Seas The Day

How old were you when you found out whales were mammals? It feels like an obvious fact now, but did you ever wonder who first decided to put these fish-like titans of the ocean in the same group as mice and foxes? In this episode, Brandon Gertz follows the story of how whales became mammals, from the birth of natural history over 2,000 years ago to modern genetics.

On this episode, Nora Ives sits down with faculty member Dr. Doug Nowacek to discuss his newly awarded Department of Energy funded WOW project, which stands for Wildlife and Offshore Wind. They explore some of the potential impacts of offshore wind on wildlife, mitigation measures, and goals of the WOW Project.

On this episode, Rafa Lobo introduces two new members of our team: Rebecca Horan and Junyao Gu. Junyao runs the show, exploring the ins and outs of a PhD program application process. She interviews five PhD students and our doctoral program coordinator, to learn about the biggest challenges, reasons to do it, tips for those wishing to apply, as well as some systemic inequalities inherent in the pr...

In this episode, former students Bo Baney, Victoria Grant, and Katie Ridgeway take on the controversial issue of wildlife poaching. Whether hunting is illegal or legal, for sport or for food, for sale or consumption, it is almost always controversial, particularly if charismatic wildlife are involved. Bo, Victoria, and Katie tackle the topic from a variety of angles, looking at history of the term...

This episode features an interview with Duke Professor Martin Smith by The Doorstep, a podcast by the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs. Hosts Nikolas K. Gvosdev and Tatiana Serafin interviewed Marty in April 2021, on topics of fisheries sustainability, food security, and ocean governance generally. Their conversation ranges widely, from new policy initiatives of the Biden admin...

The Convention of Biological Diversity is set to meet in October 2021 and will discuss adopting a new target of protecting 30% of the ocean by 2030. Over the last two decades, there has been a drastic increase in the number of large-scale marine protected areas (MPAs) driven mainly by international MPA targets and a “bigger is better” approach to conservation. In this episode, Megan Swanson and Sa...

In her 2007 book: The Shock Doctrine, Naomi Klein explores the ways in which institutions take advantage of natural disasters to promote capitalist, neoliberal agendas, under the bill of “build back better.” To illustrate her case, Klein describes how Sri Lanka and other nations tried to use the devastation of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami to “build back better,” introducing that phrase into devel...

With a focus on "Memorializing the Middle Passage on the Atlantic seabed in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction” (published in the journal of Marine Policy in October 2020), episode host, Stephanie Hillsgrove interviews two of the authors from the paper - Dr. Phillip Turner, Duke University Alumni and Dr. Cindy Van Dover, Professor of Biological Oceanography at Duke University.

Deep-sea mining is a topic of hot debate as groups argue over whether it will be good or bad for the countries where deep sea resources are found. On this episode, Masha Edmondson and Brandon Gertz explore the risks, rewards, and resistance deep-sea mining has sparked in three pacific island nations: Papua New Guinea, the Cook Islands, and Fiji. Along the way, deep sea experts Dr. Cindy van Dover...

In this podcast, Maddie Paris and Maya Lytje discuss how COVID-19 has influenced marine plastic pollution. They explore the marine conservation, human health, and international equity implications of plastic pollution through the lens of the ongoing pandemic. In exploring these issues, the pair interviews Dr. Dan Rittschof, a professor at the Duke Marine Lab, and John Hocevar, the Greenpeace USA O...

In this episode, Rafaella Lobo and Jessica Zhao explore the role of non-government organizations (NGOs) in promoting conservation in developing countries. They focus in particular on the role of and relations among Big International NGOs (BINGOs) and small, local NGOs, the strengths and weaknesses of each.

On this episode, Lillian Dukes, Haoyang Tang, and Franny Oppenheimer address the current status of the North Atlantic right whale and the threats they face like entanglements, ship strikes, and climate change. The episode also explores management measures that have been taken to protect them and considers the future of this critically endangered whale.

On this episode Bree Collins and Erin Sullivan speak with Dr. Andy Read and Dr. Randy Wells about their past, present, and future efforts to save the critically endangered vaquita.

On this episode, the host, Rafaella Lobo, talks to five current and former students, as well as a faculty member, about their experiences leaving their home countries to pursue higher education in the US. For more information, visit https://sites.nicholas.duke.edu/seastheday/?p=792

In this episode, Maggie, Lily, and Savannah explore the intersections between ecotourism and Indigenous tourism. Using the lens of agency, they use specific cases to highlight how the agency of Indigenous peoples within tourism ventures varies, and with what consequences.

Ecotourism has been touted as a way to limit the destruction of natural habitats caused by mass tourism, while supplementing income of local communities in developing nations. While good in theory, how successful has ecotourism been at empowering the people who live in the beautiful places ecotourists want to visit? In this podcast, Cindy Pan, Melissa Baldino, and Virginia Pan investigate the impa...

Tourism in the Bahamas In this episode, Emily Melvin and Katrina Rosing delve into the complexities of tourism in the Bahamas. The two discuss how tourism affects Bahamian identity and promotes colonial legacies even today. In exploring these issues, they interview Tarran Simms of the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism’s sustainability department, who discusses his views of Bahamian identity, the interpl...

In the last episode of 2020, the Seas the Day team reflects on the work done to date, and plans for 2021. The first episode of 2021 will be available on January 20th.

On this episode Rand Alotaibi, Lauren Mahoney, and Madena Mustafa talk about the negative impact that noise from ships and seismic surveys has on whales, with a special focus on the blue whale, the largest animal to ever live. Rand, Lauren, and Madena consult marine mammal experts to learn why sound in the ocean is such a big deal, and to identify what we can do to help.

On this episode Marissa Garcia, Uma Govindswamy, and Connor Johnston discuss the past, present, and future relationship between human beings and the endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales who inhabit the coastal waters of the Pacific Northwest.

This week’s episode focuses on the Taiwanese white dolphin. It was produced by Duke undergraduate students Pavel Pivarshev and Tony Garcia in the summer of 2020. Pavel and Tony explore the history of humpback white dolphins in Taiwan and assess the threat these small marine mammals are facing, particularly through fisheries interactions. They ask experts from the Wild at Heart, Legal Defense Assoc...

Why did Japan leave the IWC and why do we care? Contention between whaling nations and non-whaling nations allied with conservation groups helps to explain Japan’s departure from the International Whaling Commission (IWC). In this episode, Andrea Kolarova, Emma Shannabrook, and Colyer Woolston explore the geopolitical history leading up to this moment, discuss competing arguments surrounding comme...

With images of garbage clogging up the Pacific and straw bans popping up from city to city, it’s fair to say that marine plastic pollution has caught the public’s eye. But how do we solve the plastic problem– do we stop it at the source, place blame on consumers, target big corporations, or figure out the best technology to remove it once it enters the water? In this episode, Ali Boden and Cass Ni...

With the world population projected to reach 10 billion in the next 30 years, it is reasonable to wonder: What will the future landscapes of food production look like? Or should we say... Seascapes. In this episode of Conservation and Development, Kendall Jefferys and Lauren A. Mariolis discuss the potential and pitfalls of aquaculture. They also dive into the environmental, cultural, political, a...

On this episode, the host, Rafaella Lobo, talks to four other students to understand how the covid-19 global pandemic has affected their lives and research, and how they have learned to cope with these new challenges.