How To Protect The Ocean

Cuba is known for its beautiful environment, especially its Oceans. The government has had quite a bit of control in regulating their fisheries as the industry was private; however, 20 years ago, a private fishing industry was created to create more jobs in the country. The result is a decrease of 80% in commercially important species such as grouper and snapper.  The new policies were set with th...

The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary was established in the early 1990s and a management plan was added in 1997 as things had changed. NOAA has decided to add more protection as things have changed again. Threats such as fishing, climate change, and cruise ship waste are harming corals at an unprecedented rate.  NOAA is proposing to add 8 more protected areas spanning 5 square miles to help...

Carlos Raphael was the kingpin of a fleet of fishing boats that ran the fishing industry in New Bedford, Massachusetts. I said "was" because he was recently convicted on multiple counts of fraud and other crimes for trying to sell his business to two Russian Mobsters (who were really undercover US Agents) by telling them it was a good business in which they could launder money. More details of thi...

I have been discussing how hard it is to shop for daily items such as groceries and household products; however, a new company has started to solve this problem and it's called Loop. Loop sounds like a fantastic way to order items where the containers can be returned, cleaned, and given back to you to use again.  Find out more details by listening to the episode. Would you order from Loop? Share y...

The Amazon is burning and the news is making headlines all over the world. Unfortunately, it took 16 days before anyone really knew about it. Many people now wanting to help, there are many calls to donate to support organizations; however, you want to ensure that you are donating to the right organization. You can follow the rules I mention in this episode to make sure your hard-earned money is g...

I recently took the family on vacation to Darien Lake. We had a great time staying on the grounds and enjoying the Theme Park; however, there were certain parts of the park where I would like to see improvement when it comes to sustainability. I go through the good and the bad things at the park that could impact the Ocean. What is your experience of sustainability at Theme Parks? Share your exper...

Elections Canada has come out with a new rule for this upcoming federal election. The rule is targeted at Environmental Charities in Canada. These charities will not be able to say "Climate Change is real" to influence voters during advertising campaigns because one candidate has denied climate change; therefore, charities who make the statement will be considered partisan and their charitable sta...

I am pleased to make another exciting announcement today as we are releasing another podcast on the Speak Up For Blue Network called Environmental Studies and Sciences. This podcast is supported by the Association for Environmental Studies and Sciences and is also hosted by Dr. Chris Parsons. Here is the description of the first episode: " In the first of the Environmental Studies and Sciences pod...

I am pleased to announce that the Speak Up For Blue Network has released a new podcast called Marine Mammal Science. This podcast is sponsored by the Society of Marine Mammalogy and hosted by our very own Dr. Chris Parsons.  In the first episode, you will hear Chris interview Dr. Asha De Vos on the endangered blue whale species. Subscribe to Marine Mammal Science: Apple Podcast:  https://podcasts....

Atlantic Canada, seals, cod, and the fishing industry have had a tumultuous past. The science communication about seal and cod science has not been great when dealing with the fishing industry, especially since so many fishers rely on their catch as a way to support their families.  The Canadian Government has assembled a Task Team to work with the fishing industry to communicate seal science in a...

Part 2 of my interview with Dr. David Ebert who tells us about the people that participated in the workshops in East and South Africa. Dave was astonished by the dedication of the participants, especially one gentleman who showed up injured from an incident that occurred the night before, but he didn't want to be late.  Check out the full story during the interview for more details. Dave's Work wa...

Dr. David Ebert joins me on the podcast to discuss his latest trip to East and South Africa to conduct workshops with local fishers to help track and identify Guitarfish and Wedgefish, two sharks in need of protection.  This is Part 1 of 2 of the Interview I conducted. Stay tuned for Part 2 in the next episode. Dave's Work was supported by Save Our Seas . Did you know that the Wedgefish and Guitar...

A US government that is hellbent on developing Natural Resources on land and in water will stop at nothing to ensure mining and oil/gas companies have very little obstacles in their way. One of the obstacles is the US Endangered Species Act that is responsible for protecting the Polar Bear, Manatee, and Bald Eagle.  The Trump Administration recently proposed changes to the Act that would put some...

Last episode Suzanne Thurman and I discussed the details of the MERR Institute's Annual Dolphin Count Citizen Science Program. We decided to discuss the MERR Institute's ongoing Citizen Science Programs.  Listen to the episode for more details.  Are you thinking of starting a Citizen Science Program? Share your project in our Speak Up For Blue Facebook Group: http://www.speakupforblue.com/group ....

Suzanne Thurman, founder and Executive Director of the MERR (Marine, Education, Research, and Rehabilitation) Institute , joins me on the podcast today to discuss how she developed an Annual Dolphin Count as a Citizen Science Program along the shores of Deleware. She discusses the logistics, growth, methodology, and results of the program to provide you with an idea of the type of work that goes i...

The Trump administration made some changes to the planned testimony before Congrees of a State Department Analyst on the threat of Climate Change to Florida Reefs that questioned the scientific merit. There could be some repercussions from this type of thought process on climate change in a swing state like Florida. Many Floridians are very aware of many environmental issues (water quality and cor...

Freshwater species often get overlooked when we speak about the conservation of species that are in the water. The focus tends to remain on Ocean species; however, the loss of focus on Freshwater species seems to have resulted in an 88% decline of large vertebrate Freshwater species according to a new report.   Freshwater conservation can happen if we all become more eco-friendly and ensure our go...

Canada has announced the implementation of two new protected areas in the Arctic that will put their coastal ocean protection percentage up to 14%, which is above the 10% promised by the government by 2020. One protected area will be a Marine Protected Area (320,000 square kilometers), which will protect the area from any industrial activity and the other protected area will be a Marine Conservati...

Microplastics in the Ocean are a HUGE concern in the Ocean because they are difficult to detect, they are more toxic in micro form, and they are being ingested by many species in the Ocean. So how can we stop microplastics from getting in the Ocean?  Microplastics get into the Ocean through our use of plastics via our clothes, cosmetics, etc. When we wash our clothes or discard our materials with...

Science Communication is a tricky business at times. A Science Communicator has to balance data and emotions when they create their messages. There are times when the messages have humor and other times when the messages have sadness. These messages can contain data, but the balance may be difficult...And as you will see in this episode, people can turn on you quickly if your message is not well-t...

Greta Thunberg is a 16-year-old Climate Change Activist who has participated in international discussions on Climate Change, where she called out leaders from the United Nations to act on Climate Change instead of just talking about action. Now Greta is traveling across the Atlantic Ocean on a sailboat to attend more international talks in New York, then Chile. Many people are calling her a hero,...

Marine Conservation studies are plagued by the "I could do so much more if I had more...Money...People...etc."  Citizen Science can help with that program as it provides more people to do more things for your Marine Conservation project. Take a listen to the episode for more details. Here is an episode where I discuss a seagrass citizen science program in Australia:  https://directory.libsyn.com/e...

I've seen many articles on melting sea ice discussing how the melting is a sign of climate change; however, I don't feel that the articles discuss how melting sea ice could have an impact on the human population. I decided to let you know those consequences in this episode.  How would you deal with sea level rise? Share your thoughts in the Speak Up For Blue Facebook Group: http://www.speakupforbl...

Working towards a single-use plastic-free life is not the easiest thing in the world. Plastic is engrained in our lives to the point where we don't even think about it. Over the past few years, my wife and I have made it a point to reduce our single-use plastic items in our house.  This episode details a couple of events that made me think further of the way we use plastics inside and outside of o...

A boat sank off the coast of British Columbia in 2016 and spilled 110,000 liters of heavy oils and fuel that washed up along the coast of Indigenous Lands. The Indigenous community used to harvest 25 marine species, but they are not been able to harvest any since the fuel and oil spill.  The Texas-based company that owned the ship was fined $3 million but was not required to do an impact assessmen...