Last week, I recorded and posted a podcast episode (http://www.seapkupforblue.com/session162) about the upcoming move Finding Dori. In that episode, I quoted some excerpts from a Washington Post article which took information off the website of a non-profit organization that misrepresented data. This means that I helped spread the misrepresented data as well. 

I didn't do it on purpose. I just didn't do my due diligence and complete my checks on the organization to make sure the information stated in the article was true. I wasn't a good scientist at all!

I found out that the organization was misrepresenting data in a Facebook post thread where a fisheries journalist and an expert in the field of ornamental fish called me out on what I did. I was angry at first for being called out, but I soon realized that I made a mistake because I didn't represent the true science. 

Well, I did some background research and I recorded what I learned on the podcast to give you the right information.

Take a listen to hear the truth.

10 Ocean Tips to Conserve the Ocean: http://www.speakupforblue.com/wordpress/sufb_optinpdf

Welcome back to another Ocean Talk Friday with myself, Andrew Lewin, and Nathan Johnson. There were some great, powerful stories out this week that we just had to talk about. Here they are:

1. Study finds 5% of organizations get majority of the Funding and it hasn't been affective;
2. Cephalopod populations have been on the rise since the 1950s in the face of a changing Ocean;
3. A brewing company designed a six pack ring that is edible and biodegrable...it can save the Ocean Animals that eat it; and,
4. Mexican Cartels are smuggling cocaine in the swim bladders of the endangered totoaba fish. The fish is caught using gill nets that also catch the nearly extinct vaquita (less than 100 individuals left). 

Listen to the podcast to find out all the details. 

10 Ocean Tips to Conserve the Ocean: http://www.speakupforblue.com/wordpress/sufb_optinpdf

Travelling is always difficult. You have to find a place to stay that is worth the money you pay, you want good food, you want a nice beach, you want great culture, and you want to friendly people. After you have all of that, you want to make sure you are protecting the Ocean and the Environment in general. That's a problem...that's always a problem because there is very little information on how to travel for ecotourism.

Until now...Ecophiles is a website run by Namrata and Mitali, two long time friends and journalists who share a love of travel. They run the website to help fellow travellers travel free of worry about impacting the ocean and the environment. 

Take a listen to the podcast to hear their story.

10 Ocean Tips to Conserve the Ocean: http://www.speakupforblue.com/wordpress/sufb_optinpdf

I can't wait for the Sequel to Find Nemo entitled "Finding Dori." It's a great set of movies that are entertaining and full of marine conservation messages. 

However, Finding Nemo caused a bit of a surprised effect on will populations of Clownfish (the species of the Nemo and his father). Everyone wanted Nemo in their tanks at home. Currently, 1,000,000 clownfish are plucked out of the sea and exported around the world causing local extinctions in parts of the Philippines, Thailand, and Sri Lanka. 

Conservationists are now worried about the impact of Finding Dory on the Royal Blue Tang populations (the species of Dori) as the species are not captive-bred like the clownfish and are harder to care for in a saltwater aquarium setting. 

Karen Burke da Silva, associate professor at Flinders University in South Australia co-found the Saving Nemo Conservation Fund to help raise awareness of the pressure the Clownfish faces and avoid the same plight of the blue tang.

There is a campaign to get Ellen DeGeneres' attention on the matter (she plays the voice of Dory and is a strong Ocean Advocate), to raise awareness of the impact on collecting this beautiful species can have on its population around the world.

Check out the podcast for more information on how you can help using the hashtag #fishkiss4Nemo.

10 Ocean Tips to Conserve the Ocean:

http://www.speakupforblue.com/wordpress/sufb_optinpdf

There were a number of articles that we could talk about this week, but Nathan and I narrowed it down to 4 important topics for Ocean Talk Friday:

1. Alternative Fisheries Management Necessary;
2. Greenpeace goes after a prominent Fisheries Professor (a little petty if you ask us!);
3. Shell spills oil in the Gulf of Mexico near Louisiana and no one is talking about it; and,
4. Palau increases its No-Take Marine Protected Area coverage from 20% to 80% to support sustainable diving industry.

10 Ocean Tips to Conserve the Ocean:

http://www.speakupforblue.com/wordpress/sufb_optinpdf

I am so happy to be bale to provide this interview for you with Jillian Morris. She is a great biologist, videographer, educator and conservationist. Jillian tells us how she got to where she is today from childhood playtime in the ocean and seeing her first in-person shark when she was 8 to filming them at close range to change the perspective of shark behaviour in kids all over the worlds. 

We also discuss how she started Sharks 4 Kids and how she teaches different age groups about sharks. 

10 Ocean Tips to Conserve the Ocean:

http://www.speakupforblue.com/wordpress/sufb_optinpdf

Mossel Bay in South Africa is facing a surge of long lining. Last Thursday I was contacted by a representative from Keep Fins Alive who was concerned of an increase in fishing pressure from long lining vessels from Eastern Cape. Keep Fins Alive (KFA) stated that the vessels have over-fished the demersal fish population in their bay and now are spending a lot of money in gas to travel to Mossel Bay to exploit its demersal fish population.

Demersal shark fishing via long lining is legal, but it is required by the state Department of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries to be monitored. Unfortunately, this is not happening at the moment and the fishing vessels are allowed to fish without oversight. The lack of oversight can mean big trouble for Mossel Bay and action needs to be taken.

Listen to the episode to find out why you should sign the petition and ensure the Government makes good on its monitoring mandate. 

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/817/781/781/petition-against-inshore-demersal-shark-longline-fishery/

10 Ocean Tips to Conserve the Ocean:
http://www.speakupforblue.com/wordpress/sufb_optinpdf

Did I ever tell you that this is my favourite day of the week? We have another episode of Ocean Talk Friday with myself, Andrew Lewin, and Nathan Johnson. We choose 4-5 articles that we feel made a big impact this past week and talk about them, their science and their conservation implications. 

Today we discussed the following:

1) The resurgence of the Ross Sea MPA proposal;

2) Mussels smell before they settle;

3) Mussels battling Ocean Acidification with Food;

4) Researchers find out more about the Sea Star Wasting Disease; and,

5) 5 Pacific Islands disappear into the Ocean due to Climate Change.

Speak Up For Blue TV:

http://bit.ly/sufbtele

Support the Podcast:
http://www.speakupforblue.com/patreon

Shop for the Ocean:
http://www.speakupforblue.com/shop

10 Ocean Tips to Conserve the Ocean:
http://www.speakupforblue.com/wordpress/sufb_optinpdf

Show Notes:
http://www.speakupforblue.com/session158

I came across an article a few hours ago that talked about a research project that observed how 5 islands within the chain of Solomon Islands were swallowed up by the sea. Luckily, these small islands were not inhabited by humans; however, the study also found 6 more islands had lost swaths of land to the sea where some villages were destroyed and had to move to a different place. They moved from an island where their family had lived for generations. I can't imagine how devastating that would be for a family to pick up and move from a place they called home.

I was inspired by this article, as depressing as it is, to discuss the issue of sea level rise on this episode because I find people don't take it seriously. It's obviously a serious problem as more islands are facing a similar fate. 

I cover why sea level is a problem and how/why it's affecting these small islands. I also talk about how we need to work together, globally, as a species to combat climate change and help each other adapt to its consequences.

Speak Up For Blue TV:

http://bit.ly/sufbtele

Support the Podcast:
http://www.speakupforblue.com/patreon

Shop for the Ocean:
http://www.speakupforblue.com/shop

10 Ocean Tips to Conserve the Ocean:
http://www.speakupforblue.com/wordpress/sufb_optinpdf

Show Notes:
http://www.speakupforblue.com/session157

My family and I went on an All-Inclusive Vacation to Cuba! Yes, I am Canadian and I can travel to Cuba!

I have to admit, I am not a fan of going to an All-Inclusive because of all the bad stuff that is associated with big resorts:

1. The building of the resort often destroys the coastal environment for a pristine landscape that people expect (what they see in a magazine);
2. The waste that happens at the resort with food and garbage; and,
3. The local reefs and environment suffer at the hands of tourism for the masses.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that the three assumptions above were not true...well mostly. I tell you how the resort and Cuba made it possible to have a great resort(s) and have a healthy environment.

Speak Up For Blue TV:

http://bit.ly/sufbtele

Support the Podcast:
http://www.speakupforblue.com/patreon

Shop for the Ocean:
http://www.speakupforblue.com/shop

10 Ocean Tips to Conserve the Ocean:
http://www.speakupforblue.com/wordpress/sufb_optinpdf

Show Notes:
http://www.speakupforblue.com/session156

I recently heard about an initiative on the radio of the Government of Ontario trying to cut emissions through a very aggressive plan that was to be complete by 2050. they wanted to set up a committee that would over see the "greening" of Ontario from electric cars to zero emission buildings to 80% of the population taking public transit; cycling; or, walking to work.

I like some parts of the plan, but people who called into the radio station where I first heard about this plan were not too pleased.

Take a listen to the podcast to find out why and what we can do about it.

Speak Up For Blue TV:

http://bit.ly/sufbtele

Support the Podcast:
http://www.speakupforblue.com/patreon

Shop for the Ocean:
http://www.speakupforblue.com/shop

10 Ocean Tips to Conserve the Ocean:
http://www.speakupforblue.com/wordpress/sufb_optinpdf

Show Notes:
http://www.speakupforblue.com/session155

I figured it was time that you got to know the co-host of Ocean Talk Friday, Nathan Johnson. He is the guy who has written 99% of the articles of Speak Up for Blue (SUFB) for the past 8 months and has done a great job. 

He will now be focusing most of his time on developing the content for the SUFB Digital Magazine to reach more people with an Ocean Conservation message on this different platform.

Did you know that aside from working tirelessly on SUFB content, Nathan has a full time day job at Artist Boat as the Habitat & Stewardship Manager? He is responsible for managing the species inventory on a 500+ Acre property owned by Artist Boat and educates the public on the species diversity within the property on various nature tours. 

Join me as I pepper Nathan with questions about his day job and how he got into Marine Conservation.

Speak Up For Blue TV:

http://bit.ly/sufbtele

Support the Podcast:
http://www.speakupforblue.com/patreon

Shop for the Ocean:
http://www.speakupforblue.com/shop

10 Ocean Tips to Conserve the Ocean:
http://www.speakupforblue.com/wordpress/sufb_optinpdf

Show Notes:
http://www.speakupforblue.com/session154

Today, I decided to pull the curtain back and let you in on the future plans of this company I call Speak Up For Blue (SUFB). I started SUFB without any real plans. In fact, I didn't even know how long I would be spreading Ocean News with an Ocean Conservation Message. 

The website turned into a company and there is so much I want to do with SUFB. We will be offering so much content on different platforms in the near future that everyone will be able to consume Ocean Conservation information via podcasts, You Tube, digital magazine and of course, our website. 

One of the other items that we will be offering that is really exciting in the fact that we are opening the SUFB Institute for Marine Science and Conservation. 

Take a listen to the episode for more details!

Speak Up For Blue TV:

http://bit.ly/sufbtele

Support the Podcast:
http://www.speakupforblue.com/patreon

Shop for the Ocean:
http://www.speakupforblue.com/shop

10 Ocean Tips to Conserve the Ocean:
http://www.speakupforblue.com/wordpress/sufb_optinpdf

Show Notes:
http://www.speakupforblue.com/session153