We have a special guest named Kyle Massie joining us on Ocean Talk Friday as part of our Patreon Campaign Contributor rewards. Kyle and I are going to go through the top articles of the week in Marine Science and Conservation so that you can be updated on what's happening in the Ocean.

Here is a list of the articles that we decided to pick:

1) Update on the restoration of the Indonesian Reef (covered by Mongabay);
2) Will Phelps be faster then a white shark in a race during Shark Week;
3) Orcas eating white sharks in South Africa;
4) Seismic survey guns found to reduce zooplankton population by 64%

Enjoy the Podcast!!!

Let me know what you think of the episode by joining our Facebook Group for the Podcast.

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Melissa Marquez joins us on the podcast today to really ignite the show. We talk about shark conservation, women in science, science communication and entrepreneurship in the Marine Science and Conservation Field.

We talk about how Melissa started a shark education organization during an undergraduate course, which expanded into 50 states and got transplanted to multiple countries; how she and her husband moved across the world to New Zealand to do a Masters degree to study deep sea sharks, rays and chimeras; how she overcame challenges as a minority woman in science; and, how she merged her shark research and women and science challenges into a TEDx Wellington talk that rocked the house!!!

This is a must listen 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

Do you think Celebrities should be Advocates for the Ocean? The question came up off of a story I wrote about involving a woman celebrity being objectified while doing a documentary to raise awareness for sharks.

In other News:

Rick Perry went before a US Senate Committee to discuss energy and climate change. Senator Al Franken asked Perry about his thoughts on Climate Change to which Perry replied that there was nothing wrong with being a skeptic. I take the time to discuss one of the points Perry brings up where Franken describes as "you just described the scientific process."

Also in the News:

Videos have been popping up showing sea lions jumping on the dive platforms of moving recreational fishing boats in Mexico. It's become quite the tourist attraction. The sea lions do this because they get fed. There are so many things wrong with this "attraction" that I dedicated a portion of the show to describe the dangers to humans and the sea lions. 

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 and I chat about growing mangroves to protect coast, problems with MPA process in Canada, Zombie Worms and Mussels and Sponges break down oil

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

Climate Change is rearing its ugly head as one of its consequences is the rapid heating of the Antarctic Ice Sheets turning them to slush. El Nino changed the wind patterns of the continent so that they could not keep the ice sheets cool as warm water moved in along the coastline. There is a 300,000 square mile slush pile that used to be ice. I discuss what that could mean for our ocean in the future.

I also discuss how Orcas are stalking fishing boats in Alaska stealing 10,000 s of pounds of fish and wasting fuel as the fishing boats try to lose the orcas in a chase for who gets the fish.

Finally, I talk about some heat relief for the global coral reef habitats of the Oceans. How will they be able to heal before the net El Nino event?

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

The Shark Week Schedule for 2017 has been announced and there are some shows to which I am looking forward and others that perpetuate sharks as serial killers (which is false!!!). I review some of the synopses of the episodes announced during this episode. 

I also go over an infographic released by the Save San Francisco Bay Organization that deals with the problem of cigarette butt littering. One of the most preventable forms of litter out there. 

Finally, I talk about an article in the Guardian that discusses the affect of tourism on Antarctica and how some researchers are seeing changes in habitat due to the presence of invasive species of plants and insects.

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

This is a special Ocean Talk Friday Episode where I have two colleagues and friends that would like to introduce you to a new podcast we've been working on called Marine Conservation Happy Hour. It's a podcast where we get together after work (virtually, of course) and talk about what's happening in our respective fields over a few drinks. It's something that we've been working on for a while and I find our chemistry is growing. 

Today, we discuss a few stories that are centred around marine mammals. The first two stories deal with the removal of regulatory tools and advice to protect Marine Mammals. The Federal Government has defunded the Marine Mammal Commission, which is a body of independent scientists that make decisions on marine mammal protections in the face of government projects.

We also talk about the US Federal Government taking away important protections for Marine Mammals on the West Coast. The ban on drift nets has now been removed making marine mammals vulnerable to getting caught and drowning in the nets. Not a good choice. You will hear how the fishing industry was for the drift net ban in the first place. We chat about why this happened and what will be the consequences. 

We talk Vaquita and the potential solutions that people are trying to put in place to reverse the rate of extinction of the cutest species on the planet. I get a little silly with one of my proposals.

Finally, we end on a good note. We talk about the increase of Humpback Whales in the New York City area. This is a great success story that my friends, Dr. Smash and Dr. Craken gobbled up. 

All in all I hope you enjoyed this episode of OTF where we feature the Marine Conservation Happy Hour. Things get a little crazy and loud near the end...could be the drinks talking. But we had some fun doing this. I hope you did as well!!!

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

Griffin Carpenter joins me on the podcast to talk about fisheries policy pre and post BREXIT. Yup! I said it! We are going to talk about BREXIT and how it will affect fisheries management for the UK and the European Union. I know there are many things to consider regarding the UK separating from the EU, but for our podcast we deal about Ocean management so we will discuss sustainable fisheries management. 

Griffin provides some great insight into the current structure of EU Fisheries Policy and how it will change and the issues that may arise in the future. 

Here is some more info that were mentioned in the podcast:

1) How BREXIT will impact fisheries policy

2) Griffin's Twitter

Enjoy 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

Taking a conversation from the Facebook group to here in the podcast, I talk about why shark researchers catch sharks through a hook and a line. It's a controversial issue that looks at what is best for the overall health of shark populations.

In the second half of the show I highlight some great conservation success stories that is hitting the media over the past week. I start by talking about the increase in juvenile white sharks in Southern California and the increase in humpback whale sightings in New York Harbour and of its coast. Two great conservation successes stemming from long term implementation and maintenance of some great regulations in the US, which confirms that need for implementing great, science-based policies that will protect the environment.

Head over to the Facebook Group as we chat about proposed regulations that may or may not help reduce our effect on Climate Change. This entire week, I'm going to be posting on different ways various governments have proposed to reduce climate change and whether they have worked. Come on over and help us out!

Enjoy 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 joins me again to discuss World Oceans Day; UN Oceans Week Conference; Funding Priorities; The Importance of Ocean Festivals; and, Exploring Easter Island.

Enjoy the podcast!

Fish Nerds Website

Fish Nerds Facebook Group

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

Have you ever wondered what sustainable really means and how you can eat sustainable seafood? Clay Groves, host of the Fish Nerds Podcast, has an idea.

Clay Groves has spent a long time fishing, guiding and cooking fish to understand what it means to eat sustainably. He's judged sustainable seafood competitions and was invited by the Virginia Aquarium to speak on Sustainable Seafood...and podcasting for the environment. 

Take a listen to find out what Clay has to say.

Enjoy the podcast!

Fish Nerds Website

Fish Nerds Facebook Group

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

Ocean Day is this Thursday, which is a time to reflect on what we can do to help our Oceans. I have a solution and I talk about it during this episode. 

I also talk about Cities and States resisting against Trump's decision to pull out of the Paris Accord. How can they do that and still follow the Paris Accord? I will chat about that as well.

Finally, I answer a question that was posed to me in the Fish Nerds Facebook Group about how cod are recovering and how to we know when they have fully recovered. A great question that I take the time to answer with a well timed article.

Enjoy the podcast!

Support Science and Climate Change Science Research by buying our Graphic T-shirts "Science Can't Be Silenced" and "Climate Change is here, it's real, it's time to act." The March for Science is over, but Climate Change Research must continue so we are extending our campaign to support Climate Change Science Research as a Speak Up For Blue Community. $5 of every shirt purchased will be donated to support the research of Dr. Michelle LaRue, who researches how Climate Change affects various animals in the Antarctic and Arctic systems. http://www.speakupforblue.com/shop

Are you looking to change the way you eat for a better health and environment? Start using Arbonne nutrition and health care products that are all natural and environmentally friendly. I use them all the time and their nutrition line has transformed the way I eat and my health.

Email me today, andrew@speakupforblue.com to find out how you can transform your health.

Looking to transform your health and wellness using Arbonne products? Learn about our starter package to get you living for a better Ocean by contacting me at andrew@speakupforblue.com.

It's been a tough couple weeks for the US environment as Trump's budget defunded key coastal programs such as the Coastal Zone Management Program and the Sea Grant Program. He also announced that the US will start the procedure to pull out of the Paris Climate Change Agreement.

Nathan Johnson and I talk about the benefits of the CZMP and the Sea Grant programs and what will be lost with the defunding. We also talk about how Trump and his administration did not fully understand the report where they cite why the US doesn't benefit under the Climate Change Agreement. 

We also rant...a little bit...for good reason.

Enjoy the podcast!

Support Science and Climate Change Science Research by buying our Graphic T-shirts "Science Can't Be Silenced" and "Climate Change is here, it's real, it's time to act." The March for Science is over, but Climate Change Research must continue so we are extending our campaign to support Climate Change Science Research as a Speak Up For Blue Community. $5 of every shirt purchased will be donated to support the research of Dr. Michelle LaRue, who researches how Climate Change affects various animals in the Antarctic and Arctic systems. http://www.speakupforblue.com/shop

Are you looking to change the way you eat for a better health and environment? Start using Arbonne nutrition and health care products that are all natural and environmentally friendly. I use them all the time and their nutrition line has transformed the way I eat and my health.

Email me today, andrew@speakupforblue.com to find out how you can transform your health.

Looking to transform your health and wellness using Arbonne products? Learn about our starter package to get you living for a better Ocean by contacting me at andrew@speakupforblue.com.