How To Protect The Ocean

Today's Update episode cover two stories and an opinion piece that I have about something that people freak out on way too much. There is so much news out there that it was tough to pick just 3 things, but I thought these would be the ones that weren't getting the attention that they should. Today I discuss the following: 1) Menhaden fish catches will be reduced to ensure their sustainability (8:40); 2) My Opinion on a post that went down in a Facebook Group about Marine Careers where one person got hate thrown at them for asking people to collaborate with them on a Marine Conservation Blog and why I like the idea (18:04); and, 3) Octopuses were found walking on the sand in fairly large numbers and it has scientists baffled (34:18). Enjoy the Podcast!!! Let me know what you think of the episode by joining our Facebook Group for the Podcast. Support Speak Up For Blue's Efforts to build a platform to raise awareness for Marine Science and Conservation and help you live for a better Ocean. Contribute to our Patreon Campaign

Dr. Lyne Morissette joins me on the podcast again this week for another instalment of Ocean Talk Friday. Today we talk: 1) Volvo Award goes to Canadian Economist for High Seas Fishing Study; 2) The expansion of an Antarctic Network of Marine Protected Areas does not go ahead...yet; 3) A weird sailing story from two women who were rescued after 90 days stranded at sea, but their stories don't correlate with true accounts; and, 4) More countries collaborate to protect sharks across borders. Enjoy the Podcast!!! Sign up for the upcoming Webinar by Nick entitled: "Making Your Research Freely-Available with MarXiv:The (free!) research repository for ocean-conservation and marine climate science" Let me know what you think of the episode by joining our Facebook Group for the Podcast. Support Speak Up For Blue's Efforts to create a free pr=resource program for Ocean Citizen Scientists to help move Marine Science and Conservation forward by collecting information for various Citizen Science program. Contribute to our Patreon Campaign

Ret Talbot is a Freelance Fisheries Jounalist, and a friend of Speak Up For Blue, who has recently released a podcast of his own called Beyond Data. It's a podcast about fisheries, the data behind them (or lack thereof) and their story. Ret will explore the stories of fish we know and some we may not knew existed like his first episode on the oyster toadfish in New York. Ret stopped by the podcast to tell us why he moved into podcasting and why he thought is was important to focus on fisheries in each episode. Check out Ret's Podcast Beyond Data Enjoy The Podcast!!! Sign up for the upcoming Webinar by Nick entitled: "Making Your Research Freely-Available with MarXiv:The (free!) research repository for ocean-conservation and marine climate science" Let me know what you think of the episode by joining our Facebook Group for the Podcast. This episode was brought to you by Octo (Open Communications for The Oceans). Check out their recent MPA News (Marine Protected Area News) issue helping inform the Marine Science and Conservation field around the world. Support Speak Up For Blue's Efforts to create a free pr=resource program for Ocean Citizen Scientists to help move Marine Science and Conservation forward by collecting information for various Citizen Science program. Contribute to our Patreon Campaign

On this week's instalment of Ocean Updates, we tackle the last ditch efforts of the collaborative, Mexican-led group, of VaquitaCPR to try to save the last 19 individuals of the endemic Vaquita. If you read the story, you wouldn't think that it was a success as VaquitaCPR caught and had to release the first Vaquita, but the team thinks it was a success. Other stories that I am covering today include my thoughts on industry funded fisheries research with a focus on Dr. Ray Hilborn, who is often thought to be a tool of the fisheries industry, but is he looking out for fish or his funders pockets. Finally, I found out about a EU fisheries program that gives out yellow and red cards to evaluate countries based on their efforts to reduce/eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated fisheries. Enjoy the Podcast!!! Sign up for the upcoming Webinar by Nick entitled: "Making Your Research Freely-Available with MarXiv:The (free!) research repository for ocean-conservation and marine climate science" Let me know what you think of the episode by joining our Facebook Group for the Podcast. This episode was brought to you by Octo (Open Communications for The Oceans). Check out their recent MPA News (Marine Protected Area News) issue helping inform the Marine Science and Conservation field around the world. Support Speak Up For Blue's Efforts to create a free pr=resource program for Ocean Citizen Scientists to help move Marine Science and Conservation forward by collecting information for various Citizen Science program. Contribute to our Patreon Campaign

Dr. Lyne Morissette, marine mammal scientist and science communicator extrodinnaire, joins us on the podcast today to discuss her takeaways from the 22nd Biennial Conference for the Society of Marine Mammals. That means she gets to spend more than 5 days listening and talking about whales, dolphins, seals, walruses, polar bears and more!!! It's a dream come true!!! Lyne's highlights were the talks of the Northwest Atlantic Right Whales and what we will do about them, hearing about the Vaquita (only 19 left!!!), and the fusion of collaboration among various professions such as art and conservation. By the way, the conference was held in Halifax, Nova Scotia and in true Canadian fashion, the entire conference took place on a hockey rink. The conference shirts were hockey jerseys! Enjoy the Podcast!!! Sign up for the upcoming Webinar by Nick entitled: "Making Your Research Freely-Available with MarXiv:The (free!) research repository for ocean-conservation and marine climate science" Let me know what you think of the episode by joining our Facebook Group for the Podcast. This episode was brought to you by Octo (Open Communications for The Oceans). Check out their recent MPA News (Marine Protected Area News) issue helping inform the Marine Science and Conservation field around the world. Support Speak Up For Blue's Efforts to create a free pr=resource program for Ocean Citizen Scientists to help move Marine Science and Conservation forward by collecting information for various Citizen Science program. Contribute to our Patreon Campaign

Open Access to Science is crucial to sharing information across the world. If you think about it, the entire scientific process is all about one scientists being able to duplicate an experiment of a study based on the methods outlined in a paper. However, sharing literature is not always possible. As our guest today, Nick Wehner from OCTO (Open Communications for The Ocean), will describe to us, many scientific papers that would help Marine Conservationists to their jobs better are stored behind a paywall in the journals in which they are published. The paywall makes it difficult for scientists who do not have expensive subscriptions to the journals to access the important information. Nick is here to tell us about a solution that OCTO is going to release on November 14th. You don't need to be a scientist or have an expensive subscription to get access to this literature. Enjoy the Podcast! Here are some links to the articles that we discussed on the podcast: 1) A paper on the usage of primary journal articles by environmental managers (which is behind a paywall...how ironic!!!) 2) A paper describing the impact of Open Access Literature3) A paper on the history and future of peer review Sign up for the upcoming Webinar by Nick entitled: "Making Your Research Freely-Available with MarXiv:The (free!) research repository for ocean-conservation and marine climate science" Let me know what you think of the episode by joining our Facebook Group for the Podcast. This episode was brought to you by Octo (Open Communications for The Oceans). Check out their recent MEAM (Marine Ecosystem And Management) issue helping inform the Marine Science and Conservation field around the world. Support Speak Up For Blue's Efforts to create a free pr=resource program for Ocean Citizen Scientists to help move Marine Science and Conservation forward by collecting information for various Citizen Science program. Contribute to our Patreon Campaign

As always, there is quite a bit going on in Marine Science and Conservation field so it's a good thing that the Speak Up For Blue Podcast is here to keep you updated. Here are the stories for today: 1) Open Acces Week (3:34) 2) Salmon populations may be decreasing for many reasons (8:28) 3) Scientists travel too much by plane to go to conferences/meetings (23:00) 4) Master Chef technique used to safely transport Sea Turtle Eggs (30:40) Enjoy the Podcast!!! Let me know what you think of the episode by joining our Facebook Group for the Podcast. This episode was brought to you by Octo (Open Communications for The Oceans). Check out their recent MEAM (Marine Ecosystem And Management) issue helping inform the Marine Science and Conservation field around the world. Support Speak Up For Blue's Efforts to create a free pr=resource program for Ocean Citizen Scientists to help move Marine Science and Conservation forward by collecting information for various Citizen Science program. Contribute to our Patreon Campaign

Nathan Johnson is back again for another Ocean Talk Friday episode. Nathan makes a special announcement about his career and how being a co-host of the Ocean Talk Friday Episodes helped him attain this new goal. We also talk about some articles that we thought you should know about: 1) Countries pushing for another MPA in the Antarctic; 2) Nuie, island in the South Pacific, declares MPA protecting 40% of its ocean; and, 3) Engineers try to replicate the camouflage ability of the Octopus (pretty cool!). Enjoy the Podcast!!! Let me know what you think of the episode by joining our Facebook Group for the Podcast. This episode was brought to you by Octo (Open Communications for The Oceans). Check out their recent MEAM (Marine Ecosystem And Management) issue helping inform the Marine Science and Conservation field around the world. Support Speak Up For Blue's Efforts to create a free pr=resource program for Ocean Citizen Scientists to help move Marine Science and Conservation forward by collecting information for various Citizen Science program. Contribute to our Patreon Campaign

Marine Conservation is great when we see things like water quality policies and Marine Protected Areas implemented into law by governments; however, enforcing those policies on the Ocean is a huge challenge. It takes a number of tools and experts to create a Management Plan that will deter and prevent future problems. Paul Whitaker, from KSAT, is our guest on the podcast today and he is leading projects that track oil spills and illegal fishing on the Ocean around the world, including Easter Island and Gabon. Paul gives us the breakdown of how Satellites can help us identify oil spills on the water and identify ships that are fishing illegally with other tools such as AIMS that enhances management and enforcement to further protect the Ocean. Check out the podcast for more details. Enjoy the Podcast!!! Let me know what you think of the episode by joining our Facebook Group for the Podcast. This episode was brought to you by Octo (Open Communications for The Oceans). Check out their recent MEAM (Marine Ecosystem And Management) issue helping inform the Marine Science and Conservation field around the world. Support Speak Up For Blue's Efforts to create a free pr=resource program for Ocean Citizen Scientists to help move Marine Science and Conservation forward by collecting information for various Citizen Science program. Contribute to our Patreon Campaign

The New York Times wrote a great article of fishers in Maine, USA who were diversifying their lone revenue stream of fishing lobsters by farming oysters and kelp. You might wonder, "Why in the world would they want to do that?" Apparently, they say they cannot rely on income based on the seasonal fluctuation of wild stocks anymore. The lobster fishery seems to be doing quite well; however, many fishers are cautious in believing that the stock can sustain its population size with the changing temperature and the potential for disease in warming seas. Listen to the episode to find out more. Also on the Program: 1) Mexico ready to create the largest Marine Reserve in North America; and, 2) Marine Insurance companies teaming up with Oceana to make it harder for Blacklisted fishers to get insurance for their boats to combat over fishing. Let me know what you think of the episode by joining our Facebook Group for the Podcast. This episode was brought to you by Octo (Open Communications for The Oceans). Check out their recent MEAM (Marine Ecosystem And Management) issue helping inform the Marine Science and Conservation field around the world. Support Speak Up For Blue's Efforts to create a free pr=resource program for Ocean Citizen Scientists to help move Marine Science and Conservation forward by collecting information for various Citizen Science program. Contribute to our Patreon Campaign

Climate Change has really been on my mind these days, specifically the people who have been affected by the Hurricanes in Small Island communities such as Barbuda, Dominica, US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. The magnitude and extent of the damages incurred by these communities are evidence that we are not prepared for the intensity of storms that seem to be occurring more often. It's time we have a conversation and share some ideas to find more solutions. I will start and I would encourage you to continue the conversation in our Facebook Group. I look forward to hearing your thoughts. Let me know what you think of the episode by joining our Facebook Group for the Podcast. This episode was brought to you by Octo (Open Communications for The Oceans). Check out their recent MEAM (Marine Ecosystem And Management) issue helping inform the Marine Science and Conservation field around the world. Support Speak Up For Blue's Efforts to create a free pr=resource program for Ocean Citizen Scientists to help move Marine Science and Conservation forward by collecting information for various Citizen Science program. Contribute to our Patreon Campaign

Seagrass monitoring projects are crucial to the overall health of coastal systems as seagrass beds all around the world are habitats of great biodiversity...and biodiversity make habitats more resistant to degradation. Unfortunately, monitoring projects are hard to start and maintain because it's difficult to find people to do the work on a consistent basis and it's difficult to find money to pay for the program. In comes community programs, or Ocean Citizen Science Projects. Fiona West is the manager of the Broome Community Seagrass Program in the Kimberley Region of Northwest Australia. Her program has been in place for 11 years (that's a lot of data) that functions based on the work of citizen scientists (locals and tourists) who want to take care of the environment in this part of the world. The program is part of the Seagrass Watch program, an international program that provide citizen science programs with protocols and analysis support for their region. Fiona describes how the program works and how the Aboriginal People and the Australian government have bee working together to establish a great program monitoring trends in this part of the world. Listen as Fiona speaks passionately about Broome Bay and the people who protect it. Enjoy the Podcast!!! Let me know what you think of the episode by joining our Facebook Group for the Podcast. This episode was brought to you by Octo (Open Communications for The Oceans). Check out their recent MEAM (Marine Ecosystem And Management) issue helping inform the Marine Science and Conservation field around the world. Support Speak Up For Blue's Efforts to create a free pr=resource program for Ocean Citizen Scientists to help move Marine Science and Conservation forward by collecting information for various Citizen Science program. Contribute to our Patreon Campaign

Shark advocates and scientists strive for the same cause: protect sharks from their rapid global decrease in population. However, advocates and scientists don't always agree on the methods. Some people want all finning and fishing of all sharks to stop completely. Others feel it's more realistic to have some sustainable shark fisheries and want to ban finning altogether. A current proposed bill in Congress that will ban finning of any kind is testing the relationship among some advocates and scientists. Debate on the methods of science, conservation and protection is healthy. What is NOT healthy is the personal attacks after heated debates online. Personal attacks do not help move ideas forward. They do the opposite. They further divide the rational line of compromise and agreements. I discuss this in our second story of this episode because advocates are personally attacking a researcher for their stance on the proposed bill to ban the sale of all fins in the US. Listen to the podcast and let me know how you feel this issue could have been solved in our Facebook Group. Also on the podcast: 1) Thousands of fish, including 1,000-2,000 leopard sharks die in San Francisco Bay; and, 2) An alliance is formed to track the distribution line to eliminate illegal fishing in our global seafood market. Let me know what you think of the episode by joining our Facebook Group for the Podcast. This episode was brought to you by Octo (Open Communications for The Oceans). Check out their recent MEAM (Marine Ecosystem And Management) issue helping inform the Marine Science and Conservation field around the world. Support Speak Up For Blue's Efforts to create a free pr=resource program for Ocean Citizen Scientists to help move Marine Science and Conservation forward by collecting information for various Citizen Science program. Contribute to our Patreon Campaign

We continue our introduction to the Octo (Open Communications for The Ocean) team this week as John Davis, Nick Wehner and introducing Sarah Carr join me for Ocean Talk Friday to discuss the articles that were published in the latest Marine Environment And Management (MEAM) edition. Today we discuss: 1) How social science is implemented in Marine Conservation projects by looking at a number of examples; 2) Why science is an important component of Ecosystem-Based Management (and what science is crucial); and, 3) We get an update on where Marine National Monuments stand in the Trump era. Enjoy the Podcast!!! Octo's website Open Channels Website Let me know what you think of the episode by joining our Facebook Group for the Podcast. Support Speak Up For Blue's Efforts to create a free pr=resource program for Ocean Citizen Scientists to help move Marine Science and Conservation forward by collecting information for various Citizen Science program. Contribute to our Patreon Campaign

Open Communications For The Oceans (Octo) has become a partner of Speak Up For Blue and we will now work together as a team to further share Marine Science and Conservation to help live for a better Ocean. As you know, Speak Up For Blue is designed to raise awareness about Ocean Issues in the public and let people know about all of the wonderful people and projects going on around the world. I hope that the information inspires you to help protect the Ocean in any way that you can. Octo is focused on supporting the Marine Science and Conservation community by helping them do their jobs with shared tools and resources as well as platforms to help share information. Together we are going to try to increase our reach to help more people and further protect the Ocean. This interview with John Davis and Nick Wehner, from Octo, will let you get to know our new partners. Enjoy the Podcast!!! Let me know what you think of the episode by joining our Facebook Group for the Podcast. Support Speak Up For Blue's Efforts to create a free pr=resource program for Ocean Citizen Scientists to help move Marine Science and Conservation forward by collecting information for various Citizen Science program. Contribute to our Patreon Campaign

It's not everyday where you realize your dreams, especially in the field of Marine Science and Conservation. However, it has happened to me today as this is the first day that I am working full time on Speak Up For Blue and getting paid for it. That's right, Speak Up For Blue has it's first sponsor at the Partner Level. That sponsor is Octo (Open Communications for The Ocean). This opportunity allows me to do what I haven't been able to do in the past, which is to build a Marine Science and Conservation Media Company. Find out all of the details in this episode. Enjoy the podcast!!! Let me know what you think of the episode by joining our Facebook Group for the Podcast. Support Speak Up For Blue's Efforts to create a free pr=resource program for Ocean Citizen Scientists to help move Marine Science and Conservation forward by collecting information for various Citizen Science program. Contribute to our Patreon Campaign

Shark finning, the act of removing a shark's fin at sea and discarding their mangled body overboard for them to die, is a terrible act and the reason why many marine conservation organizations are trying to ban finning and fins in many countries around the world, including in the US. There is a proposed bill that is in Congress right now that is proposing the possession and sale of shark fins in the US. It seems as though its a good plan, right? Well, at least two shark scientists think its a bad idea. How could they you ask? Take a listen to the podcast to find out what they wrote in a peer reviewed journal article in Marine Policy. Also on the show, I talk about a cool adaptation of the electric eel and how it wards off hungry predators like crocodiles and cats. Enjoy the Podcast!!! Let me know what you think of the episode by joining our Facebook Group for the Podcast. Support Speak Up For Blue's Efforts to create a free pr=resource program for Ocean Citizen Scientists to help move Marine Science and Conservation forward by collecting information for various Citizen Science program. Contribute to our Patreon Campaign

I tell a story about my trip with some friends to the Buffalo Bills game last Sunday. It was crazy hot!!! The Bills stadium ran out of bottled water by half time and wouldn't give us regular tap water. It sucked because it was crazy hot!!! So hot!!! And no water equals not a great day until more bottled water showed up. I want to know why we never see tap water in public anymore?!?!?! Enjoy the Podcast!!! Let me know what you think of the episode by joining our Facebook Group for the Podcast. Support Speak Up For Blue's Efforts to create a free pr=resource program for Ocean Citizen Scientists to help move Marine Science and Conservation forward by collecting information for various Citizen Science program. Contribute to our Patreon Campaign

Graduate student life is fun when you look back on it after 15 years. You realize that you had so many freedoms and you didn't have to worry about the "real world" yet; however, the real world hits you as a graduate student because you have to pay bills, tuition, and live life with a very low salary. Some people accept that part of life and hope for the best, while others go out and work for extra money to be able to pay for their bills (rent, food, etc.). An article on NatureJobs.com seems to suggest that every graduate student should have a side hustle/job to make ends meet and provide a few tips to accomplish this goal. The problem is they never talk about how difficult it is to have a side hustle. I talk about my experience trying to have a side hustle and the sacrifices I had to make and the conflicts it caused (often with my supervisor). Take a listen and let me know what you think in our Facebook Group (link below). Let me know what you think of the episode by joining our Facebook Group for the Podcast. Support Speak Up For Blue's Efforts to create a free pr=resource program for Ocean Citizen Scientists to help move Marine Science and Conservation forward by collecting information for various Citizen Science program. Contribute to our Patreon Campaign

We are featuring another episode of the Marine Conservation Happy Hour where Dr. Scarlett Smash recounts her and her husband's experience of evacuating the state of Florida along with millions of other people. Let's just say water and gas were in limited quantity and it was hot and sticky. I will let Smash tell you the rest. Enjoy the Podcast!!! Let me know what you think of the episode by joining our Facebook Group for the Podcast. Support Speak Up For Blue's Efforts to create a free pr=resource program for Ocean Citizen Scientists to help move Marine Science and Conservation forward by collecting information for various Citizen Science program. Contribute to our Patreon Campaign

There are quite a few spectacular things that go on at the International Marine Conservation Congress every year; however, one of my favourites is the Tales From The Sea. It's an event that goes on in a theatre where Marine Scientists and Conservationists stand up in front of an audience and tell them a story about an experience during their life that involves the Ocean in some sort of way. Today, you are going to hear 3 of those stories that I loved hearing. You can listen to the stories in this episode and you can go watch the episode as it was filmed in front of a live audience. I'm sharing these stories because it's a great way for you to connect with more people who work in the Marine Science and Conservation fields. Enjoy the Podcast!!! Let me know what you think of the episode by joining our Facebook Group for the Podcast. Support Speak Up For Blue's Efforts to create a free pr=resource program for Ocean Citizen Scientists to help move Marine Science and Conservation forward by collecting information for various Citizen Science program. Contribute to our Patreon Campaign

Today's stories have a couple of things in common: 1) All stories are about invertebrates and, 2) You have to find out at the end of the episode. I thought I would pick these stories to discuss because I wanted to cover something a little different to show you that there are some great discoveries and some concerns that need to be addressed in Marine Science and Conservation. Enjoy the Podcast!!! Let me know what you think of the episode by joining our Facebook Group for the Podcast. Support Speak Up For Blue's Efforts to create a free pr=resource program for Ocean Citizen Scientists to help move Marine Science and Conservation forward by collecting information for various Citizen Science program. Contribute to our Patreon Campaign

Dr. Ed Hind-Ozan joins me on this episode of Ocean Talk Friday to discuss how conferences benefit people in the field of Marine Science and Conservation. Conferences are great for networking, collaborating on future projects and sharing information about different projects and strategies for the Ocean's best interest. Ed is the chair of the International Marine Conservation Congress that will take place in Malaysia in 2018 and shared his experience at the past conferences. We took the time to discuss some of the papers that were published recently from discussions and sessions arising from the IMCC 4 meeting in St. John's, Newfoundland. Here are the stories that we covered today: 1) Conch fisheries management 2) Geovisualizations Paper 1 and Paper 2 3) Gender Inequality at Marine Conservation Conferences Enjoy the Podcast!!! Let me know what you think of the episode by joining our Facebook Group for the Podcast. Support Speak Up For Blue's Efforts to create a free pr=resource program for Ocean Citizen Scientists to help move Marine Science and Conservation forward by collecting information for various Citizen Science program. Contribute to our Patreon Campaign

The Canadian Government has a long relationship with the First Nations groups across Canada; however, the relationship sucks. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a campaign promise to reconcile Canada's relationship with First Nations groups in Canada. He's been Prime Minister for almost 2 years, but hasn't done much to help...in fact, people say he's done the opposite. An article in the National Post covers a story where the Canadian Government gave the opportunity for a number of First Nations groups to bid on 25% of the quota for Arctic Surf Clam. I also talk about a study that provides 3 ways that the East Coast of the US is sinking and will be prone to flooding. Enjoy the Podcast!!! Let me know what you think of the episode by joining our Facebook Group for the Podcast. Support Speak Up For Blue's Efforts to create a free pr=resource program for Ocean Citizen Scientists to help move Marine Science and Conservation forward by collecting information for various Citizen Science program. Contribute to our Patreon Campaign

Hurricane Irma made landfall in Florida over the weekend reeking havoc in different counties across the state as it did across many Caribbean Islands. As people in the path of Irma checked in as safe on social media and shared pictures and videos of what they witnessed, an interesting thing popped up in some of the videos. Two people shared pictures and videos of the ocean water missing along their coasts. One person's video in Long Island, Bahamas showed water missing from his dock as far as the eye can see. The other video shows a manatee that was stranded due to the lack of water caused by the hurricane. Listen to the podcast to find out why this happened. Here are some links if you would like to help out: 1) Global Giving Fund 2) Turks & Caicos - This was set up by Dr. Edward Hind-Ozan. The second story I cover today is about a study showing why fish eat plastic that is plaguing our Ocean. I talk about the study and the results and how it affects humans as predators. Enjoy the Podcast!!! Let me know what you think of the episode by joining our Facebook Group for the Podcast. Support Speak Up For Blue's Efforts to create a free pr=resource program for Ocean Citizen Scientists to help move Marine Science and Conservation forward by collecting information for various Citizen Science program. Contribute to our Patreon Campaign

Nathan Johnson joins us on Ocean Talk Friday after a busy summer. Today we talk about the following articles: 1) Canada designates it's largest conservation area (not an MPA, but similar); 2) Hawaiian National Monument gets an award for doing great work; 3) Can Aquaculture supply the world with seafood in a sustainable way; and, 4) NASA is using satellites to help understand Antarctica ecology Enjoy the Podcast!!! Let me know what you think of the episode by joining our Facebook Group for the Podcast. Support Speak Up For Blue's Efforts to create a free pr=resource program for Ocean Citizen Scientists to help move Marine Science and Conservation forward by collecting information for various Citizen Science program. Contribute to our Patreon Campaign

Raising Ocean Awareness through any means may not be enough to be successful at conserving and protecting the Ocean. I know! I was surprised to hear that as well. We often watch documentaries or participate in campaigns that try to raise awareness of Ocean issues, but they are not as effective (all of the time) in doing what is necessary: Change the behaviours of people to protect the Ocean from harm. The documentary "Chasing Coral" is a prime example. The movie did a great job to explain and highlight the devastating impact rising sea surface temperatures (from climate change) are having on corals; however, the film did not tell people how they could change their behaviour to reduce their contribution to climate change. The result was a whole lot of people feeling depressed about the Ocean without any guidance on how to change what was happening. Brian Day knows how to use a tool that is used by Coke to make them a corporate giant. The tool is called marketing and it's purpose is to change people's behaviour for a specific result. In Coke's case, they would like people to drink their product to make them feel happy. In the Ocean's case, Brian wants people to change a certain behaviour to stop the action the people were taking to further harm the Ocean. Sounds like common sense, right? Unfortunately, not everyone one or every organization uses marketing in an effective way to change the world for social good, i.e. Social Marketing. Brian knows how to though and it works under the right circumstances. Brian explains how to use social marketing to change people's behaviour around the Ocean to protect it in this episode. Enjoy the Podcast!!! Let me know what you think of the episode by joining our Facebook Group for the Podcast. Support Speak Up For Blue's Efforts to create a free pr=resource program for Ocean Citizen Scientists to help move Marine Science and Conservation forward by collecting information for various Citizen Science program. Contribute to our Patreon Campaign

Whale sharks are one of the most iconic species in the world. As the largest fish, people are so captivated by their sight that they will travel thousands of miles just to get a glimpse of them in the wild. However, these sharks are also Endangered according to the IUCN Red List and you might be surprised to know that there isn't much known about these amazing fish. Especially, their population sizes and where they like to go. A paper led by Jennifer McKinney estimated the population size and connectivity of the whale shark population in the Western And Central Atlantic Ocean (WSA) using software that identified individual whale sharks by the spots on their backs. I discuss how the pattern of spots on whale sharks in images taken by citizen scientists can be used to identify individual sharks and contribute to the scientific study. Enjoy the podcast!!! Let me know what you think of the episode by joining our Facebook Group for the Podcast. Support Speak Up For Blue's Efforts to create a free pr=resource program for Ocean Citizen Scientists to help move Marine Science and Conservation forward by collecting information for various Citizen Science program. Contribute to our Patreon Campaign

Marine Conservation Careers seems to be on your mind as we covered it on a couple of episodes over the past week. Last Friday, we heard from 3 generations of Marine Conservationists on the challenges we faced in our career. It wasn't meant to scare you. It was meant to prepare you for the future (if you want a marine conservation career). I address some comments that I received on the episode from last week and build on what I hope will be a more inspiring message. I also discuss some comments I received from our Facebook Group on last episode where I covered how Climate Change made Hurricane Harvey worse. Here are the shows where I discuss Marine Conservation Careers in more detail: 1) Choosing You Marine Conservation Career 2) How to Become an Influencer for Your Marine Conservation Career 3) How To Volunteer to Get Experience in Marine Conservation 4) 5 Important Strategies to Implement When You Search for a Marine Conservation Job 5) How To Write A Cover Letter for a Marine Conservation Job 6) Writing a Resume to get a Marine Conservation Job 7) Preparing for the Interview for a Marine Conservation Job 8) Options for Your Marine Conservation Career 9) 3 Reasons to Attend a Marine Conservation Conference Enjoy the Podcast!!! Let me know what you think of the episode by joining our Facebook Group for the Podcast. Support Speak Up For Blue's Efforts to build a platform to raise awareness for Marine Science and Conservation and help you live for a better Ocean. Contribute to our Patreon Campaign

Hurricane Harvey, a category 4 storm, has left Houston and the surrounding areas and is now heading for Louisiana as a tropical storm; however, the imprint it left on Houston was devastating. A Politico article said Harvey was the 3rd 500-year storm in as many years leaving 40-60 inches of rain, which flooded various parts of the city. Authorities are still dealing with the floods and trying to rescue people from their homes. People whose live are changed forever. As we donate to support efforts to help Harvey's victims, we look at how this storm was so devastating. There were 3 causes that contributed to Harvey's destructive ability that I talk about during the podcast. I apologize for my tone during this podcast as I am frustrated at the lack of preparedness of governments who face climate change impacts, but refuse to acknowledge them. Let me know what you think of the episode by joining our Facebook Group for the Podcast. Support Speak Up For Blue's Efforts to build a platform to raise awareness for Marine Science and Conservation and help you live for a better Ocean. Contribute to our Patreon Campaign

Two crazy pieces of news to cover today. Last week was a big week in crazy news. A Fish Farm in Washington blames the eclipse on stronger tides and currents and breaking nets, releasing Atlantic Salmon into the Pacific Coast. Our Second piece of crazy news is a politician in Cape Cod is now taking aim at Great White Sharks after a white shark preyed upon a seal near a beach in front on beach goers. He scared and wants to kill any white shark that comes near a beach. Two crazy news pieces for your money as we try to add sanity to your Ocean World. Enjoy the Podcast!!! Let me know what you think of the episode by joining our Facebook Group for the Podcast. Support Speak Up For Blue's Efforts to build a platform to raise awareness for Marine Science and Conservation and help you live for a better Ocean. Contribute to our Patreon Campaign

Marine Conservation Careers is a dream that all of us have that work, or are trying to work, in this field. Two episodes ago, I discussed an article on the struggles people were having trying to get a job. Many of the problems that arose were unpaid internships, pay for work experience and lack of funding. I got some feedback from the Facebook Group on the episode, which was good, but said that I implied that I didn't think people were doing enough. My point of the episode was to offer tips that could help you set yourself apart from the rest of the pack that is seeking jobs; however, I never realized that the yips may not work for everyone and my experience in Marine Conservation Careers is very different from may other people. I wanted to get other people's perspectives who are in the field to give more of a well rounded account of what we have been through building a career in Marine Conservation. I found the people. As some of you may already know, I am producing another podcast show called Marine Conservation Happy Hour, where I get together with @Craken_MacCraic and @DrScarlettSmash to talk about the different aspects of Marine Conservation. This episode we talk about Marine Conservation Careers with special guest @marinebrit to discuss our journeys through the mythical word of building our careers. Three generations of Marine Conservationists open up and rant about the past and present situations and hope for a better future. While having some drinks over the internet happy hour... Enjoy the Podcast!!! Let me know what you think of the episode by joining our Facebook Group for the Podcast. Support Speak Up For Blue's Efforts to build a platform to raise awareness for Marine Science and Conservation and help you live for a better Ocean. Contribute to our Patreon Campaign

Blue whales are the largest animals on the planet and Dr. Asha de Vos studies a unique population that occurs in the Northern Indian Ocean. She has pioneered marine mammal research and conservation in her home country of Sri Lanka and is inspiring the next generation of Marine Scientists and Conservationists all over the world. Now, Asha launched Oceanswell as the next part of her evolution to building her legacy. Oceanswell is a non-profit organization that is designed to support other marine scientists to become leaders in their community and further Marine Science and Conservation in their own countries. Listen to Asha discuss everything from blue whales to discovering a new whale species occurring in the Northern Indian Ocean to her exciting new organization. Oceanswell Twitter Oceanswell Facebook Oceanswell Instagram: @oceanswell Oceanswell You Tube Enjoy the Podcast!!! Let me know what you think of the episode by joining our Facebook Group for the Podcast. Support Speak Up For Blue's Efforts to build a platform to raise awareness for Marine Science and Conservation and help you live for a better Ocean. Contribute to our Patreon Campaign

Sea otters can eat a variety of prey (up to 50) according to an article that photo-documented a sea otter eating a giant Pacific octopus off the coast near Juneau, Alaska. The sea otter had some pups with her, which begs the question as to why sea otter would take the risk of eating an octopus. I talk about the dangers of eating live octopus in the Ocean and how other animals are dying because of it. I also introduce social marketing and how it is used to change human behaviours around the ocean. Enjoy the Podcast!!! Let me know what you think of the episode by joining our Facebook Group for the Podcast. Support Speak Up For Blue's Efforts to build a platform to raise awareness for Marine Science and Conservation and help you live for a better Ocean. Contribute to our Patreon Campaign

I read a great article on the Mongabay website that inspired me to discuss it on today's installment of Ocean Talk Friday. The article was about how hard it is for young people to build a career in Conservation. It dives into many of the issues that I see everyday while I consult with people about building their careers: 1) High student debt with low paying jobs; 2) Only unpaid internships available; 3) Often times, people have to pay to earn experience; and, much more. The fact is, building a career in Conservation is one of the hardest things to do in your life. It's not as easy as getting a 4 year degree, graduating and getting hand picked for a job. The reality is that there is more competition for less jobs because of reduced funding (don't forget the fact that every once and a while a government administration will come along and halt any hiring). I felt it necessary to do this podcast because there are ways to help you achieve your dream (it's not a guarantee, but it gets you closer). I tell you the story of my struggle to build my career and how I got to where I am today so that you can learn from my mistakes and understand that there is a process to follow that will help your chances of getting a job and building that career. Enjoy the podcast!!! Let me know what you think of the episode by joining our Facebook Group for the Podcast. Support Speak Up For Blue's Efforts to build a platform to raise awareness for Marine Science and Conservation and help you live for a better Ocean. Contribute to our Patreon Campaign

Drones in Marine Conservation is quite the hot topic these days. They provide Marine Scientists and Conservationists with so many advantages when studying the marine environment at a much lesser cost than the traditional means of monitoring trends in marine species. For example, the grey seal population off Cape Cod can be counted using video and images collected from a drone compared to scientists renting a plane to do aerial surveys, which could cost 10s of 1000s of dollars. Drones provide more possibilities too. I was fortunate enough to meet Dr. David Johnston, who is the Director of the Marine Robotics and Remote Sensing group at the Duke Nicholas School of Environment. He joined us on the podcast to tell us about the Marine Conservation work that he is doing using drones. The work has taken him and his team all around the world. Take a listen to find out how this wonderful technology can help further Marine Science and Conservation. Enjoy the podcast!!! Let me know what you think of the episode by joining our Facebook Group for the Podcast. Support Speak Up For Blue's Efforts to build a platform to raise awareness for Marine Science and Conservation and help you live for a better Ocean. Contribute to our Patreon Campaign

There are two protected River Sharks in the Adalaide River in the Northern part of Australia, the Speartooth Shark (Critically Endangered) and the Northern River Shark (Endangered). A new study has revealed a potential conservation issue in the river with the sharks and the interactions with recreational anglers who are targeting another fish called the Barramundi. Researchers have some important questions to ask to determine how many sharks are being caught and is it becoming a problem for the populations of both species, who use the river as a nursery area. I talk about the implications to the conservation of these species and the mitigation techniques the authors propose to maintain the recreational fishery for Barramundi and reduce incidental catch with the protected River Sharks. I also discuss a listener email that I received on my position of eating meat and trying to reduce my impact on climate change. Enjoy the Podcast!!! Let me know what you think of the episode by joining our Facebook Group for the Podcast. Support Speak Up For Blue's Efforts to build a platform to raise awareness for Marine Science and Conservation and help you live for a better Ocean. Contribute to our Patreon Campaign

I am doing a solo Ocean Talk Friday as I wrap up a busy week. In this episode I cover a great article on Coral Reef Restoration from Mongabay News and a new paper out on Why Conferences Matter co-authored by a number of friends of the Speak Up for Blue Podcast. Enjoy the Podcast!!! Let me know what you think of the episode by joining our Facebook Group for the Podcast. Support Speak Up For Blue's Efforts to build a platform to raise awareness for Marine Science and Conservation and help you live for a better Ocean. Contribute to our Patreon Campaign

Sharks are a diverse type of animal with over 530 species with more being found and identified every year. Dr. Dave Ebert is a shark scientist who has been responsible for discovering and naming over 40 species with his team. I had the wonderful opportunity to interview Dave for this episode on all of his experiences finding sharks, good and bad, as well as how he was able to secure a PhD in South Africa. Enjoy the Podcast!!! Let me know what you think of the episode by joining our Facebook Group for the Podcast. Support Speak Up For Blue's Efforts to build a platform to raise awareness for Marine Science and Conservation and help you live for a better Ocean. Contribute to our Patreon Campaign

Sharks are a diverse type of animal with over 400 species with more being found and identified every year. Dr. Dave Ebert is a shark scientist who has been responsible for discovering and naming over 40 species with his team. I had the wonderful opportunity to interview Dave for this episode on all of his experiences finding sharks, good and bad, as well as how he was able to secure a PhD in South Africa. Enjoy the Podcast!!! Let me know what you think of the episode by joining our Facebook Group for the Podcast. Support Speak Up For Blue's Efforts to build a platform to raise awareness for Marine Science and Conservation and help you live for a better Ocean. Contribute to our Patreon Campaign

Brexit negotiations are underway for the break up of the UK from the European Union. Fisheries has come to the forefront of the media hype surrounding the negotiations. A recent article in NBC News identifies the hopes and concerns of various players within the UK fishing industry and how the potential reality may look for each component within the industry. For example, the UK fishers are looking forward to catching more fish without competition from other EU fleets; however, the UK seafood exporters are worried about the taxes that will be implemented once the independent UK experts their products to the EU (consisting of 50% of their business). Finally, policy analysts, such as Griffin Carpenter, are concerned about the future of the now replenished fish stocks (due to stricter quota management by EU policy) under new management of the UK. I discuss the article and the different points of view discussed in the article. I also discuss the numerous videos and pictures of recreational fishers and potential abuse of fish out at sea. Enjoy the Podcast!!! Let me know what you think of the episode by joining our Facebook Group for the Podcast. Support Speak Up For Blue's Efforts to build a platform to raise awareness for Marine Science and Conservation and help you live for a better Ocean. Contribute to our Patreon Campaign

Nathan Johnson is back again to chat with me of all thing Ocean. We had some great topics today. Here they are: 1) 5 Ways Underwater Drones are Helping Protect the Oceans; 2) The Federal Government is Opening Comment to Allow Oil and Gas Exploration in Marine Sanctuaries; 3) A Shark Beer to Help Protect Sharks; and, 4) Scientists Discover a New Shark Species. Enjoy the Podcast!!! Let me know what you think of the episode by joining our Facebook Group for the Podcast. Support Speak Up For Blue's Efforts to build a platform to raise awareness for Marine Science and Conservation and help you live for a better Ocean. Contribute to our Patreon Campaign

Tourism in tropical areas that are based on Ocean services such as beaches, swimming, diving, snorkelling, fishing, and more are very popular in many places around the world. One such area that has benefited from tourism is Quintana Roo, Mexico. The area has seen an explosion of its tourism industry over the past decade as it has become a hot spot for North Americans and Europeans. However, the fast expansion of the tourism industry has caused some environmental problems including loss of habitat and a decrease in water quality. The local communities would like to improve their environment and a team of experts are working on developing a framework to provide the local communities with a way to better manage the environment in the face of tourism. Dr. Edd Hind-Ozan and Marisol Flores are a part of that team. They wanted to share their project with the Speak Up For Blue audience to make you aware of what it going on. Take a listen to the podcast as my guests describe their project, the challenges and the positive way people are participating in the project. Enjoy the Podcast!!! Let me know what you think of the episode by joining our Facebook Group for the Podcast. Support Speak Up For Blue's Efforts to build a platform to raise awareness for Marine Science and Conservation and help you live for a better Ocean. Contribute to our Patreon Campaign

A shark being dragged across the water while tied to a boat surfaced in an Instagram video about a week ago. The video quickly went viral to the point where the abusers were identified along with where they lived. The abusers now seek extra police protection because of death threats they received via social media. Many people think they deserve the threat. I just want to see them charge with some type of animal abuse charge, but that may not happen. There may not be specific laws that fall under what these idiots did to these poor animals. The shark that was dragged was dead and the remainder of its body was photographed by the abusers and the images sent to "Mark The Shark", a notorious shark fisherman who is hated by many conservationists. Even he thought the video and pictures were disrespectful. I talk about how infuriating it is to watch these abusers potentially get away with abuse and I ask you, the audience, if there is a general, common sense, law that protects animals (any animal) against these types of abuses. Enjoy the Podcast!!! Let me know what you think of the episode by joining our Facebook Group for the Podcast. Support Speak Up For Blue's Efforts to build a platform to raise awareness for Marine Science and Conservation and help you live for a better Ocean. Contribute to our Patreon Campaign

Marine Science Communication has to be done properly to gain trust of your audience and inspire them to do more for the Ocean. I talk about an example where Marine Conservation communication was misleading and could cause damage to the efforts of Conservation. Listen to the episode to find out how you can make better strides in Ocean Conservation. Enjoy the Podcast!!! Let me know what you think of the episode by joining our Facebook Group for the Podcast. Support Speak Up For Blue's Efforts to build a platform to raise awareness for Marine Science and Conservation and help you live for a better Ocean. Contribute to our Patreon Campaign

Dr. Judith Weis spent a good part of her career working on Salt Marshes as a Professor and Researcher at Rutgers University. She is here to talk about Salt Marshes, their importance and how we need to manage them in the face of Climate Change. Judith literally wrote the book on Salt Marshes (with Coauthor Carol Butler). I wanted to have her on the program so she can share how salt marshes play a role in protecting shorelines in the Northeastern US (and other places around the world) They may not be as pretty as coral reefs, but their shoreline protection, nursery habitat function, and sediment stabilization functions are extremely important. Enjoy the Podcast!!! Let me know what you think of the episode by joining our Facebook Group for the Podcast. Support Speak Up For Blue's Efforts to build a platform to raise awareness for Marine Science and Conservation and help you live for a better Ocean. Contribute to our Patreon Campaign

Did the race of Phelps vs a Great White Shark do Marine Conservation some good? That is the question that many people asked before the premiere of Shark Week 2017. Discovery debuted its annual shark week with an episode pitting Olympic Great, Michael Phelps, versus a Great White Shark. Some say that this was a pointless exercise as sharks are way faster than humans. Others thought that Phelps was the best swimmer over any species. I think it made for great promotion, television and a great chance to educate viewers on the speed of sharks. Also on the show, I answer the question some of the group members asked: How can I contribute to Marine Conservation in my career even of I am not a scientist. Enjoy the Podcast!!! Let me know what you think of the episode by joining our Facebook Group for the Podcast. Support Speak Up For Blue's Efforts to build a platform to raise awareness for Marine Science and Conservation and help you live for a better Ocean. Contribute to our Patreon Campaign

Nathan Johnson is back for Ocean Talk Friday to discuss nutrients in the Bay of Bengal past the tipping point, the United Nations International Treaty of the High Seas and Our Thoughts on Chasing Coral the Documentary. Here are the links to the articles we discussed: 1) Run-Off from Fertilizers has made Bay of Bengal Reach 'Tipping Point', say experts 2) New Rules Urgently Needed to Protect Our Ocean, Scientists Warn 3) Fate of High Seas at Stake at U.N. Meeting 4) 'Chasing Coral': Documentary Vividly Chronicles A Growing Threat To Oceans Enjoy the Podcast!!! Let me know what you think of the episode by joining our Facebook Group for the Podcast. Support Speak Up For Blue's Efforts to build a platform to raise awareness for Marine Science and Conservation and help you live for a better Ocean. Contribute to our Patreon Campaign

Plastic Pollution in the Ocean inspired my guest, Claire Hughes, to clean up beaches on Grand Cayman Island and start a movement. Claire is a teacher and mother who is done with plastic pollution and is helping raise awareness of the ill effects plastic has on our society. Claire is a great example of how the ocean can inspire people to do great things!!! Enjoy the Podcast!!! Let me know what you think of the episode by joining our Facebook Group for the Podcast. Support Speak Up For Blue's Efforts to build a platform to raise awareness for Marine Science and Conservation and help you live for a better Ocean. Contribute to our Patreon Campaign

Researchers have reviewed several hundred studies to find the best way people can reduce their Climate Change Footprint. There is one way that had the biggest reduction impact, but are you ready to do it? I also talk about the importance of science and how many people are still fighting against science. Some people are trying to confuse people in the confidence in science results and the interpretation. What does this do? It takes away the need for science and allows for people to distort the truth of trends in the Ocean. I talk about why we need to trust science, especially when it comes to Marine Science and Conservation. Enjoy the Podcast!!! Let me know what you think of the episode by joining our Facebook Group for the Podcast. Support Speak Up For Blue's Efforts to build a platform to raise awareness for Marine Science and Conservation and help you live for a better Ocean. Contribute to our Patreon Campaign