Erich Hoyt (@erichhoyt) on his fight to end Russia’s orca trade, strange sea creatures, whale watching, cosmic orcas and more with Skaana (@Skaanapod) host Mark Leiren-Young (@leirenyoung). Erich’s books include: Orca The Whale Called Killer; The Encyclopedia of Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises; Marine Protected Areas for Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises; Weird Sea Creatures and many, many more.

Erich Hoyt (@erichhoyt) - the man who wrote the book on Orcas (almost all the books) - talks about how he and the world learned about orcas, saving our oceans and more with Skaana (@Skaanpod) host Mark Leiren-Young (@leirenyoung). Erich's books include: Orca The Whale Called Killer; The Encyclopedia of Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises; Marine Protected Areas for Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises; Weird Sea Creatures and much, much more.

Skaana host Mark Leiren-Young (@leirenyoung) kicks off 2020 with a new vision and our amazing new theme song – Skana – by our special guest Leah Abramson (@abramsonsingers). Find out about her awesome album of songs for and about whales Songs For a Lost Pod.

Skaana connects you to stories about oceans, eco-ethics and the environment.

Join the Pod…… https://www.patreon.com/mobydoll

Skaana home….. skaana.org

Facebook……….. https://www.facebook.com/skaanapod/

Twitter…………… https://twitter.com/skaanapod

The Killer Whale Who Changed the World… http://amzn.to/2pRNU1q 

Orcas Everywhere… http://www.orcaseverywhere.com

Check out our new theme song on Youtube:

Show Notes:

* Introduction to Leah Abramson(0:00)

* Welcome to a New Season (0:32)

* How Tahlequah changed the world (1:16)

* Up next on Skaana (2:03)

* Thoughts on “Fair Use” (3:56)

* Leah Abramson: About the Skana song (5:31)

* How “Lost Pod” Happened (7:34)

* History with Orcas (9:19)

* Other songs and stories on the album (10:21)

* Response to the album (16:02)

* What’s next and favourite Orca experience (18:28)

* That’s a wrap (22:26)

* Skana by Leah Abramson(23:24)

Links:

*

The voices of an orca pod helped Leah Abramson process grief for her lost family — in song https://www.cbc.ca/arts/exhibitionists/the-voices-of-an-orca-pod-helped-leah-abramson-process-grief-for-her-lost-family-in-song-1.4805477

*

Inspired by the haunting calls of marine mammals, Vancouver musician Leah Abramson has found her pod https://www.straight.com/music/887526/inspired-haunting-calls-marine-mammals-vancouver-musician-leah-abramson-has-found-her

This Video Of A Beluga Whale Trying To Play With A Sea Gull Is The Cutest Thing You’ll See Today: https://digg.com/video/this-video-of-a-beluga-whale-trying-to-play-with-a-sea-gull-is-the-cutest-thing-youll-see-today

Spy Beluga Plays with a Seagull: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-o4jWvMtcU 

Support Leah Abramson:

Home: http://www.leahabramson.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/abramsonsingers?lang=en

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_P4dSp7Rxk9CnX5Zv5UlaA

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/abramsonsingers/

On Spotify:  https://open.spotify.com/artist/0oTgly73oflZweLT4DxGK4

Force of Nature:  http://amzn.to/2o9XMDd

The Legacy:  http://amzn.to/2pJ8Jc6

Skaana host Mark Leiren-Young (@leirenyoung) kicks off 2020 with a new vision and our amazing new theme song – Skana – by our special guest Leah Abramson (@abramsonsingers). Find out about her awesome album of songs for and about whales Songs For a Lost Pod.

Dr. David Suzuki (@DavidSuzuki) is Canada’s most iconic environmentalist and even in his eighties, he’s still fighting for our future. Skaana celebrates the end of the decade by recycling our premiere episode where we talked about fake facts, toxic whales and taking the heat off the planet and putting it on politicians.

Camille Labchuk (@CamilleLabchuk) executive director of Animal Justice (@AnimalJustice) talks with Mark Leiren-Young (@Leirenyoung) about Canada's new laws to cancel cetacean captivity and finish finning sharks and the fight for legal rights for animals and vegans.

JPod Shares Thoughts and Prayers for the Green Party

The Southern Resident Orcas do not have a voice in Canada’s federal election.  We wanted to give them a chance to speak their truth.  Here it is… with a little commentary from Mark Leiren-Young.

The Green Party Platform

Read the official Green Party Platform here: https://www.greenparty.ca/en/platform

The Green Party platform makes no mention of the plight of the southern residents, but does feature two lovely pictures of orcas—including one that looks like it may be the photo from the cover of my book—so bonus points for that.

Their only official whale policy is about ghost gear and nasty nets. “Trawling gear has destroyed fish habitat, and trap and long lines create extreme entanglement hazards for whales, sea turtles, seabirds and other species.”

They also think there’s something fishy about open pen fish farms and are on-board with implementing the Cohen Commission Report and paying attention to the unsinkable Alexandra Morton. (For our interview with Morton click here.)

Mark Leiren-Young: Orca policies and the Canadian election (https://www.straight.com/news/1313181/mark-leiren-young-orca-policies-and-canadian-election)

Skaana connects you to news and experts and their discussions about orcas, oceans and the environment.

You can use the affiliate links below to support the pod.

Join the Pod……https://www.patreon.com/mobydoll

Skaana home…..skaana.org

Facebook………..https://www.facebook.com/skaanapod/

Twitter……………https://twitter.com/leirenyoung

The Killer Whale Who Changed the World…. http://amzn.to/2pRNU1q

Orcas Everywhere orcaseverwhere.com

A message from the producer Rayne Benu:

Decisions being made by our leaders over the next four years will change the course of history and could be the key factor in whether our Southern Residents survive and thrive.

I can’t tell you who to vote for this election.

I carry a deep sadness in my heart that none of the parties have any official policy on the Southern Residents.  I have a longing in my soul for someone to stand up and represent the species that live here on our beautiful planet, that do not have a voice.   Many people and organizations are willing to stand up and use the images of the orcas when it’s convenient for them to make a political point, or to sell an idea, but when it comes down to the fundamental truths that they live by, forget to mention the Orcas in their policies, core platforms and overall vision.

If a party had a policy or had even mentioned the SROs in their platforms, that is who I would be championing.    

With the federal election, and what’s happening down south, it’s hard not to feel discouraged by it all.  I look around and there’s a lot public mudslinging, so much it’s getting hard to see the actual people with all the mud on their faces (ok, some of that is probably just the brown-face….)

I worry a lot about how partisan we are all getting – how tribal and us vs them things can be.

I encourage you with all my heart to ask good questions of the individuals ...

JPod Sings on Singh

The Southern Resident Orcas do not have a voice in Canada’s federal election.  We wanted to give them a chance to speak their truth.  Here it is, with a little commentary from Mark Leiren-Young.

The NDP’s “New Deal for People”

Read the official NDP Platform here: https://action.ndp.ca/page/-/2019/Q2/2019-06-19_Commitments-Doc_EN.pdf

The NDP’s “New Deal for People” doesn’t mention whales at all and likely won’t until the southern residents unionize or Right Whales are renamed Left Whales. They do, however, mention salmon. Once. Possibly because they’re pink? The Jagmeet juggernaut proposes implementing the 2018 Cohen commission report to protect wild salmon—so the orcas should find that promise tasty.

Mark Leiren-Young: Orca policies and the Canadian election (https://www.straight.com/news/1313181/mark-leiren-young-orca-policies-and-canadian-election)

Skaana connects you to news and experts and their discussions about orcas, oceans and the environment.

You can use the affiliate links below to support the pod.

Join the Pod……https://www.patreon.com/mobydoll

Skaana home…..skaana.org

Facebook………..https://www.facebook.com/skaanapod/

Twitter……………https://twitter.com/leirenyoung

The Killer Whale Who Changed the World…. http://amzn.to/2pRNU1q

Orcas Everywhere orcaseverwhere.com

A message from the producer Rayne Benu:

Decisions being made by our leaders over the next four years will change the course of history and could be the key factor in whether our Southern Residents survive and thrive.

I can’t tell you who to vote for this election.

I carry a deep sadness in my heart that none of the parties have any official policy on the Southern Residents.  I have a longing in my soul for someone to stand up and represent the species that live here on our beautiful planet, that do not have a voice.   Many people and organizations are willing to stand up and use the images of the orcas when it’s convenient for them to make a political point, or to sell an idea, but when it comes down to the fundamental truths that they live by, forget to mention the Orcas in their policies, core platforms and overall vision.

If a party had a policy or had even mentioned the SROs in their platforms, that is who I would be championing.    

With the federal election, and what’s happening down south, it’s hard not to feel discouraged by it all.  I look around and there’s a lot public mudslinging, so much it’s getting hard to see the actual people with all the mud on their faces (ok, some of that is probably just the brown-face….)

I worry a lot about how partisan we are all getting – how tribal and us vs them things can be.

I encourage you with all my heart to ask good questions of the individuals involved right now, instead of throwing more mud.

I know you have a million things to do this weekend,  but I want to encourage you to take a moment to try to meet or get to know something about the person you’re considering voting for in your riding.    There’s still time.

Are they someone you could talk to or bring concerns to?   Do they want to serve the people,

JPod Gives Us the Skinny on Andrew Scheer

The Southern Resident Orcas do not have a voice in Canada’s federal election.  We wanted to give them a chance to speak their truth.  Here it is, with a little commentary from Mark Leiren-Young.

The Conservative Climate Plan

Read the official Conservative Climate Plan here:  https://www.conservative.ca/cpc/andrew-scheers-climate-plan/

The ReformaTories offer a “real plan to protect our environment” based on “green tech, not taxes” and other fun, meaningless slogans that alliterate. They do mention whales—although from a southern resident perspective their focus is on the wrong whales, a.k.a. the Right Whales.

The Conservatives are proposing better tech to monitor shipping lanes—although that tech isn’t about avoiding whales, but protecting endangered delivery times. “Real-time data could make sure that ships avoid interactions with whales and marine animals and ensures marine traffic is only re-routed when there are real threats posed to marine life.”

I’m assuming by “real threats” they’re referring to Andrew Scheer’s alleged climate policies.

And never forget Stephen Harper’s bold policy on science – “fire all the scientists.”

Mark Leiren-Young: Orca policies and the Canadian election (https://www.straight.com/news/1313181/mark-leiren-young-orca-policies-and-canadian-election)

Skaana connects you to news and experts and their discussions about orcas, oceans and the environment.

You can use the affiliate links below to support the pod.

Join the Pod……https://www.patreon.com/mobydoll

Skaana home…..skaana.org

Facebook………..https://www.facebook.com/skaanapod/

Twitter……………https://twitter.com/leirenyoung

The Killer Whale Who Changed the World…. http://amzn.to/2pRNU1q

Orcas Everywhere orcaseverwhere.com

A message from the producer Rayne Benu:

Decisions being made by our leaders over the next four years will change the course of history and could be the key factor in whether our Southern Residents survive and thrive.

I can’t tell you who to vote for this election.

I carry a deep sadness in my heart that none of the parties have any official policy on the Southern Residents.  I have a longing in my soul for someone to stand up and represent the species that live here on our beautiful planet, that do not have a voice.   Many people and organizations are willing to stand up and use the images of the orcas when it’s convenient for them to make a political point, or to sell an idea, but when it comes down to the fundamental truths that they live by, forget to mention the Orcas in their policies, core platforms and overall vision.

If a party had a policy or had even mentioned the SROs in their platforms, that is who I would be championing.    

With the federal election, and what’s happening down south, it’s hard not to feel discouraged by it all.  I look around and there’s a lot public mudslinging, so much it’s getting hard to see the actual people with all the mud on their faces (ok, some of that is probably just the brown-face….)

I worry a lot about how partisan we are all getting – how tribal and us vs them things can be.

The Southern Resident Orcas do not have a voice in Canada’s federal election.  We wanted to give them a chance to speak their truth.  Here it is, with a little commentary from Mark Leiren-Young.