are not scientists is a problem for Marine Conservation. Want To Talk Oceans? Join the Speak Up For Blue Facebook Group: http://www.speakupforbl...

Imagine the challenges of building a business to 2021. I have a business, Speak Up For Blue ( http://www/speakupforblue.com ) and it is difficult. Now add on the fact that people are building sustainable businesses. Now add on the fact that some people have launched their business in the COVID-19 Pandemic. the challenges are immense and it takes a hard-working person to build a new sustainable bus...

The Manatee population in Florida is doing much better since being added the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act in the 1970s. The population has increased from 600 to over 8000 individuals; however, there are still some things that we can do to make sure humans and our technology do not harm them or kill them, including making sure that the Manatee sensors on Flood Gates w...

We need to manage the human population in order to protect the Ocean. I remember Dr. Edd Hind-Ozan saying that statement in a conversation we had while planning for the International Marine Conservation Congress in Malaysia (2018). It always stuck with me because it was so true. Humans pose the biggest disturbances that contribute to our major issues in the Ocean (Climate Change, Plastic Pollution...

The Marine Mammal Center is an organization that specializes in rescuing Marine Mammals along a 600 mile stretch of California Coastline. It's not an easy thing to do; however, the organization has saved thousands of animals over a 45-year period. I was able to be connected to Adam Ratner (bio below) to discuss how the Marine Mammal Center goes beyond rescuing Marine Mammals through its various pr...

The Cuttlefish is by far my favourite Ocean Animal. It's an invertebrate that is extremely complex and, at the same time, is beautiful. I always knew that Cuttlefish had a higher level of intelligence, but a new study finds that their decision-making ability is beyond what research initially expected. The Cuttlefish can pass the Marshmallow Test, which is a test to detect the level of decision-mak...

I had the privilege of sitting down with the one and only Melissa Cristina Marquez to talk about her experiences using a variety of Science Communication Platforms including social media, network TV (Shark Week and SharkFest - upcoming), podcasting on ConCiencia Azul, and now a fictional author of a series of books related to her time as a Marine Biologist. We also discuss her most recent fieldwor...

There are so many people who are trying to save the Ocean and many of them mean well, but they don't always go about it the right way and pull people into their misguided and/or misinformed campaigns.  This episode contains 4 questions you should ask yourself before you support any Ocean campaign. Link To Article: https://www.facetsjournal.com/doi/full/10.1139/facets-2020-0058?fbclid=IwAR2KeUvO9tu...

The Global Shark Population is declining all over the world; however, there is a way to protect using Marine Protected Areas in Exclusive Economic Zones. They are needed now more than ever since some sharks have a large migration and will venture out of MPA boundaries and into waters that are not protected.  Link To Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jan/31/will-sharks-survive-s...

The Ocean Conveyor Belt is an Ocean circulation system in the Atlantic Ocean that starts with the Gulf Stream coming out of the Gulf of Mexico moving up the East coast of North America and crossing the Atlantic to the UK. The system regulates the Climate along the East coast of North America and Northern Europe.  When the Conveyor Belt is moving at a regular speed it results in the climate that we...

There is a push by the marine science, conservation, and government world to use safer lobster traps that will not pose a threat to marine mammals, such as the critically endangered Northern Right Whales. The problem is that fisheries organizations are worried that the use of the gear is unaffordable and therefore unrealistic.  A recent article on NPR has an audio snippet that gives a peek into wh...

Texas is in a State of Emergency due to a deep freeze event caused by Climate Change. Power outages have caused problems for many citizens in the state as they can't get access to heat and warm water. Now, politicians and media outlets on the right are putting the blame on the failure of renewable energy sources instead of telling the whole story. Find out why by listening to the episode. Link to...