How To Protect The Ocean

In 2016, a mass die-off of thousands of tufted puffins washed up emaciated and either dead or dying due to changes in their food supply.  Puffins are seabirds that feed on pollock, cod, and other fish at the edge of cold pools in the Bearing Sea. The puffins rely on the healthy fish to eat so that they have the energy to fly, molt, and survive the harsh environment of Alaska.  Unfortunately, the w...

Darcie Anderson is my guest today and she is here to tell us how she is living for a better Ocean. Darcie has lived in 5 countries, including living 500 meters from the Ocean in a Nature Reserve. She is a second-year student in Marine Science at the University of Highlands and Islands in Scotland and she is a youth leader from AYUDH Europe, an organization that empowers youth to lead in social and...

Did you know that countries ship their recycled waste to other countries for recycling and disposal? Well, apparently it's been happening for a while, but it seems like it's going to stop now. Malaysia and the Philippines are sick and tired of Canada's Recycled and Contaminated waste so they are sending it back.  As a Canadian, I am appalled that we were sending our Trash away. It will be interest...

I've lived through a Category 3 Hurricane before and it was intense...I know, I know, that's nothing compared to what the people along the US East Coast have experienced. I can't imagine what it would be like to live through a Category 5 Hurricane! Well, according to recent research from Columbia University and NOAA, hurricane intensity may increase further as Climate Change progresses.  Sea Surfa...

The title of this episode changes as I provide my opinion on the clothes that are available (fast fashion) and the clothes that we should be buying (vintage, 2nd hand clothes made of natural fibers). The whole idea of fast fashion selling cheap clothes ($4 for a t-shirt is just not right!) makes me queezy...it makes me even more queezy that I am attracted to those deals because, well, I'm cheap! I...

At the Collision Conference, I had the chance to speak with some of the Entrepreneurs that are trying to disrupt the current environmentally harmful markets with products and services that will replace the status quo.  I describe four companies that impressed me at the conference that was out to change the world.  The Brands I Talked About During The Show: Edible Brandz Plant Plus - no website rig...

This episode is coming at you straight from the Collision Conference, a conference where tech meets solutions for everything. Today, I am focused on the Planet: Tech portion of the conference, where I saw speakers from the Plastic Pollution Coalition, Climate Action Network Canada, Loliware, Akoin (From the musician, Akon!), and the CEO of the Leonardo Dicaprio Foundation. I also saw a very specia...

Nick Wehner from Open Communications For The Ocean (OCTO) joins me again today to discuss the updates to the new version of the MarXiv ( https://marxiv.org ) pre-print, open-access database.  During the episode, Nick and I discuss the goals achieved by the database in less than two years and how much money it saved users who would otherwise have to pay a high fee subscription just to get access to...

I was invited to a conference by a listener of this podcast, Rachel Wheeler, that I've never attended before. The conference is called the Collision Conference, which involves solving a number of problems through technology. There are 500 speakers at the conference including Prime Minister Trudeau, Seth Rogen, the CEO from the Plastic Pollution Coalition, and the CEO from the Leonardo DiCaprio Fou...

Researchers have found a massive amount of plastic on a remote island in the Indian Ocean. The plastic and debris were not made or used by a population of 600 people that live on the island. It came from other countries generated by other people.  Unfortunately, the local community will be affected by this plastic pollution for decades to come as it will take a lifetime to get rid of all of the pl...

A new study has revealed a warming Climate has caused a change in the number, location, and intensity of Tornadoes in the US' Tornado Alley.  I discuss how tornadoes have changed over the past 4 decades and what those ramifications could be for the average US citizen. I also discuss how Climate Change has affected other types of storms and their ramifications. Take a listen and let me know whether...

Recent laws that were made in the US regarding abortion made me think that we as citizens in our own countries need to pay attention to politics and how our elected officials vote on particular issues, especially issues that affect the Oceans. It doesn't matter what side of the political spectrum you are on, your elected officials should represent the values of their constituents. We need to monit...

During yesterday's episode, I talked about how we need to stop letting trash get in our Ocean by living an Ocean Lifestyle. It's a way to make sure that we ask ourselves if what we do, eat, or where will negatively affect the Ocean.  An Ocean Lifestyle requires educating ourselves on how we can do better and what we can do or buy to make sure we are not having a negative impact on our planet, espe...

It's amazing that we can find trash in the deepest parts of the Ocean. And when I say amazing, I mean that in the most depressing way! Some people see the news of trash in the deepest parts of the Ocean and don't know what I do. Other people, like myself, see trash at the deepest parts of the Ocean and want to see action.  I want to see myself and my community doing more to stop using wasteful pro...

A recent opinion article that was written by George Monbiot in the Guardian told everyone to stop eating fish in order to save fish stocks. Monbiot listed a number of problems with the current fishing industry in the UK (and can be echoed around the world) and quickly dismissed the solutions that are being implemented to reduce and stop over-fishing.  I disagree with some of the points made by Mon...

Dr. Johnny Briggs from the PEW Charitable Trust's Bertarelli Ocean Legacy Program to discuss his work on Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and Other Effective Conservation Measures (OECMs) in the UK and the Overseas Territories. The UK committed to protecting 60% of its coastline using a combination of MPAs and OECMs. Take a listen to determine how PEW and their partners worked on achieving such an am...

Punta Fuego is a Belizean Radio show that follows a fictitious character named Richie , who is a fisherman trying to stay on the right side of the law and abide by fisheries regulations.  The radio show is designed to target fishing villages across the country to bring about the education of fisheries regulations of Marine Protected Areas. The show has made more fishers aware fo regulations and bo...

Dr. Chris Parsons joins me on the podcast again today. This time Chris is discussing the results of a new report on the science of mortality and life expectancy of Marine Mammals in captivity compared to wild.  There are many misleading "facts" out there regarding mortality and life expectancy so this report comes at the right time.  Listen to Chris discuss the details now and let us know your tho...

Last week a video surfaced of some boaters in Norway that came upon a Beluga Whale in the wild. the interesting fact about this video was that the Beluga Whale had Russian military straps on it. The internet became outraged that this poor Beluga whale was being used to spy for the Russian government; however, what many people failed to realize was that the US military also has a history of using m...

Imagine a life where all businesses go about their business with minimal impact on the Ocean and the Planet as a whole. It sounds like a great dream, doesn't it?! According to a recent UN Global Environmental Health Report, we will need to make serious changes faster to reach that dream, or else.  The UN Report is a damning one that calls out deleterious human practices that have altered most of t...

Dr. Jane Lubchenko, the NOAA Administrator from 2009-2013 while President Obama was in power, called out the Trump Administrations new Nominee for the same position in an Oped in the New York Times .   Her reasons? 1) He has no scientific background; and, 2) He has a serious conflict of interest. Tune into the episode to find out more. Share your thoughts on the nominee in our Speak Up For Blue Fa...

Large Basking Sharks have been spotted off the coast of Southern California. It's important to note that this has not happened in decades, according to this article . There has actually been an increase in sightings of Basking Sharks, which could mean two things: 1) More people are able to identify Basking Sharks and not mistake them for Great White Sharks; and/or, 2) There are more Basking Sharks...

The Buzz Phrase on the month has been "Climate Change Emergency." Federal Governments, States/Provincial Governments, and Municipal Governments have declared Climate Change Emergencies all over the world. However, some governments may just be using it as a way to build a positive relationship with their citizens.   I discuss 3 articles relating to Climate Change Emergency Declarations and Actions...

There are reports of Grey Whales washing up along the West Coast of the US dead . Necropsies were conducted on 20 individuals and the bodies were found to be emaciated, which means the whales have not been eating properly.  This is a concerning situation because Grey Whales feed by scooping up the sediment and eating the crustaceans that lie within it. If there is not enough food within the sedime...

You never know what is going to happen when you are working in the Marine Conservation Field. It doesn't matter if you are a scientist, a communicator or a marketer because your job could be gone at any moment.  I'm not trying to scare you. I am trying to prepare you for what might happen to your career as it happened to me as well.  Working in this field is not secure by any means. You work on te...