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Andrew Lewin ā host of the How to Protect the Ocean podcast ā on Jaws vs. sharks, orcas vs. sharks, Asian carp and working with and against Canada's department of Fisheries and Oceans and how young people can and do change the world. āThere's nothing scarier to a government than young people who care.ā ā Andrew Lewin
Shownotes:4:35 Andrew Lewin on how Jaws still defines and defames sharks. Growing up on Jaws. āI was petrified to go in a pool⦠the original movie is still scary.ā
9:44 Orca āĀ A killer whale monster movie. āIf anyone is gonna have revenge, orcas would do it.ā
13:10 Explaining the Department of Fisheries and Oceans ā āan interesting contradictionā and the Cohen Report vs. The DFO.
20:18 Were Canadian scientists really unmuzzled by the Canadian government?
20:48 Working for the DFO and sharing the stories of endangered carp.
23:08Ā āWe protect what we love.ā Andrew Lewin
25:40Ā āIt takes a lot to get scientists crying.ā Andrew Lewin
26:10 How documentaries duck solutions.āTell them how to fix it⦠We don't talk enough about conservation projects. We don't talk enough about policy⦠There is nothing scarier than a motivated child who wants to protect the environment.ā Andrew Lewin
27:50Ā āThere's nothing scarier to a government than young people who care.ā Andrew Lewin
28:40Ā On decolonizing conservation.
Skaana podcasts connect you to news and experts and their discussions about environments, oceans, and orcas.Skaana on social media:
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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Talking Trump vs. science, facts and the planet with Dr. Andrew Rosenberg.Ā The former director of the Center for Science and Democracy at the Union of Concerned Scientists and former director of NOAA on Project 2025, popping social media bubbles and why it is so friggin' important that Americans vote⦠And not for Trump. āWhatever your issue is, should you be concerned? Yes! ā¦This is not a time to sit it out.ā On Project 2025: āItās worse than you think it is. No matter how bad you think it is, itās worse.ā
Shownotes:4:11 Andrew Rosenberg explains what the Union of Concerned Scientists is concerned about and how the focus shifted from weapons to using science to spin for politicians.
7:00 āEveryone will ask what are you concerned about⦠until Mr. Trump was elected and then nobody needed to ask that question anymore because it was pretty obvious what we were concerned about.ā
8:00 Trumpās wasnāt the first administration to distort facts. āEverything that was talked about the facts became whatever Mr. Trump said they were at any given moment and that was not the same thing from one moment to the next. And in our current presidential campaign thatād gotten even worse.ā
8:52 The futility of fact-checking when āeverybodyās in their little bubbles in the social media age.ā
11:06 Why the Trump administration kept losing their challenges in court and how Project 2025 will stop the courts from ignoring laws.
11:51 āWe also leaned into the ideas that scientists can and should be much more active in the political process.ā And the resistance to thatā¦
16:45 How to challenge lies. What works, what doesnāt and why. āWeāre not going to turn everybody into scientists.ā
22:07 The impact of COVID and isolation on fact based reality.
23:10 āAnybody can say anything on social media.ā
28:45 On Project 2025: āItās worse than you think it is. No matter how bad you think it is, itās worse.ā
33:41 āPresident Trump was frustrated that people didnāt just do what he wanted.ā ācause laws and consciencesā¦
35:20 āItās 900 pages long and covers every agency.ā The end of NOAA⦠the end of science and research⦠and privatizing the weather service andā¦. yeah itās worseā¦
37:00 Everybody becomes a political appointeeā¦Ā Youāre fired! āYou would choose people based on their loyalty, not their expertise.ā
39:15 Sharpiegate! How Trump moved a hurricane ā so he could send money to a state he liked.
43:25 You can imagine what it will be like if heās back in office. It will be worse⦠things will get a lot worse.ā
44:00 āThereās no tethering to facts at all⦠itās just whatever he happens to think about it at a given time.
48:04Ā BC water moving to California?
49:00 āI donāt believe he understands the sovereignty of other nations. Or cares.ā
55:00 What you can doā¦
51:25 āWhatever your issue is, should you be concerned? Yes!ā
51:52Ā āThis is not a time to sit it out.ā
Skaana podcasts connect you to news and experts and their discussions about environments, oceans, and orcas.Skaana on social media:
Mark on social media:
**Amazon links are affiliate links and support our podcast, thanks for clicking!**
Ā
Subscribe to the Skaana newsletter at Substack: https://skaanapod.substack.com/Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/skaanaHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Andrew Lewin ā host of the How to Protect the Ocean podcast ā on teaching the world about oceans, myth-busting fake facts and falling for the oceans from his home in Ontario. āThis is what people should be talking about.ā
Shownotes:3:25 How Andrew Lewin fell for the oceans and marine biology.
5:18 The first time Andrew saw a whale.
6:47 Finding Flipper and falling for dolphins. āYou have this sense of awe when you look at dolphins.ā Can dolphins be, um, jerks?
8:45 Talking orcas ā including the orcas who eat great white sharks.
11:20 The origin of How to Protect the Oceans podcast and the mission to educate.
17:20Ā āMy why is just change somebody's life.ā
18:52 The challenge of fighting fake facts and junk science. āThe goal is to inform.ā
Skaana podcasts connect you to news and experts and their discussions about environments, oceans, and orcas.Skaana on social media:
Mark on social media:
**Amazon links are affiliate links and support our podcast, thanks for clicking!**
Ā
Subscribe to the Skaana newsletter at Substack: https://skaanapod.substack.com/Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/skaanaHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sixteen-year-old Hawaiian environmental activist Rylee Brooke hasn't just been fighting for the environment ā and the rights of keiki (young people) ā since the age of eight, she's teaching other young people and adults how to make change and make laws. Adventures in changing things locally and globally, making the case for Vote 16 and proving that young people can do pretty much anything ā including inspiring law-makers to do better.
Shownotes:3:30 Meet Rylee Brooke. āI kind of grew up doing community service.ā
7:12 Starting āThe Plastics Projectā and sparking youth-run beach clean-ups at age eight.
8:20 How 15 kids clean up 500 pounds of plastic. In one day!
10:20 The power of social media. And the local grapevine.
12:45 Learning to create law ā and teaching young people how to create laws. āI got into writing my own billsā¦ā
15:40 āI was asked to be part of the first youth-led conservation case⦠I was one of the thirteen plaintiffs on that.ā
20:00Ā Vote 16 and the fight to lower the voting age in Hawaii and throughout the US.
22:08 Shark diving with Ocean Ramsey.
23:23Ā āI think just a kid coming in to speak is really powerful.ā On getting comfortable talking to politicians and crowds.
28:24 Advice for other young people and, really, everyone. āIt's really figuring out what you're passionate about.ā
Skaana podcasts connect you to news and experts and their discussions about environments, oceans, and orcas.**Amazon links are affiliate links and support our podcast, thanks for clicking!**
Ā
Subscribe to the Skaana newsletter at Substack: https://skaanapod.substack.com/Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/skaanaHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sy Montgomery (author: Soul of an Octopus) and Warren Carlyle (founder of OctoNation) on friendly octopuses, the Mayor of Octopus City, and their top octopus secrets from their new book Secrets of the Octopus that accompanies the National Geographic TV series. Second of a two-part interview about the wild world of octopuses! āWe're in the age of octopus,ā Sy Montgomery.
Shownotes:2:28Ā How the books Secrets of the Octopus and Soul of the Octopus informed the TV series and vice versa.
4:10 How OctoNation raised the profile of octopus photographers and vice versa.
7:02 Favourite octopus secrets ā more social than anyone imagines. āThey certainly are not all solitaryā.
8:30 Octopolis & Octlantis and the Mayor of Octopus City.
9:02 Octopus hunting with other species.
11:15 āIām taking my vitamins because I want to be on this planet to learn more secrets of the octopus.ā Sy Montgomery.
11:25 The tiny hairy octopus aka the Chewboctopus!
12:49Ā Hanging out with a hippo. āI always felt that animals were my people⦠Iāve always felt more at home with animals than with people.ā Sy Montgomery.
14:54 Meeting an octopus at age 7 ā Warren.
16:00 āWe're just a blip on the radar of life compared to the octopus.ā Warren Carlyle.
17:54 The first time Sy saw an octopus.
18:25 āThis is someone. It's not someTHING. It's someONE. And they are as curious about you as you are about them.ā Sy Montgomery.
21:15 Sy Montgomery on meeting Athena the octopus.
Skaana podcasts connect you to news and experts and their discussions about environments, oceans, and orcas.**Amazon links are affiliate links and support our podcast, thanks for clicking!**
Ā
Subscribe to the Skaana newsletter at Substack: https://skaanapod.substack.com/Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/skaanaHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sy Montgomery (Soul of an Octopus) and Warren Carlyle (founder of OctoNation) on octopuses taking over the media, the origins of OctoNation, why octopuses needed a publicist and some of the secrets of octopus from their new book Secrets of the Octopus that accompanies the National Geographic TV series. First of a two-part interview about all things octopus!
Shownotes:0:01 Meet author Sy Montgomery.
0:13 Meet Warren Carlyle āthe PR agent for the octopus.ā
3:50 How Sy met Warren.
4:25 Warrenās journey from high fashion to the deep ocean.
5:32 The origins of OctoNation: āWhen the Beyonce of octopus people tells you to do something, you just do it.ā ā Warren Carlyle
6:41 Octopus used to be monsters!
10:06 āIt's the golden age for octopus appreciation. For octopus research. And I think this is a great opportunity for the ocean in general. What better ambassador can you imagine than somebody who's got the equivalent of nine brains and eight arms.ā ā Sy Montgomery.
13:00 Octopuses can give themselves manicures⦠we kind of laid the red carpet for āMy Octopus Teacher.ā
14:57 The impact of OctoNation. āAppreciation for the octopus has just exploded.ā
16:00 Sy: āThey are not some slimy gross monster. They are super smart. They are superheroes with superpowers. And yet they are enough like us that you can be friends with an octopus.ā
18:45 Sy: āWe're in the age of octopus.ā
18:50 Warren: āThe way that I view Sy⦠Sy has this insatiable desire to hang out with animals all the time⦠All OctoNation is is really a reflection of Sy's light.ā
23:47 The blanket octopus!
28:08 Connecting with National Geographic.
32:10 Octopus have their own hunting fish the way humans have hunting dogs!
Skaana podcasts connect you to news and experts and their discussions about environments, oceans, and orcas.**Amazon links are affiliate links and support our podcast, thanks for clicking!**
Ā
Subscribe to the Skaana newsletter at Substack: https://skaanapod.substack.com/Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/skaanaHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
NOAA scientists Kim Parsons & Tom Jefferson on orca species, orca survival, orca scat, really old whales, the return of harbour porpoises, the fight for vaquitas and so much more in the second part of a special two-part episode on the two soon-to-be official species of orcas who call the Salish Sea home.
Shownotes:2:29 The challenge of naming new animals⦠scientific names, the names we use and the politics of naming. Yes, we're sticking with Residents & Bigg's.
5:15 How many orca species are there? The challenges of collecting data.
7:01 The genetic challenges facing the southern resident orcas.
10:09 Not enough J-pod baby-daddies.
12:32 āI think we need some optimism hereā¦ā a happy story about harbour porpoises. āThere may be hope for this species after all. We know what the problems are⦠if we can make enough compromises in our own behaviour to reduce those threats, I think there's good reason for being optimistic that the future of southern resident killer whales can still look quite bright.ā
14:50 Biological and chronological ages.
19:30 The latest on the vanishing vaquitas ā the most endangered marine mammal in the world. Are there only 10 left? āAs long as there's one male and one female left in the population there's a chance for them to survive.ā
23:20 Talking poop about orcas. And orca poop. āI spent a lot of time working with killer whale poop⦠I've collected a lot of poop in my time.ā
24:55 Is there another orca species in Alaska? Probably! How many species are there? āWe may be looking at six or maybe eight species⦠maybe more.ā
26:58 Improvements in understanding orca health and their environments.
Skaana podcasts connect you to news and experts and their discussions about environments, oceans, and orcas.**Amazon links are affiliate links and support our podcast, thanks for clicking!**
Ā
Subscribe to the Skaana newsletter at Substack: https://skaanapod.substack.com/Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/skaanaHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
NOAA scientists Kim Parsons & Tom Jefferson on killer whale science,Ā killer whales versus orcas, orcas versus dolphins, how science becomes official, the challenges of translating science to civilians and so much more in the first of a special two-part episode on the two soon to be official species of orcas who call the Salish Sea home.
Shownotes:3:45 Meet marine mammal biologist, Tom Jefferson.
4:21 Meet molecular geneticist, Kim Parsons.
5:10 Orcas or killer whales? And how to pronounce orcinus orca.
6:35 Orcas vs. whales/dolphins vs. Delphinidae and confusion over ācommon names.ā
10:35 Talking taxonomy: splitting orca populations into two species.
12:55 Exploring orca genetics.
17:38 What's in a name? Taxonomists reviewing splitting up species. And making the species designation official. Ish.
20:10 How to tell the difference between types of orcas.
24:31 Early observations of killer whales and how and why they got their names.
26:16 Naming the two orcas ā the scientific names and the names we'll all useā¦
Skaana podcasts connect you to news and experts and their discussions about environments, oceans, and orcas.**Amazon links are affiliate links and support our podcast, thanks for clicking!**
Ā
Subscribe to the Skaana newsletter at Substack: https://skaanapod.substack.com/Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/skaanaHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Eco-pirate Paul Watson talks about taking on whalers in Iceland and Japan, splitting with the Sea Shepherd, launching an eco-church and what the hell just happened in his world with Skaana host Mark Leiren-Young (author of Sharks Forever & Orcas Everywhere). āWe're ecologically ignorant. And unless we learn to educate ourselves, we're not going to survive.ā
Shownotes:4:45 Paul Watson on how he landed in Paris and why he's only working with Sea Shepherd France & Brazil.
5:40Ā āThey said I was too controversial. Too confrontational.ā
9:20 On being an international fugitive. And the disappearance of his Interpol Red Notice.
19:00 āWe'll rebuild it.ā On the split with Sea Shepherd Global, his new boat and the dangers of sponsors.
21:40 On radically retiring Sea Shepherd vessels.
22:18 āThe three most valuable things ā courage and imagination and passion.ā
22:30 What's in a name? Neptune's Pirates, Neptune's Navy and The Captain Paul Watson Foundation
23:43 Taking action in Iceland and saving whales by taking on āmodern AhabāĀ KristjĆ”n Loftsson. āI'm not really concerned about getting arrested.ā Why he'd like to be arrested in Iceland.
28:14 Chasing super-trawlers and the importance of saving krill.
30:30 The return of Japanese whalers ā with a new factory ship. And preparing to take on a faster ship.
33:45 Shifting baselines and rebranding fish like pollock becoming artificial crab. āWho wants to buy a toothfish⦠It all comes down to marketing.ā
35:10 āWe're overfishing the ocean.ā The need for a 75 year moratorium on mechanized fishing.
35:40 The fight for phytoplankton. āIf phytoplankton disappear from the ocean, we die⦠The ocean dies, we die.ā
37:15 āWe're ecologically ignorant. And unless we learn to educate ourselves, we're not going to survive.ā
38:20 Founding the Church of Biocentrism and the dangers of anthropocentrism.
45:30 āWe can't have a viewpoint that it was all created for us and we're the only species that matters.ā
Skaana podcasts connect you to news and experts and their discussions about environments, oceans, and orcas.**Amazon links are affiliate links and support our podcast, thanks for clicking!**
Ā
Subscribe to the Skaana newsletter at Substack: https://skaanapod.substack.com/Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/skaanaHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Author, broadcaster and activist Melody Horrill (The Dolphin Who Saved Me) talks about saving the Port River dolphins and how a dolphin named Jock saved her with Skaana host Mark Leiren-Young (author of Sharks Forever & Orcas Everywhere). āDolphins do have a special place in our hearts⦠They help us connect to the water and the natural world.ā
Shownotes:5:10 Meet the Port River dolphins. And find out why they're in trouble.
10:20 āI made it my single-minded mission to let everyone know in South Australia that these dolphins existed. They're here.ā
11:10 āThey do have a special place in our hearts⦠They help us connect I think to the water and the natural world.ā
11:50 On the Port River becoming a dolphin sanctuary and how her documentary helped change minds and laws.
15:23 Is the sanctuary really dolphin-friendly?
15:46 The first time she saw a dolphin.
16:51 Meeting Jock.
19:35 āLittle did I know at that time that Jock would end up being my best friend. And lead me out of a place that I didn't think was possible. Immediately I just felt this connection to this solitary dolphin. He was by himself⦠he just seemed adrift and alone. So from my perspective it was this instant recognition of another being that I felt compassion for and a connection with.ā
22:20 āHe accepted me in a way that I'd never been accepted in my life before.ā
24:20 āHe taught me a lot about forgiveness.ā
25:07 āHe forced me to live in the moment⦠we're not feeding him, we're not enticing him. There's no other reason for him to hang out with me other than he just wants to. How mind-blowing is that?⦠It made me realize love was possible.ā
26:00 Helping Jock meet and interact with other dolphins. āHe taught me about courage.ā
29:59 āWe really tried to keep his friendliness quiet.ā Jock following her boat.
32:34 Connecting with Jane Goodall and the Jane Goodall Institute.
Skaana podcasts connect you to news and experts and their discussions about environments, oceans, and orcas.**Amazon links are affiliate links and support our podcast, thanks for clicking!**
Ā
Subscribe to the Skaana newsletter at Substack: https://skaanapod.substack.com/Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/skaanaHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
From the publisher's feed
Skaana - One Ocean ā Ocean Life, EcoāEthics & the Environment ā Interviews for a Changing PlanetĀ is a podcast for anyone who loves theā¦
Host Mark Leiren-Young dives beneath the surface with scientists, authors, activists, and other dolphin-friendly humans for candid conversations about marine life, conservation, ecoāethics, and the issues shaping our future.
Launched in 2017 with a focus on orcas,Ā SkaanaĀ has expanded to explore sharks, octopuses, whales, and the wider web of ocean storiesāfact-based, curious, and always grounded in respect for life in the sea. Dive in and make waves with us.
Mark Leiren-Young (Host): Mark is an author, screenwriter, playwright, journalist, performer, and environmentalist. His book The Killer Whale Who Changed the World won the 2016 Science Writers and Communicators Award, and his comic memoir Never Shoot a Stampede Queen won the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour. Mark also wrote and directed The Hundred-Year-Old Whale, which won the 2018 Writers Guild of Canada Award for Best Documentary.
Bug Lewis (Producer & Audio Engineer): Bug is Skaanaās producer and audio engineer, with a creative background spanning poetry, music, and acting. They were first published as a poet at fifteen (Poetry on Buses) and performed as a musician/actor with the ensemble for Desdemona Chiangās Measure for Measure at the Seattle Shakespeare Company.
Rayne Ellycrys Benu (Executive Producer): Rayne is an award-winning cinematographer and artist, and a nationally published festival and theatre photographer. Their work spans filmmaking (directing, editing, sound, video), interactive/digital storytelling, and visual artābringing a creative, multidisciplinary lens to Skaanaās mission and production.
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