How To Protect The Ocean

By Andrew LewinScience Nature

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How To Protect The Ocean episodes

October 29, 2021 SUFB 1228: Are coral restoration organizations doing good for coral reefs?
I answer a listener voicemail on today's episode. Laura asked if an organization's work, named Coral Vita, is worth supporting. She wanted to know if the work they do is helpful to coral reefs.

Coral Vita recently won the Earthshot Prize as they were recognized for the coral reef restoration work that they do in the Bahamas. However, not every organization that wins a prize does work that will have a net benefit in the local region that they work.

Coral Vita is one of those organizations that DO have a net benefit, locally. I discuss why in the podcast.

Link to Coral Vita: Website: https://www.coralvita.co/

Connect with Speak Up For Blue: Website: https://www.speakupforblue.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/speakupforblue/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/speakupforblue
21 min
October 27, 2021 SUFB 1227: How can science communicators better communicate climate change?
I answer a listener question from a voicemail I received about how people who communicate science can get their message across to their target audiences about Climate Change.

There is a long history of messaging about climate change and how scientists were late to the game in getting the message out about a topic that is affecting all of us today.

I discuss why scientists were late to the game to speak out about climate change and how today's social media tools are allowing more scientists to discuss their research and projects easier than ever.

Connect with Speak Up For Blue: Website: https://www.speakupforblue.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/speakupforblue/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/speakupforblue
29 min
October 25, 2021 SUFB 1226: Where do you begin to help protect the Ocean?
I received a question from Josie Greenston who asked me (I am paraphrasing):

Where do I begin with helping with the Ocean? There are so many things that are harming the ocean (climate change, over-fishing, plastic pollution, etc.) that I don't know where to begin helping the Ocean.

Josie asks a great question that I've heard before. I wanted to take this episode to address how people can help the ocean with various levels of available commitment.

You can choose any one of the options or combine them depending on your interest and commitment level.

Connect with Speak Up For Blue: Website: https://www.speakupforblue.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/speakupforblue/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/speakupforblue
22 min
October 22, 2021 SUFB 1225: Home Sweet Home with the Zero Waste Family
I see many people profess to go Zero Waste and I think it's great; however, I have trouble relating to them because they are oftentimes at different life stages than I am. They are single or a two-person household, which makes it easier to change their lifestyle choice than it is with a family with kids. Or it was just one of the many excuses I use to procrastinate more on changing my lifestyle.

Well, I can't use my family as an excuse anymore because of the Zero Waste Family. They are a family that has dedicated years of their life to live a Zero Waste lifestyle as a family unit. I had the pleasure of interviewing them to help them promote their journey on going Zero Waste and to promote their episode on the new NBC show, Home Sweet Home.

The premise of the show is to take two different families have them switch homes to live each other's lifestyle and see what it's like to step outside of your life. It's a great concept for a TV show, especially when one family is the Zero Waste Family.

Check out the program on NBC Friday, October 22nd, 2021 @ 8 pm ET/PT.

Connect with the Zero Waste Family: Website: https://zerowastefamily.com/ Film: https://zerowastefamily.com/film Book: https://zerowastefamily.com/book YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/zerowastefamily Sign up on ZeroWasteFamily.com to get notified when the 2nd edition of the book is available.

Connect with Speak Up For Blue: Website: https://www.speakupforblue.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/speakupforblue/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/speakupforblue
47 min
October 20, 2021 SUFB 1224: Measuring changes 5 Years after the Blob
The Blob, a massive heatwave in the Pacific Ocean raised the average sea surface temperature by 2-4C and changed the distribution of some species.

The Blob raised the temperature in cooler waters as well as the direction of currents. These changes allowed for species in the south to move north as their habitat was suitable.

New species could outcompete species that are already found in the northern waters. They could grow and reproduce faster, which will cause some resident species to disappear from the area.

There will be a Blob 2.0. The question is will the research currently being conducted allow for the prediction of where species will move to and settle next?

Link to article: https://theconversation.com/five-years-after-largest-marine-heatwave-on-record-hit-northern-california-coast-many-warm-water-species-have-stuck-around-168053

Connect with Speak Up For Blue: Website: https://www.speakupforblue.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/speakupforblue/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/speakupforblue
17 min
October 18, 2021 SUFB 1223: What would I do if I had to start to Sci Comm today?
Last episode (Episode 1223), I spoke to Virginia Schutte and Bethann Merkel about their approach to Science Communication that they discuss on their new podcast called Meteor.

During the interview, I talked about how I just launched Speak Up For The Ocean Blue with minimal planning because I just wanted to start doing the "fun part" of my SciComm. I now realize that I would do things differently if I were to start over today.

I talk about 8 steps I would take if I was going to launch a Sci Comm platform today.

Connect with Virginia and Bethann: Website: https://meteorscicomm.org/ Podcast: https://meteorscicomm.org/podcast/ You can find the podcast on your favourite podcast app.

Connect with Speak Up For Blue: Website: https://www.speakupforblue.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/speakupforblue/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/speakupforblue

25 min
October 15, 2021 SUFB 1222: Meteor - the scicomm podcast that we didn't know we needed
I am a huge advocate for science communication (scicomm). It's important for audiences to understand what science is doing for our society and how we are affecting it. However, scicommers like myself do not have a formal community where I can exchange ideas and experiences with other people who are in a similar position as me...until now!

Virginia Schutte and Bethann Merkel join me on the podcast to talk about their newly launched podcast, called Meteor, that exists to help build a community of practice for Science Communicators.

The episode is one of my favourite episodes that I have ever recorded for this podcast. If you are a midcareers scicomm person then this is the episode for you.

Connect with Virginia and Bethann: Website: https://meteorscicomm.org/ Podcast: https://meteorscicomm.org/podcast/ You can find the podcast on your favourite podcast app.

Connect with Speak Up For Blue: Website: https://www.speakupforblue.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/speakupforblue/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/speakupforblue

59 min
October 13, 2021 SUFB 1221: Should biologists work for natural resource companies for scientific studies?
There was a great article on Mongabay News (link below) that asked the question as to whether marine biologists should work for natural resource companies that would like to mine the deep sea.

It's a more complicated question than you might think as marine biology is not well funded for governments, non-profit organizations, and academia. There are companies that have a vested interest that would like to utilize marine biologists to characterize the deep-sea habitat for their own purpose. The decision to work with deep-sea mining companies weighs heavily on every marine biologist. Most of us would like to protect the Ocean, but are we doing so when working for companies that are exploiting it.

On the other hand, it's difficult to find a good-paying job in Marine Biology. Natural Resource companies pay well and the biologists get to work in their field.

Link to article: https://news.mongabay.com/2021/10/antithetical-to-science-when-deep-sea-research-meets-mining-interests/

Connect with Speak Up For Blue: Website: https://www.speakupforblue.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/speakupforblue/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/speakupforblue
22 min
October 08, 2021 SUFB 1220: Tracking Happy Humpback Whales
The one thing that I love about doing this podcast is the fact that I can talk to people who have done amazing things in Marine Conservation. Sometimes, people are supported by large organizations/companies that help them get on their way to launching these amazing conservation projects. Other times, the people start the projects on their own and create something really special.

In today's episode, I speak with Ted Cheeseman who co-founded the site HappyWhale.com, a website that tracks humpback whales that have been identified by photos taken from citizen scientists from all over the Pacific Ocean. There are over 60,000 photos in the database spanning decades.

Ted discusses: 1) Why he started the site with his co-creator; 2) How he builds relationships with the photographers and the scientists to study the tracks; 3) How Ted started his Ph.D. on tracking humpback whales, and, 4) How he would like to see Happy Whale be used in the future.

Connect with Ted: Website: https://happywhale.com/home Help Fund Happy Whale: https://experiment.com/social-whales

Connect with Speak Up For Blue: Website: https://www.speakupforblue.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/speakupforblue/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/speakupforblue
1 hr 1 min
October 06, 2021 SUFB 1219: We need to talk about swim-with-dolphins in captivity programs
A listener named Sydney Stauffer asked me to create an episode on my thoughts on swim-with-dolphin programs that are held with dolphins in captivity. She heard the episode with Stephanie Stack (e1214) about swim-with-whales in the wild and wanted me to discuss the captivity aspect of swimming with dolphins.

Sydney was concerned that we don't discuss the captivity programs, especially the smaller companies that we see in tourist destinations such as the Caribbean. Tourists participate in these experiences because they think the animals want to participate, but that is not the case. The captive dolphins do not have a choice.

A captive dolphin that has to undergo human swimming encounters multiple times per day (10-20 on the small end) is not comfortable interacting with that many humans who do not know how to properly interact with a dolphin. Dolphins can (and have!) get aggressive with humans who pay a lot of money to have a dream-come-true encounter with the cetacean.

Education is the number one solution in getting people to stop frequenting the swim-with-dolphin encounters.

Links: Animal Welfare Institute: https://awionline.org/content/swim-attractions-dolphin-assisted-therapy

Connect with Speak Up For Blue: Website: https://www.speakupforblue.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/speakupforblue/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/speakupforblue
20 min

About How To Protect The Ocean

From the publisher's feed

Dive into the Depths: Join Andrew Lewin on 'How to Protect the Ocean' – Your Gateway to Exclusive Ocean Insights! Explore the latest, uncharted realms of ocean science and conservation that you won't find anywhere else. Andrew takes you on an inspiring journey to uncover the hidden gems of oceanic discovery and initiatives. Tune in to discover how you can transform your life for a better ocean, one episode at a time.

The How To Protect The Ocean is your resource to keep you informed on the latest ocean news; teach you how to speak up for the ocean; and, how you can take action to live for a better ocean.

There is so much information on the ocean and the issues that are affecting it that it can be difficult to find optimism in the future of the ocean. Climate change, overfishing, plastic pollution, water pollution, and coastal development have altered the ocean in ways that have negatively changed the way we use it.

The repercussions of climate change, including the ominous specter of rising sea levels, the relentless march of warming ocean temperatures, and the ominous shadow of ocean acidification, have not only altered the very fabric of our coastlines but have also conjured fiercer storms and summoned floods with growing frequency. The fossil fuel industry may whisper in your ear that the situation is insurmountable, an inescapable fate. However, this podcast is here to unveil a different narrative, one that empowers you to take action. It illuminates the path to change by casting your vote for leaders committed to implementing climate-rescuing policies and by offering invaluable insights into how each of us can shrink our individual carbon footprint.

The grim reality of overfishing casts a long shadow, fueled by governmental shortcomings in the stewardship of both commercial and recreational fisheries. Within the delicate balance of our oceans, every fish population possesses a threshold - a point at which the relentless harvest of fishermen begins to erode their numbers. The management of these aquatic resources is a formidable task, as the elusive currents of the sea often defy easy tracking. Furthermore, the menace of illegal, unregulated, and unreported (IUU) fishing looms large in many nations, adding to the crisis.

Yet, a glimmer of hope shines through the depths. A beacon for responsible consumption emerges in the form of seafood programs, guiding conscientious individuals toward choices that safeguard our oceans. By heeding these programs, you not only savor the delights of sustainable seafood but also become an informed guardian of marine ecosystems.

The relentless scourge of plastic pollution has unleashed an epidemic of death upon the denizens of our oceans. It's a ruthless killer, claiming the lives of hundreds of thousands of marine mammals, majestic sharks, grandiose fish, gentle sea turtles, and the graceful sea birds that soar above. The malevolence of this crisis knows no bounds, with microplastics infiltrating even the remotest depths of the ocean and etching their presence along every coastline.

To mount a defense against this ecological cataclysm, the clarion call for action echoes on the international and national stages. It beckons governments far and wide to adopt resolute policies, wielding the power to outlaw the menace of single-use plastics and demanding the meticulous detoxification of our supply chains. In this grand battle to safeguard our seas, the fight against plastic pollution knows no borders.

The ominous specter of water pollution looms large, a consequence of our thoughtless disposal into the arteries of our planet – our streams, rivers, lakes, and oceans. This callous act reverberates, sending shockwaves through the intricate ecosystems of our coastal havens, where the likes of coral reefs, resilient mangroves, and swaying seagrasses thrive. But alas, this intrusion is not benign; it bears the capacity to corrode and dismantle these vital sanctuaries, the very lifeblood of countless fish and the steadfast guardians of our vulnerable shorelines.

Yet, amidst the unsettling tide of pollution, there emerges a ray of hope. Through individual resolve and visionary government policies harnessed with cutting-edge technology, we can stem this toxic deluge. Water treatment systems stand as stalwart guardians, armed with the ability to sift out the insidious nutrients that fuel destructive algal blooms. The power to heal our waters and preserve the sanctity of our coastal treasures lies within our grasp.

Coastal development, driven by human desires to construct homes or fortify the shoreline against erosion, represents a significant intervention in the natural order. Yet, these changes, while initially confined to the coastal zone, often send ripple effects that extend far beyond their original boundaries, casting a shadow of unintended consequences.

The repercussions of altering coastlines resonate through interconnected ecosystems, occasionally triggering a cascade of events that can inflict profound harm on distant areas. In doing so, this well-intentioned transformation can unwittingly imperil the lives and livelihoods of communities residing in the wake of its impact. It is a stark reminder that our actions along the coast carry a profound responsibility, not just to the immediate environment but to the greater web of life and society that depends upon it.