Episode 2 of the Solving-FCB Podcast explores the unfolding ecological and socioeconomic crisis in Costa Rica’s Gulf of Nicoya, where climate change, overfishing, and agricultural runoff are driving a dangerous decline in fish populations and threatening local livelihoods.

Duncan Murray talks with Fresia Villalobos-Rojas about the issue of illegal fishing in the region and its potential damage to the sustainability of fishing practices, and with Dr. Christian Birkel about his research on the impact of agricultural runoff and terrestrial hydrology on the Gulf of Nicoya's ecosystem and fisheries

The podcast's first episode features an interview with the project's co-director, Dr. William Cheung.

William is a Professor and Director of the Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries at the University of British Columbia (UBC), where he also holds a Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) in Ocean Sustainability and Global Change. He leads the Changing Ocean Research Unit (CORU) and directs the SSHRC-funded partnership “Solving the Sustainability Challenges at the Food-Climate-Biodiversity Nexus.” At UBC, his work spans marine science, sustainability policy, and interdisciplinary modeling to inform global ocean futures.

In this episode, Duncan Murray will be talking with Dr. Cheung, who explains the project's importance and its efforts to address these complex interactions, drawing on his personal experiences with changing marine environments.