Seagulls seem to divide opinion more than most wildlife! For some, they're a nostalgic sight and sound of the seaside. For others, they're a nuisance, and even a threat. In this episode, we're diving deep into why these birds, which, perhaps surprisingly, are actually made up of several endangered species, are living in more urban settings, and what can be done to navigate their curious and sometimes challenging ways and live harmoniously alongside them.

We're joined by two seabird experts from the National Trust for Scotland - Senior Seabird Officer Ellie Owen, and St Abbs Head National Nature Reserve Head Ranger, Ciaran Hatsell, for amazing insights into these masters of adaptation. We also hear from The Ullapool Sea Savers' Herring Gull ambassador, Peter, for stories of gulls in his village, where some people are delighted with their presence, and others are calling for drastic measures for their control...

Expect the unexpected in this episode as we bust some myths about these fascinating birds, and ask what we can do to protect them from further declines they're facing in their natural world, and reframe our relationship with them, championing them as the amazing predators they are.

We also have an update for you on the Berwick Bank Wind Farm proposal which we spoke about in depth in our last episode, 'Seabird Spectacle - Guillemot Jumplings'.

The Our Ocean podcast is brought to you by Seaful, the UK charity dedicated to connecting people to our ocean. To donate, please visit our website.

For more information about Seaful, please visit our Website, Instagram or Facebook.

For questions or suggestions, please email us - [email protected]

You can connect with The Our Ocean Podcast's host Cal Major through her Website, Instagram or Facebook.

This is an extra special episode, recorded mid-seabird season at St Abbs Head National Nature Reserve where we are treated to one of nature's most wonderful spectacles - guillemot chicks of only 15 days old taking a leap of faith into the ocean for the first time. The 'Jumplings' can't fly, yet leap off cliffs around the UK for a couple of weeks every year to begin their lives out at sea.

We're guided on our adventure in St Abbs by the Head Ranger, Ciaran Hatsell, who is passionate, inspiring and full of knowledge about birds and nature at large. Overlooking the wild ocean, we discuss some recent developments to protect seabirds' food source, and some proposed developments which would mean disaster for seabirds along the East coast of the UK.

Ciaran also discusses his path into his job as head ranger, and the thrill of working with the incredible seabird team at the National Trust for Scotland.

Say No To Berwick Bank Wind Farm - Scottish Seabird Centre

Excellent pages on the National Trust for Scotland's Website:

St Abbs Head National Nature Reserve

Call for Ministers to Reject Berwick Bank Wind Farm Proposal

Five Things You Can Do To Help Save Scotland's Seabirds

RSPB: The Closure of Sandeel Fisheries

The Our Ocean podcast is brought to you by Seaful, the UK charity dedicated to connecting people to our ocean. To donate, please visit our website.

For more information about Seaful, please visit our Website, Instagram or Facebook. For questions or suggestions, please email us - [email protected]

You can connect with The Our Ocean Podcast's host Cal Major through her Website, Instagram or Facebook.

Imagine being able to fly through the water, over a magnificent seabed, at depths of up to 200 metres, without even having to get wet! The Ocean Witness report by the charity Open Seas has done exactly that, by sending an ROV, a remote operated vehicle with a camera, down into the depths over 300 times around the coast of Scotland to show us exactly what's out of sight and out of mind.

This episode of Our Ocean is with Phil Taylor from Open Seas. We dive into our ocean's amazing ecosystems, what can be found inside and outside of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), and whether the protections given to these MPAs work. We also dive into the shortcomings of the status quo of fisheries management, and what needs to be done to protect our seas.

We look at who and what could benefit from better seabed protection, and hear about Phil's Fantastic Fish Finger Butty of Fisheries Management...

This episode is based in Scotland, but is relevant wherever in the world you're listening. We hope it inspires you to use your voice for better protection of the Ocean, which as we hear in this episode, really does work for nature and people.

Links:

Visit the Open Seas website here for more information on fishing in Scotland, to read the Ocean Witness Report and to sign up for their newsletter. https://www.openseas.org.uk

You can add your name to the Our Seas petition here. https://www.ourseas.scot

The Our Ocean Podcast is brought to you by Seaful - the UK charity connecting people to our ocean. For more information about Seaful, please visit our Website, Instagram or Facebook. For questions or suggestions, please email us - [email protected]

You can connect with The Our Ocean Podcast's host Cal Major through her Website, Instagram or Facebook.

This is a short and sweet round up of what's been happening in the Ocean World! We start with an update on Seaful's Vitamin Sea Project - transformative ocean experiences from the UK charity dedicated to connecting people to the ocean, followed by a quick look at the recent UN Ocean Conference. We finish up with some ideas of how you can be an Ocean Citizen this month.

This is a new style of episode to complement our longer form conversations. Let us know what you think, and if you have any suggestions of what to include in next month's round up, let us know - [email protected]

Useful Links:

UN Ocean Conference

The campaign to ban bottom trawling in England's MPAs:

Blue Marine Foundation - the Bottom Line - film and information/petition

Oceana UK petition

Plastic Free July

To donate to Seaful, please visit our website here.

For more information about Seaful, the UK charity dedicated to connecting people to our ocean, please visit our Website, Instagram or Facebook.

You can connect with The Our Ocean Podcast's host Cal Major through her Website, Instagram or Facebook.

Thanks so much for listening! Please share this episode with anyone you think might enjoy it.

This is a "podcast share" with 'If I Ruled The World' - a show all about system change, with the brilliant Gillian Burke. What that means is that we've recorded this episode together, to sit on both of our platforms. It's a slightly different format to what you might be used to on Our Ocean - a little bit longer, and less of an interview, more of a conversation. Less facts and figures, and more exploring concepts.

It's by far the most challenging episode we've recorded so far - stepping into the realm of the impacts of war on the ocean and the environment, but also a conversation about why it can be so difficult to speak up against the atrocities we see in our world. Gillian is the perfect guide to help us navigate these conversations. You might recognise her from BBC's Springwatch - she's a biologist and presenter, who has stepped away from traditional Natural History filmmaking towards what felt more authentic for her - into exploring, understanding and changing the systems that govern the status quo. She shares her incredible story, braveness and insights with such eloquence.

We touch on many different topics in this episode, and through the lens of the terrible war in the Middle East, explore why it's so challenging to use our voices, why we're not being listened to, a concept called 'Learned Helplessness', what role the environmental movement does, can and needs to play in this, and why it is so vital that we don't ignore assaults on International Law.

If you're an ocean or nature lover, there are essential overlapping ideas here - from advocacy, democracy, changing tack when it's needed to how to hold and navigate the feelings of helplessness that can be so pervasive. Our hope for this episode is to spark conversation and empower you to use your voice, even when it feels scary.

Huge thank you to Gillian Burke - you can listen to If I Ruled the World on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and learn more about it here, or head to Gillian's Instagram here.

The Our Ocean Podcast is brought to you by Seaful - the UK charity dedicated to connecting people to our ocean.

For more information about Seaful, please visit our Website, Instagram or Facebook.

To donate to Seaful, please go to https://seaful.org.uk/donate/

For questions or suggestions, please email us - [email protected]

You can connect with The Our Ocean Podcast's host Cal Major through her Website, Instagram or Facebook.

We head out onto the ocean to search for wildlife with Noel Hawkins on the Shearwater tour boat in Ullapool, Northwest Scotland. Amongst some very exciting sightings, we discuss how the ocean here has changed over the years that Noel has been working at sea, in various roles from fisherman to marine animal rescuer and now wildlife tour guide, and the impacts of fishing and marine protected areas on wildlife numbers. We also touch on tourism and what wildlife lovers can do to help protect the animals they care about.

This was a really fun episode to create, and we hope you enjoy being transported to the Summer Isles amidst amazing wildlife and scenery in the Wester Ross Marine Protected Area.

Watch our film about the Wester Ross Marine Protected Area.

Organisations mentioned by Noel include:

The Ullapool Sea Savers

Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust Whale Track

Project Seagrass

Contact your MP, MSP in Scotland

Watch our film about the Wester Ross Marine Protected Area

The Our Ocean Podcast, deepening Ocean Insight and Empowering Ocean Citizenship, is brought to you by Seaful - the UK charity dedicated to connecting people to our ocean.

For more information about Seaful, please visit our Website, Instagram or Facebook.

Please consider donating to Seaful here.

For questions or suggestions, please email us - [email protected]

You can connect with The Our Ocean Podcast's host Cal Major through her Website, Instagram or Facebook.

When a Beluga Whale was sighted in a loch in Scotland, whale and dolphin enthusiasts from around the coast took to the water, headlands, and in Anthony Rigell's case, the sky to see if they could get a glimpse. In this episode, we meet the drone pilot and cetacean spotter who is feeding his sightings into conservation efforts.

Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust - Whale Track app for recording and observing sightings: https://www.hwdt.org/whale-track

The Our Ocean Podcast is brought to you by Seaful - the UK charity dedicated to connecting people to our ocean.

For more information about Seaful, please visit our Website, Instagram or Facebook.

To donate to Seaful, please go to https://seaful.org.uk/donate/

For questions or suggestions, please email us - [email protected]

You can follow the Our Ocean podcast on Instagram - @ouroceanpodcast

You can connect with Our Ocean's host Cal Major through her Website, Instagram or Facebook.

In March, a sperm whale washed up on a beach near the Isle of Skye wrapped up in rope. In this episode, we delve into entanglement of large ocean creatures with Ellie Maclennan of the Scottish Entanglement Alliance. This is a difficult topic, but one with a very simple solution currently being trialled which could massively reduce the incidence of entanglement overnight.

Scottish Entanglement Alliance: https://scottishentanglement.org

Find and contact your MSP (Member of Scottish Parliament): https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps

The Our Ocean Podcast is brought to you by Seaful - the UK charity dedicated to connecting people to our ocean.

For more information about Seaful, please visit our Website, Instagram or Facebook.

To donate to Seaful, please go to https://seaful.org.uk/donate/

For questions or suggestions, please email us - [email protected]

You can connect with The Our Ocean Podcast's host Cal Major through her Website, Instagram or Facebook.

In this very unique episode, we head out into the beautiful Sound of Skye on a creel fishing boat with Bally Philp - a fisherman in Northwest Scotland known for his dedication to sustainable fishing practices and marine conservation. He is the chair of the Scottish Creel Fishermen's Federation, and one of the founding members of the Scottish Entanglement Alliance, with a passion for cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises) and advancing fishing practices to protect them from harm.

We talk about what sustainability in fishing actually means, advances in technology, and whether or not they can prevent marine mammal entanglement in Scotland's fishing fleet.

Scottish Entanglement Alliance: https://scottishentanglement.org

Our Seas Scotland: https://www.ourseas.scot

The Our Ocean Podcast is brought to you by Seaful - the UK charity dedicated to connecting people to our ocean.

For more information about Seaful, please visit our Website, Instagram or Facebook. To donate to Seaful, please go to https://seaful.org.uk/donate/ 

For questions or suggestions, please email us - [email protected]

You can connect with The Our Ocean Podcast's host Cal Major through her Website, Instagram or Facebook.

What do you imagine when thinking of scuba diving in Scotland? Chris Rickard takes us on an exciting journey underwater and shares the good, the bad and the ugly from thousands of dives around Scotland.

Through decades of diving he has made some amazing and terrible discoveries. He's experienced everything from the smallest molluscs engineering entire seabeds, to the largest apex predators, which inspired him to set up Shark and Skate Scotland, to the hidden destruction befalling the seabed. In this episode, Chris takes us for a deep dive into Scotland's underwater world, and explains why he thinks everyone should experience our native ocean wildlife for themselves...

Shark and Skate Scotland: https://www.facebook.com/sharkandskate.scot/

Macduff Marine Aquarium: https://www.macduff-aquarium.org.uk

Marine Conservation Society's Good Fish Guide: https://www.mcsuk.org/goodfishguide/

Our Seas Scotland: https://www.ourseas.scot

Project Seagrass: https://www.projectseagrass.org

TV Series: Shark with Steve Backshall

The Our Ocean Podcast is brought to you by Seaful - the UK charity dedicated to connecting people to our ocean.

For more information about Seaful, please visit our Website, Instagram or Facebook.

To donate to Seaful, please go to https://seaful.org.uk/donate/

For questions or suggestions, please email us - [email protected]

You can connect with The Our Ocean Podcast's host Cal Major through her Website, Instagram or Facebook.