How To Protect The Ocean

Dr. Lyne Morissette joins me on the podcast to discuss 3 stories that were in the news this week: 1) The Mediterranean Sea and the Great Lakes are experiencing higher eutrophication levels than ever before due to poor water management and climate change; 2) EPA head, Scott Pruitt, says Climate Change will benefit humans because we've always thrived in warm temperatures; and, 3) The Queen of Englan...

Traveling to any place around the world is an exciting adventure full of positive thoughts about travelling, enjoying foreign cultures, food and drinks. Yet there seems to be little thought on Environmental Protection when we search for hotels or other places to stay. Perhaps because we don't want to think about the things that were done to create the "paradise" advertised online, in a magazine, o...

I'm back from my Mexico trip with the family and I can't wait for you to hear today's episode. In this episode, I talk about the results of the first 5 years of 83 marine reserves in Southern Australia and their status and why adaptive management plays such an important role with stakeholders (the abalone fisher group in particular). I also give a bit of a rant on how we can communicate Marine Sci...

On today's episode for Ocean Talk Friday, I discuss 3 stories that I think you should know about: 1) The Australian Government may be wasting $60 Million on ineffective projects, according to expert panel; 2) Scientists determine plastic pollution can kill corals; and, 3) New Antarctic Sea expedition could provide the evidence necessary to protect 1.8 square kms of diverse habitat. Enjoy the Podca...

I am proud to have Dr. Dave Ebert back on the podcast to discuss deep-sea sharks from around the world. Dave gives us career advice, tells us a story about how he and colleagues discovered a species of skate in the North Pacific (that was more abundant then originally thought) and talks about his upcoming expedition to Sri Lanka to look for deep-sea sharks.  You will not want to miss this episode!...

I am covering 3 Ocean News stories for today's episode: 1) There were 300 dead thresher sharks found on the side of the road in Mexico and investigators are saying it has to do with organized crime; 2) A fisher in Costa Rica was surprised to see plastic pieces, including a lighter, after he cut open his catch...a mahi-mahi fish; and, 3) A Right Whale was spotted off the coast of Naples, Florida wh...

On today's episode for Ocean Talk Friday, I talk about 2 important issues that came across my desk this week. Trump implemented a 30% tax on Imported Solar Panels from China to protect American Jobs; however, the move will likely kill over 20K American jobs.  The second story I cover is about the Pay-for Internship/Volunteership that is designed to give early career scientists/conservationists exp...

Melina Soto from Healthy Reefs, a non-profit organization based in Mexico, is here to talk about the health of the Mesoamerican Coral Reef that spans 4 countries: Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and Honduras. We talk about the rapid decrease from the 1990s to 2006 that triggered a multinational coastal monitoring program to help inform managers and politicians on how they could make better decisions to...

Right Whales may have their day in court, how to get over the depressing part of conservation and is this the beginning of the end for single use plastic (I certainly hope so!!!) are the topics that I am covering today on the podcast.  For more detailed show notes and link to the articles, click here Enjoy the Podcast!!! If you are interested in creating a podcast for your conservation organizatio...

Dr. Lyne Morissette joins me today for Ocean Talk Friday where we discuss the East China Sea Ship Collision and Oil Spill that occurred last week.  We also discuss the Vancouver Aquarium's announcement that they are ending their captive Cetacean program. We talk about the difference between captive cetaceans for entertainment vs rescue and rehabilitation. It's an interesting conversation.  Click h...

Chris Cilfone and he team are on the quest to accomplish the impossible, filming the birth of a Humpback Whale in the Ocean. Filming an event like this has never been done before so the Kohola (Meaning Whale) team has a huge challenge in front of them. However, National Geographic believe in the them as they provided a small grant to set them on their way and NOAA (National Oceanographic and Atmos...

Happy Monday Folks! Today's episode I chat about:  1) Wether a whale saved a marine biologist from a tiger shark (8:52); 2) Why the Trump Administration gave Florida an exemption from oil and gas exploration/drilling and not other states (18:19); and, 3) Why Blue Crab pee can be good for the health of oyster habitats in Georgia. (28:00) Enjoy The Podcast!!! Check out more detailed show notes on ou...

Melissa Marquez joins me on the podcast today to discuss the hot topics of the week in Marine Science and Conservation. This week, we discuss a push to ban plastic straws in the UK and how Bonnethead sharks have been found to ingest as well as digest seagrass.  But we first chat about how Melissa is creating the Spanish version of the Speak Up For Blue Podcast called ConCiencia Azul. We talk about...

Hypoxic, or oxygen-depleted zones, are growing in size and number around the world. I cha about why this is happening and my experience working with a research team that measured the extent of the hypoxic zone in the Gulf of Mexico stemming from the Mississippi River.  I also chat about an article shared by one of our Facebook Group members about how Climate Change is affecting the ratio of males...

The Trump Administration has proposed to open 90% of US Outer Continental Shelf to Oil and Gas Drilling. I discuss what that means for the Marine Environment and its Conservation and how we can prevent these types of changes in the future. (14:53) I also chat about a recent discussion on the internet about whether we should avoid citing people who have been outed as sexual harassers, sexual predat...

Science and Policy articles always give us an insight on how local communities depend on local resources. In today's episode, I discuss an article that studies how breastfeeding is a socio-economic driver for fishing effort. the article describes how malnutrition of impoverished fishing communities are working as a driver for fishers to spend more time trying to catch fish of which there are less...

Climate Change is not proven or disproven by the current Weather. Freezing temperatures have brought on questioning by climate deniers as to whether climate change is real. It's still real and I talk about why during the podcast.  I also talk about how a cyclone in India dumped 80 tons of plastic debris along its coastline. I bleak reminder of the severity of plastic pollution in our oceans.  Chec...

In this last episode of 2017, I breakdown what you can expect from Speak Up For Blue in 2018. Here is the list: 1) New podcast shows: Marine Conservation Happy Hour, ConCiencia Azul (Speak Up For Blue in Spanish, hosted by Melissa Marquez) and Speak Up For Blue in French (Hosted by Dr. Lyne Morissette).  2) You Tube Videos - I will be creating regular You Tube videos for 2 , maybe 3, episodes per...

As we wind down 2017 and get ready for 2018, I revisit the top 5 most downloaded podcasts of 2017: 5) Episode 285 - Ocean Talk Friday featuring Lyne Morissette 4) Episode 326 - How To Eat Sustainable Seafood with Fish Nerds Clay Groves 3) Episode 289 - Human Activities and the Ocean 2) Episode: 360 - Marine Conservation Career Struggles: 4 Perspectives (Marine Conservation Happy Hour Preview) 1) E...

I wanted to post a shorter episode today (Merry Christmas everyone!!!) to highlight my wishes for the Marine Science and Conservation Field: 1) I would like to see people read more science papers or know more about them; 2) I would like to see people in the field be nicer to each other (eliminate sexual harassment and bias and colleagues standing up for each other); 3) I would like to see citizens...

Climate Change has a number of consequences that affect you and I directly and indirectly. Some consequences such as increased storm frequency and intensity, we see in front of our eyes (think Hurricane Irma); however, others go unnoticed (think Ocean Acidification).  All of Climate Change's consequences are important and are brought on by us in the form of increased Greenhouse gases (CO2). We kno...

Coral Reefs have had it rough over the past few decades; however, the past 3 years were just devastating. Each of the last 3 years have been the hottest year on record. Coral reefs don't do very well when the Sea Surface Temperature gets too hot, they tend to bleach. For example, 93% of the Great Barrier Reef bleached over the past 3 years. It's been rough... Coral Reef conservation is happening a...

Welcome to the Ocean Update Episode where I take you through 2 stories and an opinion piece that I think are important: 1) Scientists did not find a 512 year old Greenland Shark (9:54); 2) Opinion: We have quite a bit of work as Marine Conservationists to educate the people (16:22); and, 3) US Federal Government is banning words for scientists to use (33:19). Enjoy the Podcast!!! This episode is b...

I ask myself three questions on today's Ocean Talk Friday episode: 1) Will charging 3 men with animal cruelty deter others from hurting animals?; 2) Did Blue Planet II help save the Ocean by raising awareness? Was it designed to do that? 3) Did you know some Shrimp are injected with a chemical called CMC to make them look bigger?  This episode is brought to you courtesy of our Patreon Contributors...

Bonnie Waycott joins me on the podcast today to discuss how the Japanese aquaculture industry is recovering after the March 11th, 2011 Tsunami that devastated part of Japan. Recovery efforts are still ongoing almost 7 years later, where some families are still in temporary housing as their homes are still not back together.    Japan is a country that has a bad reputation for Marine Conservation as...