How Deep Sea Mining could permanently disrupt the ocean's most important animal routes, and most people have never thought about it. This episode asks the critical question: what happens when mining operations collide with species that rely on vast migratory pathways to survive? We break down the science in a way that makes the stakes impossible to ignore, from whale communication and sea turtle navigation to seabird feeding routes and shark migrations.

Whales: Our guest, Dr. Andrew Thaler, explains how mining doesn't just damage the seafloor. It sends noise, light, sediment, and pollution across the entire water column. The most surprising takeaway is that animals living near the surface could suffer major impacts from mining occurring thousands of meters below them, simply because their survival depends on calm, uninterrupted travel corridors. It turns the deep sea into a threat zone rather than a sanctuary.

Ocean conservation: This conversation exposes a major gap in global mining policy. The focus is always the seabed, but the species most at risk never go anywhere near it. That realization leads to a powerful conclusion: when we talk about protecting the ocean, we can't just talk about the bottom. We have to protect everything that connects it from top to bottom.

Listen now to understand the full story.

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Fish Farm Clean Up reveals the hidden reality beneath a quiet coastline in Methana, Greece, where a ghost fish farm left behind more than forty tons of plastic cages, nets, metal frames, pipes, and even sunken boats. What looked peaceful on the surface hid a toxic underwater scrapyard that had been breaking apart and polluting the Saronic Gulf for years.

Shocking Footage from this cleanup shows how abandoned aquaculture sites become long-term pollution hotspots. The divers, Healthy Seas Foundation, and the Athanasios C. Laskaridis Charitable Foundation worked together to cut, lift, tow, and haul massive amounts of debris out of the ocean, revealing how ghost farms threaten coastal ecosystems, fish habitats, and water quality.

Marine Conservation efforts like this show why cross-sector collaboration matters. From recycling nets into ECONYL yarn to educating local communities and cleaning beaches, this operation highlights how recovery, restoration, and better oversight must become the global standard for aquaculture waste.

Healthy Seas: https://www.healthyseas.org/

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Whales don't get cancer as often as you might expect, and in this episode you learn how the bowhead whale's unique DNA repair system is helping scientists understand cancer prevention and healthy aging. This Arctic giant lives more than 200 years, grows to airplane size, and still avoids the runaway mutation patterns that lead to tumors in other species.

Whales don't get cancer at high rates because their cells repair DNA damage with remarkable accuracy, and recent studies show that bowhead whales have powerful repair proteins like CIRBP that might someday guide cancer research. You will hear how this repair strategy works, why it matters for humans, and why protecting long-lived marine mammals also protects the scientific insights they carry.

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Fish feed in aquaculture is at the center of a complicated global story that most people never hear about. In this episode, Andrew sits down with marine biologist and policy expert Marine Cusa to explore the hidden world of fishmeal, fish oil, feed ingredients, and the surprising connections between aquaculture, wild fisheries, West African communities, and even penguin populations in Antarctica.

Marine breaks down what actually goes into the pellets fed to farmed fish, why transparency is lacking in the supply chain, and how her genetics research is uncovering the real species being used in fish feed. The conversation reveals why feed matters for sustainability, human nutrition, local livelihoods, and the future of aquaculture as demand for seafood continues to grow. Whether you're new to the topic or already deep in fisheries science, this episode opens the door to a critical but overlooked part of marine conservation.

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Orcas vs Great White Sharks is more than a dramatic headline—it's a sign of how ocean ecosystems are shifting before our eyes. New drone footage shows orcas in the Gulf of California attacking and killing juvenile great white sharks in what scientists believe are nursery zones. The footage, captured in 2020 and 2022, reveals orcas flipping young sharks onto their backs, inducing tonic immobility, and surgically removing their livers—a precise and efficient hunting technique that may reshape predator-prey dynamics.

For years, scientists have known about great white shark nurseries, but what defines a "true nursery" has always been debated. These new observations raise deeper questions: Are orcas expanding their hunting grounds, or are juvenile sharks moving into new, warmer waters due to climate change? If orcas continue targeting young sharks, could this affect the recovery and stability of great white populations across the Pacific? In this episode, Andrew explores the science, the controversy, and what these interactions mean for the future of ocean conservation.

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Seagrass meadows are among the most vital yet overlooked ecosystems on our planet. In this episode of How to Protect the Ocean, Andrew Lewin explores a new 19-year study from Moreton Bay, Australia, which shows that seagrass coverage and diversity are declining over time despite short-term recovery periods. This long-term research reveals that while short-term studies might show seagrass bouncing back after storms or floods, the bigger picture tells a story of gradual loss and ecological transformation.

The episode also highlights why this decline matters: seagrass meadows are nurseries for fish, homes for turtles and dugongs, and major carbon sinks that help buffer climate impacts. Andrew connects the findings to global conservation lessons and introduces The Seagrass Effect, a new project and podcast dedicated to sharing research, restoration stories, and action opportunities for protecting seagrass ecosystems worldwide.

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Animals affected by climate change are showing us how fragile our ecosystems have become. In this episode of How to Protect the Ocean, host Andrew Lewin speaks with Dr. Helen Killeen, a marine ecologist whose research connects seabird reproduction to shifting ocean temperatures, prey diversity, and climate pressures across the northern hemisphere.

Animals affected by climate change, from seabirds in the Arctic to those in the Pacific, serve as living indicators of ocean health. Helen explains how changes in prey diversity and warming oceans disrupt seabird breeding success, what this means for food webs, and why protecting biodiversity can help stabilize marine ecosystems. She also shares her journey from high-school science teacher to marine researcher, revealing how curiosity and adaptability are essential traits for anyone working to protect our planet.

Link to study: https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-025-02717-z

Link to Farallone Institute: https://www.faralloninstitute.org/

Link to seabird page: https://seabirds.faralloninstitute.org/

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Marine Conservation Projects are driving real wins: green sea turtles downgraded to least concern in many regions, North Atlantic right whales showing a small but meaningful uptick, and a new vaquita calf sighting offering hope. In this episode I explain the common thread behind these stories, targeted local projects, science monitoring, and laws that actually get enforced, and I share practical ways you can support the people doing the work.

From night patrols that protect turtle nests to whale disentanglement teams and community programs in Mexico that replace gillnets, you will hear how volunteers, NGOs, scientists, and agencies are collaborating. I also share simple options for listeners, micro-donations, monthly support for field teams and students, and amplifying calls to action, so your contribution compounds over time.

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Bill Gates and Climate Change have become a trending topic after the billionaire philanthropist argued that the world is too focused on cutting carbon emissions and not focused enough on improving human welfare. In this episode, I unpack what Gates said, why it caused such a reaction, and how his argument connects to decades of work in climate justice and climate equity.

Many climate justice organizations have long emphasized that people struggling with hunger, illness, or poverty cannot prioritize environmental action until their basic needs are met. Gates's claim—that people fighting to survive won't care about climate change—has reignited a long-standing debate: should the global focus be on saving people now or saving the planet long-term? I explore what this means for climate policy, philanthropy, and how we communicate solutions for ocean and human health together.

You'll also hear how these conversations tie back to ocean conservation, coastal communities, and the delicate balance between adaptation, mitigation, and justice.

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North Atlantic right whales have been teetering on the edge of extinction for decades, with fewer than 400 individuals left. But recent reports hint at a small sign of hope: the population may finally be stabilizing, or even slightly increasing. In this episode, Andrew Lewin explores what that really means.

Conservation efforts, from slower ship speeds to ropeless fishing gear, are starting to make a difference—but are they enough to ensure these whales survive? Andrew breaks down the latest science, the hard numbers from NOAA's newest technical memo, and why every calf, especially every female calf, matters for the species' future.

This episode balances realism and optimism, showing how policy, technology, and human compassion can still change the course for one of the ocean's most endangered giants.

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