Season 1
Marine Conservation needs to focus on empowering and including coastal communities to achieve success
July 1, 2022
When I grew up, I wanted to be a marine biologist. I had this dream that I would work in a small Pacific Islands doing marine science and conservation, but that was probably a form of parachute science and that can hurt mari…
Speaking Up For The Ocean is hard somedays especially when human rights are at stake
June 29, 2022
As long as I can remember protecting the ocean has always been my number one priority Ocean conservation and the action takes time and work from many different fields and it requires the dedication of many men and women from…
Canada is banning single-use plastic as soon as December 2022
June 27, 2022
We have a plastic pollution problem in this world and we can't solve it unless countries put in policies to ban single-use plastics, but what will a ban look like. In this episode, I am going to describe how Canada is going …
SciComm: How will you get started?
June 22, 2022
There need to be more conversations about the ocean on the web and there are plenty of opportunities to start your science communication journey, but people still aren't getting started. Therefore, I am going to tell you the…
Restoring oyster beds, seagrass, and salt marshes together is better than restoring only one type of habitat
June 20, 2022
There are many coastal areas that have been degraded to the point that restoration is necessary, but restoration can be very expensive and is often focused on 1 type of habitat. Therefore, restoration specialists and conserv…
Will the ocean lead fashion into a new era with products made from invasive species and kelp?
June 17, 2022
Everyone loves fashion and loves to look good when they go out. Many people follow the term "Look good, feel good." But today's fashion comes at an environmental cost/price and therefore, it needs to change to more sustainab…
The Ocean is speaking and it sounds like Harrison Ford
June 13, 2022
Protecting and conserving the ocean seems to take a back seat to other issues when talking about priorities. For example, in Canada, politicians want to protect the economy more than the environment because it has a higher p…
What it means to be in a generational fisheries family
June 10, 2022
The last part of my 3-part series interviewing fishers from the East Coast of Canada takes me to a conversation I had with Gordon Beaton who has fished along Canada's East Coast for his entire life. His uncle was a fisher an…
Oceans Week: What it's like to fish in Eastern Canada over the past 40 years
June 9, 2022
I continue my series of speaking to fishers from the East Coast of Canada to get to know their challengers and why fishing is such a big part of their lives. Sign up to find out about the audio Ocean Conservation Careers me…
Oceans Day: Oceans Sound (Replay)
June 8, 2022
Happy Oceans Day!!! As promised in the last episode, here is the entire audio piece created by Michelle Amor. Enjoy!
The life of a lobster fisher with Carl Allen
June 7, 2022
I had the opportunity to sit down with Carl Allen to discuss what life was like as a lobster fisher in Eastern Canada. Carl told me how young he was when he started fishing and how his life is all about fishing. He also di…
Oceans Week: How you should approach it
June 6, 2022
There seems to be a day for everything these days and the oceans have a day as well, June 8th. It's a time for us to think about why we love the ocean so much and how we can better protect. There are celebrations, conference…
Can you get a job in Marine Conservation with a Psychology degree?
June 3, 2022
There are many people that want to work in Marine Conservation, but not everyone has a degree in Marine Biology or another type of science degree; however, you don't need to be a scientist to help protect the ocean. There ar…
ExxonMobil will finally have to face charges in Massachusetts for misleading the public on Climate Change
June 1, 2022
There are studies that have revealed that oil companies like ExxonMobil have spent billions of dollars on campaigns that involved misleading the public on Climate Change and one Attorney General brought charges against the o…
Marineland continues to conduct illegal whale and dolphin shows in Canada
May 30, 2022
Laws in Canada make sure that marine theme parks such as Marineland cannot acquire new cetaceans (Whales or Dolphins) and they were amended in 2019 to ensure that whales and dolphins do not perform in their entertainment sho…
Are you focused on the best ways to help protect the Ocean?
May 27, 2022
There are many of you (including myself) that would like to help protect the ocean and we tend to fantasize ways in which we can help, but there are times when we are not focusing on the best ways we can all protect the ocea…
Why Sharks Really Matter with Dr. David Shiffman
May 25, 2022
Sharks are an iconic ocean animal that can strike fear and wonder in anyone that sees them and they are one of those animals that everyone would like to protect; but, most shark populations around the world have experienced …
BIPOC Marine scientist team gets thrown out of Marriott hotel for asking staff to clean her room
May 23, 2022
Equity, diversity, and inclusion has been the focus of many organizations in marine science and conservation and outside of the field for a number of years and there has been some small steps in the right direction made, but…
Turning the tide on Climate Change
May 20, 2022
Climate change has been deemed the biggest threat in the world by many scientists, conservationists, industries, governments, and militaries around the world and countries have made international pledges in the form of treat…
3 ways to reduce single-use plastics
May 18, 2022
In the last episode, I talked about a new enzyme that can breakdown plastics in days instead of centuries and it seems very promising, but we know that it is not the complete solution and people will continue to use single-u…
An enzyme that breaks down plastics faster will not completely solve our plastic pollution problem
May 16, 2022
A new enzyme that can break down plastics in a matter of days and not centuries is giving people hope that we can still use plastics and not have to worry about the reduction, but the solution will only take care of a small …
Failure in marine science and conservation can lead to better protections
May 13, 2022
Marine science and conservation has proven to help the ocean in many cases when things are done properly, but not all of it works; therefore, methods need to adapt and build on past failures. In this episode, I will be tal…
How Podcasts can help scientists and conservationists connect with the public to help them live for a better ocean
May 11, 2022
There are many issues that are facing this world that have science-based solutions that are not getting solved and it's because people are taking swipes at scientists in every field, but is it because scientists and conserva…
Climate change consequences lead to low lake levels in Lake Mead and the Colorado River Basin affecting the drinking water supply for over 20 million people
May 9, 2022
Climate change consequences have been talked about for decades and people have been ignoring them, but know those consequences are happening and people are paying the price; therefore, it's time to talk about their impact an…
Why you should seek jobs over internships
May 6, 2022
It is really difficult to find a job in marine science and conservation lately so many early career scientists search for internships before full time or temporary jobs, but is an internship in their best interest? I am a hu…
How to speak on complicated issues your audience
May 4, 2022
Science Communication is one of the most important parts of conservation as it is responsible for getting complex information to your audience, but people are used to simple sound bites rather than long explanations; therefo…
How Blue Foods are affected by climate change
May 2, 2022
Everyone loves food, you can tell by the number of restaurants that are in a city/town/village. There is a food network with chef battles and mouth-watering dishes. Many cultures use food as a way to socialize and build rela…
Organizations can move towards net zero
April 29, 2022
We own a lot of stuff and we love to buy stuff, but that stuff leads to a life of waste and builds on our impact on the oceans; therefore we need to move towards a net zero impact. In today's episode, I am going to provide…
How you can leverage Earth Day activities into longer term action
April 27, 2022
Earth day has come and gone. It's a day to reflect on how we treat the planet and many people, workplaces, and so forth work to do a clean-up in parks or other areas within their communities, but does that do the trick? Is E…
How microplastics are being detected in our river systems
April 25, 2022
We know the problems that many of the common single-use plastics cause in the ocean and we also know that there are plenty of people working to create policies to ban these plastics, but there are more microplastics being us…
Yes, you can help change ocean policy
April 22, 2022
When you hear about the issues that are facing the ocean you want to help and you will do whatever you can to help the ocean, but sometimes your effort, although well intended, does not hit right; therefore, in this episode,…
Language influences the way we treat the environment
April 20, 2022
Governments at various levels have the authority to zone land for different purposes such as parks and commercial/residential zoning and the government departments will work together to provide the best outlook for the area,…
Arctic permafrost melting is shifting what the ocean bottom looks like
April 18, 2022
Countries first started to map the Arctic Ocean to show that their northern continental shelf extended far enough to lay claim to the world's northernmost oil deposits and it became a race for sovereignty, but researchers to…
How to get a Marine Biology job after graduating from college
April 15, 2022
Graduating with a Marine Biology degree is a great accomplishment and new graduates are ready to start looking for a job with eagerness, but they quickly realize that there aren't many jobs available for new graduates...with…
When will the marine mammal in captivity experiment be over?
April 13, 2022
Building a connection to the ocean is crucial to getting people interested in conserving the ocean. Marine theme parks that hold orcas, dolphins, seals, and sea lions are often advertised as ways to build the connection betw…
This is why cigarette butts are polluting the ocean
April 11, 2022
Smoking has been banned in most indoor public buildings and restaurants to increase the health of all people forcing smokers to move their habits outside but smokers now discard their cigarette butts on the street where they…
Turning ocean flip flop trash into a sustainable social enterprise with Ocean Sole Africa
April 8, 2022
Erin Smith, Chief Sole Officer, joins me on the podcast to discuss her journey navigating the tech world to taking over and growing a thriving social enterprise that cleans up flip flops that are washed up on the beach and p…
Are we, as marine scientists, misleading aspiring marine biologists?
April 6, 2022
There were two memes that inspired me to think about how we, as marine biologists, promote our field to aspiring marine biologists. We tell everyone that being a marine biologist is a great profession and brings great advent…
Agree or Disagree: Oil companies need to have bigger sanctions after repeated oil spills
April 4, 2022
A recent oil spill that covers 18,000 square meters of the coast of Lima, Peru may result in a fine of $37 million dollars, but is it enough? The Spanish company (Repsol) involved is not new to these offenses as it is the fo…
12 Tides: Building a sustainable, positive business with nutrient-rich kelp chips
April 1, 2022
Pat Shnettler joins me on the podcast to tell me the story of what led him to co-found 12 Tides, a sustainable seafood business that sells nutrient-rich kelp chips to people who want a tasty snack that is ocean safe. Buy 12…
Not everyone is educated on the ocean, so we need to communicate better to help them
March 30, 2022
Have you ever had someone say to you that they are over the bans on plastic straws or changing their behaviour to help the ocean is too hard? It's a frustrating experience, but it tells us that people are not educated on oce…
Microplastics were found in the human bloodstream, so can we now actually do something about plastic pollution?
March 28, 2022
We often wait too late until we change the bad things we do in society. Climate change is wreaking havoc on our planet and we are still debating on whether it's real. Now, a study showed that microplastics are in the human …
The one thing you need to do to get your dream job in marine science and conservation
March 25, 2022
You grow up wanting to be marine biologists and pursue the tough road through their undergraduate and graduate careers, but after you graduate, you can’t find a job, therefore you get extremely frustrated and sad, or maybe w…
Be your authentic self when communicating marine science
March 23, 2022
Many scientists love communicating their science to the public and they know that science communication is the key to improving conservation, but when they do SciComm they tend to not be their authentic selves causing their …
Corals can be heat trained for survival
March 21, 2022
Mass bleaching is happening more often for longer periods of time every year causing more damage than in previous years and it looks as though coral reefs will change in composition unless something is done to help them adap…
My journey to buying an electric vehicle (EV) to reduce my carbon footprint
March 18, 2022
Climate change is rearing its ugly head in many forms, including wildfires, mass coral bleaching, major glaciers and ice sheets melting, and an increase in major storms. the damage of climate change consequences are costing …
What Indigenous-led conservation means
March 16, 2022
Indigenous conservation success may not be the same for Western scientists and conservationists, yet we often approach conservation in Indigenous communities with our own preconceived notions of conservation success. Angelo…
Studying the animals that hitch rides on the back of sea turtles
March 14, 2022
Dr. Nathan Robinson was part of a sea turtle research team when the team discovered that one of the sea turtles had a straw stuck up its nose. The entire ordeal was recorded and the video went viral on YouTube and contribute…
Words matter in Science Communication
March 11, 2022
Science communication is an important part of marine conservation. I dedicated my career to SciComm because I feel that telling the public of what is happening to the Ocean is crucial to changing behaviours to live for a bet…
How to interpret marine science studies
March 9, 2022
Marine science papers can be hard to interpret if you are not a scientist so I decided to take you through how to interpret them and where there could be some room for error. You may or may not have read a marine science jou…