The one thing that I love about doing this podcast is the fact that I can talk to people who have done amazing things in Marine Conservation. Sometimes, people are supported by large organizations/companies that help them get on their way to launching these amazing conservation projects. Other times, the people start the projects on their own and create something really special. 

In today's episode, I speak with Ted Cheeseman who co-founded the site HappyWhale.com, a website that tracks humpback whales that have been identified by photos taken from citizen scientists from all over the Pacific Ocean. There are over 60,000 photos in the database spanning decades. 

Ted discusses:
1) Why he started the site with his co-creator;
2) How he builds relationships with the photographers and the scientists to study the tracks;
3) How Ted started his Ph.D. on tracking humpback whales, and, 4) How he would like to see Happy Whale be used in the future.

Connect with Ted:
Website: https://happywhale.com/home
Help Fund Happy Whale: https://experiment.com/social-whales

Connect with Speak Up For Blue:
Website: https://www.speakupforblue.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/speakupforblue/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/speakupforblue
 

Swim-with-whale tour operators are popping up in various places around the world. The idea of getting in the water and swimming with humpback whales nearby can be a dream come true for many people; however, the tour operators are running without any regulations to ensure that the tours are not altering the behavior of the humpback whales. 

The humpback whales that hang out in Hervey Bay, Australia every year do so to rest during their long migration from Australia to Antarctica. The trip requires a ton of energy to move such large bodies that distance in the ocean. Any excess energy used can be detrimental to the migration of the whales. 

Stephanie Stack, Chief Scientist at the Pacific Whale Foundation, and her team studied the humpback whale behavior before, during, and after swim-with-whale tours and whale watching tours occurred in Hervey Bay.  

Stephanie joins me on today's podcast to discuss the results of the study and what next steps need to be taken. 

Connect with Stephanie:
Pacific Whale Foundation: https://www.pacificwhale.org/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/StephanieHStack
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shstack/
Happy Whale: https://happywhale.com/home

Connect with Speak Up For Blue:
Website: https://www.speakupforblue.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/speakupforblue/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/speakupforblue
 

The Faroe Islands government has announced that they will review their regulations of the dolphin cull after some whalers and critics thought that the last cull of 1400 white-sided dolphins was too numerous to use all of the meat.  

The current regulations that I mentioned during the last episode raised a number of questions about how quantitative are regulations? How many animals can they take at once? What is the ratio of hunters to animals to ensure a quick hunt of each individual? How much meat is given to each family?

Hopefully, questions such as the ones above will be answered during this review.   

Last episode: https://www.speakupforblue.com/show/speak-up-for-the-ocean-blue/sufb-1211-questions-around-the-legality-of-killing-1400-white-sided-dolphins-in-the-faroe-islands-circulate/

Link to article: https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/faroe-islands-dolphin-follow-1.6179472

Connect with Speak Up For Blue:
Website: https://www.speakupforblue.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/speakupforblue/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/speakupforblue

You would think that we would know more information about whales because they are so big; however, that is not the case. There are many information gaps in what we know about whales, especially whales that leave in extreme climates like the Arctic. 

Beluga and narwhal whales are especially tricky because they live so far up north and often under the ice. Knowing where they go and why is really important as the Arctic is rapidly changing. 

We have been able to track the smaller mammals using aerial surveys and drones however, those technologies are expensive and, in the case of the aerial survey, could be dangerous. 

Bertrand Charry, the co-founder of Whale Seeker, is using satellite imagery to help track these elusive whales and he is my guest on today's podcast to discuss why it's important to track marine mammals from space. He also talks about his career and why he chose to seek the entrepreneurial route to conduct marine science in Canada. 

Connect with Bertrand and Whale Seeker:
Whale Seeker Website: https://www.whaleseeker.com/
Whale Seeker's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whale_seeker/

Connect with Bertrand:
Bertrand's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bertrand-charry-8939b860/

 Check out all of our episodes on www.speakupforblue.com

Want To Talk Oceans? Join the Speak Up For Blue Facebook Group: http://www.speakupforblue.com/group.

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The documentation of the distribution of any ocean species is critical to knowing the health of the species global and regional populations. That is why the sighting of 3 beaked whales in the South China Sea by beaked whale experts was so important. It opened the possibility that the whales inhabit the Western Pacific Ocean. 

The individuals were either ginkgo-toothed beaked whales or Deraniyagala's beaked whales as the two are very similar. Unfortunately, the sighting could not be confirmed as no DNA sample was taken. 

There was an interesting observation however, there were two indentations observed on the beaks of the whales that is similar to other beaked whales that have had interaction with fishing gear. This observation fuels the thirst for more information about the animals and their distribution.

Link To Article: https://news.mongabay.com/2021/01/rare-beaked-whale-sighting-could-be-a-world-first-for-the-species/

Want To Talk Oceans? Join the Speak Up For Blue Facebook Group: http://www.speakupforblue.com/group.

Speak Up For Blue Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/speakupforblue/

Speak Up For Blue Twitter: https://twitter.com/SpeakUpforBlue

Check out the Shows on the Speak Up For Blue Network:

Marine Conservation Happy Hour
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2k4ZB3x
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2kkEElk

Madame Curiosity
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2xUlSax
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2V38QQ1

ConCiencia Azul:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2k6XPio
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2k4ZMMf

Dugongs & Seadragons:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lB9Blv
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2lV6THt

Environmental Studies & Sciences
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lx86oh
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2lG8LUh

Marine Mammal Science:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2k5pTCI
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2k1YyRL

Projects For Wildlife Podcast:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2Oc17gy
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/37rinWz

Ocean Science Radio
Apple Podcast: https://apple.co/3chJMfA
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3bnkP18

The Guide To Mindful Conservation: Dancing In Pink Hiking Boots:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/31P4UY6
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3f7hDJw

Marine Scientists, Volunteers, and the Navy were responsible for saving 120 pilot whales that were found stranded earlier in the week (on Monday). The stranding marked the largest mass stranding ever recorded in Sri Lankan history. The response was swift and successful as the Navy deployed small vessels that towed the whales out from the surf into deeper water where they could recover and swim out safely without getting stuck. 

Pilot whales are notorious for mass strandings. A few months ago, there were 470 pilot whales stranded in Tasmania, Australia, where only 120 whales could be rescued. I talked about that story in episode 1061. 

Dr. Asha de Vos was part of the rescue efforts where she provided first-hand accounts of what was happening on the ground. She addressed concerns from people on Twitter who thought rescuers were being too rough with the whales; however, Asha made people aware of how hard it is to move a 3000kg whale in the surf to get it to deeper water where you don't have any footing. Asha's account provides us with a better perspective on the challenges faced by rescuers while trying to save whales. 

We are very fortunate to have the Sri Lankan Navy, Marine Scientists like Asha, and volunteers whose tireless efforts were successful in rescuing 120 pilot whales. 

Would you volunteer to rescue stranded whales?

Dr. Asha de Vos' SUFB Episodes:
1) Episode 200
2) Episode 359
3) Episode 394
4) Episode 863

Link To Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/03/sri-lanka-rescues-120-whales-after-biggest-mass-stranding

Register for the Mindful Conservation Conference: 
https://www.absolutelysmashingllc.com/mindful-conference

Want To Talk Oceans? Join the Speak Up For Blue Facebook Group: http://www.speakupforblue.com/group.

Speak Up For Blue Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/speakupforblue/

Speak Up For Blue Twitter: https://twitter.com/SpeakUpforBlue

Check out the Shows on the Speak Up For Blue Network:

Marine Conservation Happy Hour
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2k4ZB3x
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2kkEElk

Madame Curiosity
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2xUlSax
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2V38QQ1

ConCiencia Azul:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2k6XPio
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2k4ZMMf

Dugongs & Seadragons:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lB9Blv
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2lV6THt

Environmental Studies & Sciences
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lx86oh
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2lG8LUh

Marine Mammal Science:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2k5pTCI
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2k1YyRL

Projects For Wildlife Podcast:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2Oc17gy
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/37rinWz

Ocean Science Radio
Apple Podcast: https://apple.co/3chJMfA
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3bnkP18

The Guide To Mindful Conservation: Dancing In Pink Hiking Boots:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/31P4UY6
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3f7hDJw

Pilot whales are known to strand every once and a while, but never in the numbers that occurred over the past week. 470 Pilot Whales were stranded (the most record). 

In this episode, I talk about why pilot whales can strand and how marine mammal stranding organizations play a critical role in saving lives that would otherwise be lost. 

Links to Articles:

1) https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/sep/27/tasmania-rescuers-guide-another-pilot-whale-to-freedom-bringing-survivor-tally-to-110

2) https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/sep/25/tragedy-in-tasmania-what-are-pilot-whales-and-why-do-they-strand-themselves

Would you join a Marine Mammal Stranding Network? Share your goals in the Speak Up For Blue Facebook Group: http://www.speakupforblue.com/group.

Speak Up For Blue Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/speakupforblue/

Speak Up For Blue Twitter: https://twitter.com/SpeakUpforBlue

Check out the Shows on the Speak Up For Blue Network:

Marine Conservation Happy Hour
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2k4ZB3x
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2kkEElk

Madame Curiosity
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2xUlSax
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2V38QQ1

ConCiencia Azul:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2k6XPio
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2k4ZMMf

Dugongs & Seadragons:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lB9Blv
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2lV6THt

Environmental Studies & Sciences
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lx86oh
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2lG8LUh

Marine Mammal Science:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2k5pTCI
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2k1YyRL

Projects For Wildlife Podcast:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2Oc17gy
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/37rinWz

Ocean Science Radio
Apple Podcast: https://apple.co/3chJMfA
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3bnkP18

The Guide To Mindful Conservation: Dancing In Pink Hiking Boots:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/31P4UY6
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3f7hDJw

Last year, we observed 215 dead Gray Whales wash ashore. Scientists believe that more whales died and were stuck in some gyres or sank to the bottom of the sea. There were a ton of questions being asked as to why the whales were washing up dead. 

Now researchers have some answers and the results are more worrisome than we initially thought.

Link To Article: https://www.hakaimagazine.com/news/necropsies-unveil-more-about-mass-gray-whale-deaths/

How do you think we could better protect Gray Whales in the future? Share your thoughts in the Speak Up For Blue Facebook Group: http://www.speakupforblue.com/group.

Speak Up For Blue Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/speakupforblue/

Speak Up For Blue Twitter: https://twitter.com/SpeakUpforBlue

Check out the Shows on the Speak Up For Blue Network:

Marine Conservation Happy Hour
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2k4ZB3x
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2kkEElk

Madame Curiosity
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2xUlSax
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2V38QQ1

ConCiencia Azul:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2k6XPio
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2k4ZMMf

Dugongs & Seadragons:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lB9Blv
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2lV6THt

Environmental Studies & Sciences
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lx86oh
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2lG8LUh

Marine Mammal Science:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2k5pTCI
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2k1YyRL

Projects For Wildlife Podcast:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2Oc17gy
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/37rinWz

Ocean Science Radio
Apple Podcast: https://apple.co/3chJMfA
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3bnkP18

The Guide To Mindful Conservation: Dancing In Pink Hiking Boots:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/31P4UY6
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3f7hDJw

A dedicated listener, Alyssa Stoller, sent me an article on beaked whales beaching themselves off the coasts of Scotland and Ireland. Alyssa wanted to make sure that the story would get spread across the Speak Up For Blue airwaves as it was an important story and it needed to be discussed. I gladly obliged.

I asked Dr. Chris Parsons if he would be able to come on the podcast to help explain the details of the story as he is familiar with the area. Chris used to work in the area on Marine Mammals. 

As usual, Chris and I got talking and we talked...a lot. So I decided to separate the show into two parts. In Part 1, Chris and I discuss the overall reasons as to why marine mammals beach themselves. In part 2 (next episode), we discuss the specifics of the article that Alyssa sent us.

Do you think military sonar should be banned near marine mammals? Let us know in the Facebook Group.

Enjoy the Podcast!!!

Join the Patreon Community to help support Speak Up For Blue's mission to bring Marine Science and Conservation information to you and the audience. 

A quick episode today. This episode is based on the various reactions of a family who encountered two whales during their family adventure in Puget Sound. Let's just say some family members were enjoying the once in a lifetime experience and others were scared out of their wits. 

The whales were under the boat and lifted the boat slightly, so I can understand why some of the family members were afraid. However, it was interesting to hear calmer heads prevail as they calmed down their fellow family members to show that the whales meant no harm and that they will never experience it again...so take it all in.

I have some family members that get frightened at specific wildlife around my neighbourhood. I tell one of those stories in this episode. 

Let me know your irrational fears for animals in the Facebook Group.

Enjoy the Podcast!!!

Join our Patreon Community to help support Speak Up For Blue's mission to get more Marine Science and Conservation information to the public through online media like podcasts and videos. 

Whales are the focus of today's podcast as they are in the news on the East and West Coast of the United States. Some of the news is good and some of the news is bad. Even the good news is not that great. Here is the breakdown of the episode:

1) 41 Humpback whales washed ashore dead over the past year (average is 14). Scientists are looking into it;
2) Orcas hunt Grey Whale calf like they are supposed to, but headline makes it seem like they are killing for fun;
3) How to be better scientists, activists, advocates or conservationists.

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.