How To Protect The Ocean

We all know that the Vaquita, a small porpoise endemic to the Sea of Cortez, is nearly extinct; however, there are many organizations that are still fighting to keep the Vaquita from going extinct.  The Vaquita population is in trouble because they keep getting killed from illegal fishing practices in the Sea of Cortez by fishers who are trying to catch another endangered species called Totoaba. A...

A number of episodes ago, I discussed an article that showed an increase in sales at thrift stores in the UK . I admitted to you that I had never bought 2nd hand clothes before and I couldn't even tell you how the process works.  I received a number of messages after that episode from the audience telling me about their experiences in shopping 2nd hand and how they did it almost exclusively.  Jack...

Plastic pollution is a big problem in all parts of the world, especially in harbors and coastal areas where rivers empty into the ocean. There are teams of people who are trying to figure out how to clean up the plastic and debris in the Oceans and there are others that are trying to keep the human population from using more single-use plastic.  A Dutch Environmental Company called RanMarine has d...

The Great White Shark is a mysterious animal. Feared by many and respected by all for their status as an apex predator. The shark has been around for hundreds of millions of years, where it has evolved many times to survive. Scientists have been wondering how a primitive shark could survive for so long without being wiped out. The answer may be in their DNA.  A team of researchers has been able to...

There are a couple of videos that I came across on the internet today that really got me on a rant that I recorded for today's podcast. The first video is of a child near a shoreline feeding a stingray shrimp. The child pets the animal and even lifts up the front par to of the stingray to slid food towards its mouth on the underside. All of this is going on while the parents hand the child more sh...

Imagine a world where your products are not made of microplastics, but some alternative compound derived from squid teeth . Crazy, right? Well, the idea may not be so far fetched.  Melik Demirel, director of Penn State's Center for Research on Advanced Fiber Technologies, has discovered a way to use the proteins from squid ring teeth (the serrated rings along squid tentacles) as a way to create an...

A few episodes ago I spoke about how some Non-profit organizations were taking advantage of early career scientists/conservationists by asking them to work for free on what should be paid positions. This episode I list alternative ways to work in Marine Conservation without going the traditional 9-5 route.  I would love your feedback on this episode and if you would ever consider following an alte...

Marauder Robotics is currently developing (and about to test) an underwater robot that will hunt for sea urchins in hopes to curtail their predation and destruction of kelp beds in different parts of the world.  I learned about food web dynamics in University where the professors used sea otter-urchin-kelp bed dynamics as an example. Don't worry, I give you a short explanation in this episode.  Do...

I had the pleasure of attending OceanWise 's Chowder Chowdown event in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in the Distillery District last night. It was a fantastic time catching up with friends and enjoying great sustainable food.  The OceanWise program is designed to support and highlight restaurants/chefs that follow sustainable seafood practices. I spoke with some people at the event who mentioned that t...

The Capelin Fishing community in Newfoundland and Labrador is concerned that the stock has declined to a point where their livelihoods are in trouble. The fishing community has observed Capelin spawning later in the summer than normal and the individuals that are spawning are smaller than normal.  Fisheries and Oceans Canada scientists are not too concerned about the low numbers of capelin as the...

I happened to be tagged in a post in the Marine Biology Network and Job Postings Facebook Group last night that became riddled with comments from a variety of people. The post was an ad for an "internship" with the job requirements designed for a paid position for somebody with 5-10 of experience.  I go on an almost 20-minute rant on how organizations need to stop taking advantage of experience-hu...

We all know fisheries can have a negative effect on other animals as the gear tends to trap the animals, which can lead to injuries and even death. Researchers in France are witnessing the same effect, but at a larger scale as 600 dolphins washed up dead along a beach in France. Researchers believe there are more dolphins dead that sunk to the bottom of the ocean as well. The dolphins had injuries...

Illegal fisheries is a huge problem and the story that you are about to listen to will highlight why it is so difficult to stop. This episode has the components of a great movie with crime syndicates, high seas chases, fraud, and computer hacking.  Let me know what you think about this story in the Facebook Group: http://www.speakupforblue.com/group . Want to get started on living for a better Oce...

Dr. Edward Hind-Ozan is back again for his segment "What's Going On In Marine Social Science This Week." T oday, Edd and I discuss a participatory study of Indigenous communities within the Salish Sea.   The study involves two marine social scientists who participate in a large community canoe trip to bring together the youth and elders of the communities as they connect with their culture through...

There are many people out there that are posting about how they can't find a job in Marine Conservation. Finding a job in this field is probably the toughest thing out there for aspiring Marine Conservationists. There are more people graduating with similar degrees, but job availability doesn't seem to grow in the same way. This problem is why I feel that applicants need to be unique and provide t...

Danielle Eubank is an artist that is preparing to go to the Antarctic to paint the Ocean as part of her almost 2-decade long project called 1 Artist 5 Oceans. She paints the Oceans with a mission to connect her audience to the Ocean as they may not have had the chance to connect with it in other ways.  Danielle is a prime example of how we need to connect with target audiences with messages that a...

There is an increase in the number of people who are buying and/or exchanging 2nd hand clothing. A recent article in the Guardian highlighted a few women who buy, alter and sell used clothing to spread the awareness that we need more sustainability in the fashion industry . The method of the message is catching on. Sales in 2nd hand stores in some stores grew 30% over the last year.  So why don't...

Pacific White-Sided Dolphins have been observed swimming with Orcas during monitoring studies using drones. It's an interesting observation that has resulted in researchers asking the question: Why Do Dolphins Swim with Orcas?  You may think that dolphins swimming with Orcas is normal and it is in a way; however, you must consider the fact that some Orcas prey on dolphins. Yet, dolphins continue t...

Approximately 17 Orcas have died in Hudson's Bay over the past few years because they got stuck in the bay by the ice. The marine mammals went into the bay during the winter months when there was no ice present (during a period of warming) to stalk belugas and narwhals; however, the ice came back and the animals got stuck in the bay without food cause the animals to starve to death.  The local Orc...

Imagine you are a local rock lobster fisher that relies on the sale of your catches to support your family. There are only 2000 fishers within the community, so it's relatively small. Now, the state government decides it is going to take 17% of the fishery to provide funds for the local community.  How would you feel about that? This situation is happening in Western Australia right now.  Listen t...

A long term great white shark survey conducted in False Bay , South Africa . has found that there has been a sharp decrease in Great White Sharks in 2017 and 2018. Those two years resulted in zero sightings of the once dominant shark species in the area. So what happens to a marine ecosystem when an apex predator disappears?  Dr. Neil Hammershlag (University of Miami) and Chris Fallows (Apex Shark...

I have the pleasure of having a great discussion with Danni Washington about sustainable clothing and for the need for people to rethink the way they look at fashion as it affects the Ocean. Danni is a Marine Biologist who is originally from Miami, but travels around the world to discuss Marine Conservation and support ecotourism and sustainable brands. She is THE definition of an Oceanpreneur.  D...

Florida loves to fish! They love to fish for sharks from the beach. It's quite popular to fish for sharks from the beach in many parts of Florida. The fishing practice is a bit controversial as many anglers have been taking selfies with the sharks they catch.  Why is that so controversial? The fishers are excited about what they caught. They followed the rules, for the most part; however, the act...

Dr. Andrew Wright joins us on a special episode today as we recorded this interview about his field work in Antarctica while he was still in ANTARCTICA!!!! Andrew is working with on a team of scientists to gather information on fish-eating Orcas that frequent the Ross Sea as part of a monitoring program for the Ross Sea MPA.  Andrew and I discuss the field work that involved great encounters with...

I am pleased to have Dr. Edward Hind-Ozan back on the podcast to do discuss "What Is Happening In Marine Social Science This Week?" It's a weekly segment where Edd brings us articles that he and I discuss where we focus on people and their interaction with the Ocean.  On today's segment, Edd and I discuss a paper by Dr. Angela Dean on how conservation messaging should be different for different gr...