For years now marine biologists, conservationists, NGOs, and governments have been working to protect the oceans in places all over the world. It would make sense that the projects would be about working altogether, especially with the people that live along the coastal community. Unfortunately, that hasn’t always happened. Coastal communities have been ignored during these projects. Luckily, there seem to be more conversations around Justice and equity with environmental projects, which could lead to a better future. I am going to talk about ocean Justice and Equity in this episode.

 

Ocean protection is a key tool in managing oceans and its resources and it requires the support of all ocean users, but the one group is often ignored or left out of the process that can play a key role in protecting the ocean effectively. Indigenous groups have been protecting their oceans and lands for thousands of years and need to be included in conservation conversations. I am joined by Humna Sharif of the National Ocean Protection Coalition and Angelo Villagomez of the Center for American Progress to discuss ways in which scientists, NGOs, and governments can support Indigenous-led conservation.

 

Links to Article: https://bit.ly/3v4TtsR

 

Connect with Humna:

• National Ocean Protection Coalition Website
• NOPC Twitter
• NOPC Instagram
• Humna's Twitter
• Humna's LinkedIn

Connect with Angelo:

• Center of American Progress (CAP)
• CAP Twitter
• CAP Instagram
• Angelo's Twitter
• Angelo's LinkedIn

Northern right whales have been the subject of many conservation conversations over the past couple of months due to the decisions made around lobster and crab pot support for sustainability to protect the endangered species. Northern Right whales are heavily monitored, especially in the winter during their calving season. Two calves were spotted recently off the coast of Georgia providing some hope for the endangered whales in hopes that their numbers rebound, but the population is expected to produce 23 calves per year which have not been achieved in a long time. One theory is that the whales have had to shift their feeding areas north to the Gulf of St. Lawrence to find their preferred food, copepods due to climate change. Will this season be better than those in the past?

 

Link to articles:
1) 2 Northern Right Whales Spotted Off the Coast of Georgia https://bit.ly/3V6QgUm
2) 13 new Northern Right Whale calves in 2021 https://bit.ly/3BKFVGu
3) Northern Right Whale Food Source https://bit.ly/3jfIhH2

 

It's that time of year that is supposed to be one of the happiest times of the year. Students get a holiday for at least 2 weeks, people travel to see their families, and others stay local and make plans to meet up with friends who are home for a bit and meet up for family gatherings during special days throughout this holiday season. It's also a time when we buy and give gifts to family and friends and receive some too. But we can get caught up in gift-giving and create more of a mess for the environment and the ocean. I'm going to give you 3 tips on how to make this a better holiday season for the ocean.

 

Link to article: https://bit.ly/3HKdLPQ

 

Fill out our listener survey: https://www.speakupforblue.com/survey

 

 

 

We live in an interesting time. We have access to information at our fingertips whenever we want. It's a great opportunity to learn and interact with people all over the world. Of course, there are downfalls to social media as well as there are some great advantages. Scientists have the ability to share their work with people who do not have access to peer-reviewed papers. They also provide access to criticism in their work. Criticism does not always have to lead to being canceled, but it could lead to better work. I am going to talk to you about a recent interaction I had with a listener that ended in a great way.

 

If a shark dies in the ocean, where do we find its remains? Well, there could be many answers to that question, but for many sharks, you could find their teeth in one place that we know. A deep-sea graveyard was discovered off some islands in the Indian Ocean by the ocean research arm of Australia, the CSIRO. The discovery contained teeth of various shark species ranging from mako sharks to the relatives of the now-extinct megalodon shark. Although scientists don't yet know why this graveyard was in this location, they look forward to diving into the shark teeth to find out. The latest research find from the same ship discovered a new deep-sea shark species, the stripey hornshark.

 

Link to article: https://bit.ly/3BtATOy

 

It seems to be a right of passage for people to buy or rent a home/apartment when they are ready. But have you ever thought if your home will contribute to Climate Change or help Climate Change? It's never really discussed, right? People go house hunting and discuss their needs and wants and worry as to whether they can afford their next living space. Wouldn't it be nice to live in a home that is net-negative?

 

My guest today is Aiden Vogel, the founder of Swyft Lyft, a start-up based out of Austin, Texas that is working to ensure your next living space is net-negative. We discuss how and why he came up with this idea and how he is moving it forward into a product. He's going for scale folks and he is here to talk about it.

 

Connect with Swyft Lyft: https://www.swyftlyt.com/

 

Since Elon Musk bought Twitter, it has become more of a cesspool of racism, sexism, and misinformation than it was pre-Elon and conversations are becoming more confrontational as people are trying to defend their points of view on both sides of issues. But Science Twitter has been a staple where most people get great information from colleagues or science celebrities to learn more about science and it is now at risk. I am ranting about Twitter and how Science Twitter could be lost in the long term...and that is a shame!!!

 

David Shiffman's article on Science Twitter: https://bit.ly/3F8S8pF

 

We will need to leverage Blue carbon (kelp, Seagrass, etc.) to help reduce climate change. Blue carbon can help absorb carbon 20 times or more than trees. There is an entire industry that is budding due to the potential revenue that may or may not end up in turning a profit. Regardless of the revenue, Blue Carbon is not in the right position to live a long, healthy life. So we need to protect the kelp forest and help solidify blue carbon to help the planet, but they are in trouble due to the consequences of years of climate change. So the question remains how do we protect blue carbon sinks?

 

Link to article: https://bit.ly/3VxJiZt

 

Blue Carbon Canada: https://www.bluecarboncanada.ca/

 

We tend to have a perception that working as a marine biologist requires us to be a professor at a university or work in Academia. But there are more options that could lead to a more rewarding career in your marine biology field of choice. Therefore, in this episode, I am going to present to you the options available that may not be the career paths you think you need to choose even though you may think that they present more challenges.