Shark Meat Fed To Students: Brazil’s Hidden School Lunch Scandal
Release Date: 09/03/2025
Shark Meat Fed To Students: Brazil’s Hidden School Lunch Scandal
How To Protect The Ocean
Shark Meat Fed To Students in Brazil’s public institutions has sparked outrage after Mongabay uncovered thousands of tons of mislabeled shark meat, including endangered species like angelsharks, being served in schools, hospitals, prisons, and elderly care centers. Labeled as “cação” or “angel fish,” these meals were consumed by thousands of unsuspecting Brazilians, raising urgent concerns for both public health and ocean conservation. Shark meat in Brazil carries dangerous risks due to high levels of mercury and arsenic that accumulate in these apex predators. Scientists warn that...
info_outline
Oceana Working to Protect Endangered Species: How Legal Action Safeguards Whales and Sea Turtles
How To Protect The Ocean
Oceana, working to protect endangered species, is at the heart of this powerful episode featuring Tara Brock, an environmental lawyer advocating for ocean life. Tara unpacks how the Endangered Species Act is used to protect humpback whales and sea turtles, and how legal tools like this remain essential to ocean conservation. As threats like ship strikes, climate change, and bycatch continue to rise, Tara explains why this legislation is still one of the strongest protections we have—and how it’s enforced. Throughout the episode, we explore Oceana’s litigation strategies, real-world wins...
info_outline
Starting an Environmental Nonprofit: The Balean Founders Story with Bart Oor and Sander Brienen
How To Protect The Ocean
Starting an environmental nonprofit often begins with a vision and the determination to make a difference, but it also comes with challenges in funding, community support, and long-term sustainability. In this episode of How to Protect the Ocean, Bart Oor and Sander Brienen share the story of how they created Balean, a platform designed to help independent projects and nonprofits access the support they need to thrive. Independent changemakers are reshaping how conservation work is done. Bart and Sander explain the obstacles they faced, how collaboration shaped their journey, and why Balean is...
info_outline
Pacific Islands Marine Monument Rollback and Court Reversal Explained
How To Protect The Ocean
Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument: For over a decade, these waters stood as one of the largest no-take zones on Earth, safeguarding corals, fish, and migratory species. But on day one of his presidency, Donald Trump erased the U.S. commitment to 30x30 and soon after issued Proclamation 10918, opening parts of the monument to commercial fishing. Marine conservation at risk: The rollback sparked lawsuits and reignited the debate over whether U.S. marine protections are too vulnerable to political swings. Just two weeks ago, a court overturned Trump’s proclamation on a...
info_outline
Less than 400 Left: How Media Coverage Shapes the Fate of North Atlantic Right Whales
How To Protect The Ocean
Less than 400 left — that’s how many North Atlantic right whales remain in the world. These critically endangered whales are at the center of an urgent conservation story, but how the media communicates about them plays a powerful role in shaping public awareness and action. In this episode of How to Protect the Ocean, Andrew Lewin sits down with Dr. Marcus Reamer, a new PhD graduate in science communication, to explore how newspapers and digital outlets covered right whale crises over the past decade. Science communication emerges as a critical conservation tool, with Dr. Reamer sharing...
info_outline
Managing Fishing Vessels: Uncovering the Hidden Ownership of Industrial Fleets
How To Protect The Ocean
Managing fishing vessels goes far beyond tracking where a boat is registered. In this episode, we dive into Oceana’s Beyond the Flag report to explore how large-scale fishing vessels are often flagged in one country but owned in another, creating dangerous loopholes that allow illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing to thrive. This legal and beneficial ownership opacity undermines ocean governance, drains resources from coastal nations, and hides the true power behind global fishing operations. Managing fishing vessels transparently is essential for sustainable ocean futures. We...
info_outline
Plastic pollution in the ocean: How the Global Treaty Could Change Everything
How To Protect The Ocean
Plastic pollution in the ocean is no longer just an environmental issue—it’s a public health crisis and an economic threat. In this episode, I break down the latest updates from the UN negotiations on a global plastics treaty, explaining why the talks in Geneva this month could set the course for the next generation’s relationship with plastic. From production caps to industry lobbying, the fight over how to address the problem is as intense as ever. Plastic pollution in the ocean also raises questions about equity, with developing nations calling for solutions that protect both the...
info_outline
How 5 billion sea stars died and what we can do to save them
How To Protect The Ocean
How 5 billion sea stars died is a story that shook marine ecosystems along North America’s Pacific coast. This episode dives into the groundbreaking discovery of the bacterium Vibrio pectenicida, the pathogen responsible for sea star wasting disease, which decimated up to 90% of sunflower sea stars. We explore how the loss of these predators caused sea urchin populations to explode, leading to widespread kelp forest destruction, and what new recovery strategies—such as captive breeding, probiotics, and climate monitoring—could mean for the species and the habitats they support. By...
info_outline
Scientist Identifies New Manta Ray Species: Dr. Andrea Marshall’s Discovery of the Atlantic Manta
How To Protect The Ocean
Scientist Identifies New Manta Ray Species—the Atlantic Manta Ray, Mobula yarae—in a groundbreaking announcement from Dr. Andrea Marshall and her team at the Marine Megafauna Foundation. In this episode, Andrew Lewin shares the story of how Dr. Marshall, already renowned for identifying two distinct manta species in 2009, confirmed a long-suspected third species after years of meticulous observation, genetic analysis, and global collaboration. Listen to this remarkable story of how this new species was first spotted off the Yucatán Peninsula, how it differs from other mantas, and why its...
info_outline
Climate Crisis and Capitalism: David Suzuki on Why We Must Rethink Everything
How To Protect The Ocean
Climate Crisis and Capitalism are at the heart of David Suzuki’s powerful message in this episode. In a candid and impassioned reflection, Suzuki warns that if we continue to prioritize politics and the economy over protecting the environment, we may as well give up on climate action. He challenges the cultural obsession with perpetual economic growth, critiques the short-sightedness of political cycles, and urges a fundamental shift in our collective priorities. David Suzuki’s call for transformation is both urgent and inspiring. He advocates for placing the environment at the center of...
info_outlineShark Meat Fed To Students in Brazil’s public institutions has sparked outrage after Mongabay uncovered thousands of tons of mislabeled shark meat, including endangered species like angelsharks, being served in schools, hospitals, prisons, and elderly care centers. Labeled as “cação” or “angel fish,” these meals were consumed by thousands of unsuspecting Brazilians, raising urgent concerns for both public health and ocean conservation.
Shark meat in Brazil carries dangerous risks due to high levels of mercury and arsenic that accumulate in these apex predators. Scientists warn that children and vulnerable populations are especially at risk, while conservationists highlight the devastating impact on shark populations that have already declined 71% in open oceans. Lawmakers are calling for hearings, industries are pushing back, and the global conservation community is debating how to respond. This episode investigates how a school lunch scandal reveals the larger crisis of food security, seafood mislabeling, and biodiversity loss.
Mongabay articles:
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/08/brazil-serves-potentially-contaminated-shark-meat-to-children-in-public-schools/
https://news.mongabay.com/custom-story/2025/08/revealed-brazilian-state-buys-endangered-angelsharks-for-school-lunches/
https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/08/brazils-shark-meat-problem/
Connect with Speak Up For Blue
Website: https://bit.ly/3fOF3Wf
Instagram: https://bit.ly/3rIaJSG
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@speakupforblue
Twitter: https://bit.ly/3rHZxpc
YouTube: www.speakupforblue.com/youtube