Season 1
SUFB 545: Juvenile Whale Shark Track Reveals Important Habitats
Aug. 24, 2018
Whale Sharks are a huge and iconic species that are found to have migrated long distances; however, there is still much to be discovered about the species. For instance, do juvenile Whale Sharks travel the same long distance…
SUFB 544: Belugas And Walruses Die At Marineland According To Former Employee
Aug. 23, 2018
"Everyone loves Marineland" is what I grew up listening to the Marineland commercial. Ask anyone that grew up in Southern Ontario, Canada and they will know the saying; however, not everyone loves Marineland anymore. There h…
SUFB 543: Importance Of Field Monitoring Of Kelp Forest Health
Aug. 22, 2018
I remember learning about marine ecology with a popular example of the relationship among the sea otter, sea urchin and kelp forest. Sea otters eat sea urchins and sea urchins eat kelp. A decrease in one population could giv…
SUFB 542: Coelacanth Colony Could Be Wiped Out By Potential Oil Drilling
Aug. 21, 2018
The Coelacanth is one of those fish species that could easily be my favourite fish. It's prehistoric history and evolutionary importance fascinates me. The manner in which the pelvic fins move is captivating. As you can see,…
SUFB 541: Ocean Start Ups Are Not Easy
Aug. 20, 2018
I covered something different than I am used to over the past week. I talked about businesses that benefit the Ocean. The businesses are usually Social Enterprises, companies that have a triple bottom line for profit, enviro…
SUFB 540: Sea Life in Trouble As Global Heat Wave Affects Oceans Off California
Aug. 19, 2018
The water along the beaches in San Diego are known for it's surfing and majestic sea life. The waters are also cooler as the Californian Current is influenced by the Alaskan Current and Northern Pacific Current; however, the…
SUFB 539: Katapult Your Ocean Start Up With Maren Hjorth Bauer
Aug. 18, 2018
Yesterday, I introduced you to some start ups that were going to be part of an accelerator program for an Impact Investing Program. Today, I speak to the CEO and Founder of Katapult Ocean, which is a new Impact Investing fi…
SUFB 538: Ocean Solutions Alliance Accelerator Announces First Wave Of Start Ups
Aug. 17, 2018
Talking about Ocean issues everyday can get a little tiring, so I've been doing some research to see what is being done about solutions. There are some organizations such as Conservation X Labs that help engineers, innovato…
SUFB 537: More Criticism Being Published About Ocean Clean Up Project
Aug. 16, 2018
I keep talking about the Ocean Clean Up Project because I get angry at the fact that there has been little criticism about the project in the mainstream media. So when I found this story, I had to talk about it on the podcas…
SUFB 536: How The Decline Of Chinook Salmon Is Effecting The Southern Resident Orca Population
Aug. 15, 2018
The Southern Resident Orca Population are considered a Schedule 1 Endangered Species by the Canadian Species At Risk Act. The main reason for the decline of the Orca population which only has 75 individuals left is because o…
SUFB 535: How Marine Advocacy Works Using Orcas As An Example With Dr. Naomi Rose
Aug. 14, 2018
We have our most popular guest on the podcast today, Dr. Naomi Rose. She is a Marine Conservation Advocate who works for the Animal Welfare Institute where she specializes in Whales in Captivity. Naomi came on the podcast t…
SUFB 534: Does The Future Of Our Oceans Come Down To One International Meeting?
Aug. 13, 2018
There is a big United Nations meeting that is going to happen in New York City soon that some researchers say will dictate the long term survival of the Ocean. The meeting has been in the works for years with countries expec…
SUFB 533: Porbeagle Sharks Protected In One Country But Killed In Another
Aug. 12, 2018
Marine Conservation can be a tricky business at times. This episode covers one of those tricky times and it has to do with the porbeagle shark. The porbeagle shark is a "mini-great white" that only feeds on fish. It's popul…
SUFB 532: Canadian Mall Food Court Proves That We Can Do Better With Trash
Aug. 11, 2018
There is a report that was released by the Ocean Conservancy that states over 80% of the marine debris that enters the Ocean comes from 20% of the countries, primarily in the Asian Region of the world. Most of it could be at…
SUFB 531: Smooth Ray Feeding Behaviour with Joni Pini-Fitzsimmons
Aug. 10, 2018
I had the pleasure of interviewing Joni Pini-Fitzsimmons, who is also known as @MotherOfRays - a fantastic Twitter handle!!! We discussed a recent paper that she published on the feeding behaviour of smooth rays around a rec…
SUFB 530: Are SeaWorld Rebounding From Blackfish Fallout?
Aug. 9, 2018
SeaWorld is rebounding with higher attendance in the first 2 quarters fo this year pleasing investors and making them think that the fallout from the Blackfish documentary that showed the entertainment park was ignoring scie…
SUFB 529: Plastics In Ocean Emit Greenhouse Gases When Exposed To Sunlight
Aug. 8, 2018
As if plastic pollution in the ocean wasn't bad enough, now researchers have revealed that as plastics degrade in the light (photo-degradation), they emit greenhouse gases. Researchers at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa …
SUFB 528: Florida Red Tide And Algae outbreak Getting Worse
Aug. 7, 2018
A couple of weeks ago, I published an episode on a number of Sea Turtles floated ashore dead from a red time bloom off of Southwest Florida. The long term prognosis did not look good as the red tides usually happen in the wi…
SUFB 527: Ocean Acidification Can Affect Smell Of Fish
Aug. 6, 2018
Researchers at the University of Exeter have discovered that European sea bass lose some of their sense of smell when pH dips in tiny amounts, which means that Ocean Acidification with cause this fish to become vulnerable. T…
SUFB 526: Australian Billionaire Gives 100 Million To Marine Conservation
Aug. 5, 2018
Andrew Forrest's Minderoo Foundation decided to give $100 million dollars towards marine conservation in Australia as he criticizes the Australian government for their lack of protection for proposed roll backs on Marine Pro…
SUFB 525: 90 Percent Of The King Penguins Mysteriously Disappeared
Aug. 4, 2018
There is a population on the Ile aux Cochons that is located between South Africa and Antarctica that holds a significant portion of the populations of King Penguins. Unfortunately, the population of those penguins has decre…
SUFB 524: Global Warming Accelerated By Slowing Of Ocean Conveyor Belt
Aug. 3, 2018
I learned about the Ocean Conveyor Belt that influenced the climate for the Northwestern Atlantic and Northeastern Atlantic regions when I was in school quite some time ago. It fascinated me that the ocean can have such a pr…
SUFB 523: Major UK Tour Operator Stops Selling Seaworld Tickets Due To Animal Welfare Concerns
Aug. 2, 2018
Thomas Cook, a major UK tour operator, has officially stopped selling Seaworld tickets due to the captive mammal facility not abiding bu ABTA guidelines on animal welfare. The Whale and Dolphin Conservation Organization has…
SUFB 522: New Dolphin Hybrid Species Discovered Off The Coast Of Hawai'i
Aug. 1, 2018
In cool ocean news, Scientists at Cascadia Research Collective have discovered a new dolphin hybrid species off the coast of the Kauai, Hawai'i. The hybrid was the product of a melon-headed-dolphin and a rough-toothed dolphi…
SUFB 521: FINALLY!!! Mainstream Media Is Showing The Criticism Of The Ocean Clean Up Project
July 31, 2018
I talked about how the Marine Conservation Community views Boyan Slant's Ocean Clean Up project before and I even touched on my frustrations as to how mainstream media outlets haven't shown the criticisms to their audience. …
SUFB 520: The Benefit Of The Jairo Mora Sandoval Award
July 30, 2018
Patima Tungpuchayalkul was this year's awardee for the Jairo Mora Sandoval Award at the International Marine Conservation Congress (IMCC5). Patima was given the award for the work she has done freeing fisheries slaves in Sou…
SUFB 519: Mass Sea Turtle Mortality In Southwest Florida Due To Red Tide
July 29, 2018
Sea Turtle populations are endangered for all 7 species and there are groups working very hard to ensure their survival; however, a summer red tide event in Southwest Florida is causing high mortality on Sea Turtles that are…
SUFB 518: Nassau Grouper Population On The Rise In Cayman Islands and This Is Why
July 28, 2018
Nassau Grouper populations have been dwindling since the 1950s and the fisheries collapsed in 1990. Since then, marine scientists and conservationists have been working tirelessly to try and revive the fishery. Island natio…
SUFB 517: NACCB Highlights
July 27, 2018
The North American Congress for Conservation Biology happened in Toronto, Ontario, Canada this past week and I had the honour of attending. The conference was mostly focused on terrestrial research and conservation; however,…
SUFB 516: California Reduces Greenhouse Gas Emissions to Pre-1990 Levels
July 26, 2018
If California can reduce its Greenhouse Gas emissions to pre-1990 levels, then why can't other states/provinces and countries do it as well. We are in a time where we need to make changes to our energy uses and California ha…
SUFB 515: NO! Banning Plastic Straws Will Not Save The Ocean
July 25, 2018
There is a huge movement to ban plastic straws in cities across North America and other places in the world; however, some people have been pointing out that it will not save the Ocean. An article was recently published in …
SUFB 514: Why Are There So Many Great Whites In Northern California with Dr. Dave Ebert
July 24, 2018
Great White Sharks are the species that EVERYONE wants to know about. We know Shark Week loves their Great White Sharks, but I find they always cover the same kind of thing. So I thought that I would ask my buddy Dr. Dave Eb…
SUFB 513: Finding New Sharks In Sri Lanka with Dr. Dave Ebert
July 23, 2018
As Shark Week is on it's way, I thought it would be great to get our friend of the podcast, Dr. Dave Ebert (aka @lostsharkguy) on the podcast to discuss his journey to the wonderful island of Sri Lanka to discover more shark…
SUFB 512: 30th Anniversary of Shark Week Kickoff with Dr. David Shiffman
July 22, 2018
Shark Week has been running for 29 years and this year will be its 30th year running as it had educated, inspired, scared and trick many people over its tenure. Shark Week seeks to educate and entertain; however, 3 years ago…
SUFB 511: Speak Up For Blue Facebook Group Works To Help Solve Watersport Incidences With Sea Turtles
July 21, 2018
One of the great things about the Speak Up For Blue Facebook Group is that people who are facing marine science and conservation problems can post in the group and other people (scientists/conservationists) can provide some …
SUFB 510: Florida Fish And Wildlife Commission Request Proposals To Limit Land-Based Shark Fisheries
July 20, 2018
The Florida Fisheries and Wildlife Commission decided in April to consider limiting Land-based shark fisheries occurring along its coasts in order to protect swimmers and sharks alike. The initiation of this policy change ca…
SUFB 509: Scientist Discovers Hermaphrodite Sharks Off East Coast Of India
July 19, 2018
Alissa Barnes of the Dakshin Foundation discovered 7 hermaphrodite bigeye houndsharks of the East Coast of India at a Port of Odhisa during a survey of fishers. The survey was to determine whether a gear change was the cause…
SUFB 508: We Need To Talk About What Happened At A Recent Conference
July 18, 2018
Conferences in the Marine Science and Conservation fields are super important in sharing information, establishing collaborations, networking for your career and your work; however, conferences for some have been a nightmare…
SUFB 507: Columbian Army Dispatched To Protect Black Land Crab In Providencia
July 17, 2018
The Columbian government have dispatches the army to protect migrating Black Land Crabs who travel to the coast from the dry, dense forests on the Island of Providencia to lay eggs and where the larvae develop in the Ocean f…
SUFB 506: Illegal Fishing Detected In Mediterranean MPAs
July 16, 2018
Oceana has written a report blasting countries such as Italy, France, Malta and Greece for not enforcing fisheries regulations. The report called out Italy, specifically because they allowed over 10,000 hours of trawling in …
SUFB 505: Working Toward Decolonizing Marine Conservation
July 15, 2018
Basten Gokkon wrote a great article on Mongabay News that was an interview with one of the plenary speakers at the International Marine Conservation Congress (IMCC5) in Kuching, Malaysia. the presenter is named John Aini, wh…
SUFB 504: Nurse Sharks and Common Sense 101
July 14, 2018
Nurse sharks have been in the news lately, but not for good reasons. There have been two incidents in the recent weeks that have been published where two people have been bitten by nurse sharks. The first person was feeding…
SUFB 503: Whale Watchers Criticize Canadian Government On Orca Viewing Distance of 200m
July 13, 2018
The Canadian Government recently implemented a 200 m minimum distance for any ship in the area of Orcas. They also chopped the Chinook Salmon quota by 35%. The government is doing this because the Southern Resident Orca popu…
SUFB 502: Scott Pruitt Out As EPA Chief Administrator
July 12, 2018
We all dreamed about this day, but now that Scott Pruitt has resigned as the head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is it really what we want? As Scott Pruitt leaves office, Andrew Wheeler replaces him. Unfortunat…
SUFB 501: 10 Years of SciComm with Dr. Andrew Thaler Part 2
July 11, 2018
The Second Part of my conversation with Andrew Thaler on the last 10 years of Marine Science and Conservation Communication. If you are someone who has been doing SciComm in the same field, how have you noticed the field ha…
SUFB 500: 500th Episode and 10 Years Of SciComm with Dr. Andrew Thaler
July 10, 2018
500 EPISODES!!! I can't believe the time has finally come where the Speak Up For Blue Podcast has reached 500 episodes!!! What do I do to celebrate? I announce that I will be posting from 3 times a week to 7 times a week. Mo…
SUFB 499: Global Whale Shark Study Reveals Preferred Habitat
July 9, 2018
A global whale shark study that used bathymetry (depth profiles), as a way to identify potential favourite habitats, along with whale shark sightings revealed a preferred habitat for the largest fish in the sea. Whale shark…
SUFB 498: Government Of Canada Prioritizing Right Whale Protection Over Fishing Community?
July 8, 2018
Last year, the North Atlantic Right Whale population lost 19 individuals in the US and Canada due to ship strikes and/or fish gear entanglement. It was a surprise in Canada as Right Whales sightings were rare in the Gulf of …
SUFB 497 Season 2 Episode 12: Reflections On IMCC5
July 7, 2018
After 2 years of preparing, making travel arrangements, preparing presentations, renting podcasting equipment, getting vaccinations and finally, attending the conference...IMCC5 is officially over. Before I spend my time lo…
SUFB 496 Season 2 Episode 11: Helping To Manage The Lionfish Invasion Through Jewelry with Phil Karp
July 6, 2018
Lionfish have invaded most, if not all, of the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico and parts of the Southeast Atlantic Ocean. They have become a huge problem for fishing communities and tourist industries. There are many peop…