A Full Circle Moment: The Return of L-Pod to Penn Cove
Release Date: 11/11/2024
Nature, Law and the High Seas: Can Direct Action Save the Ocean?
How To Protect The Ocean
Nature is protected by laws on paper, but what happens when those laws are not enforced? On the high seas, beyond national borders, illegal fishing, whaling, and environmental exploitation often operate in legal gray zones. Environmental lawyer and author Sarah Levy joins the show to unpack how international ocean law actually works, where it fails, and why enforcement remains the biggest challenge in marine conservation. Law and activism collide in this deep dive into Sea Shepherd, Captain Paul Watson, and the controversial role of aggressive nonviolence in protecting marine wildlife. We...
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Nature Is Overheating: Ocean Heat Records Are Breaking Again
How To Protect The Ocean
Nature is absorbing more heat than we realize, and most of it is going into the ocean. Global ocean heat content has reached record highs, confirming what climate scientists have warned for years: the ocean has absorbed more than 90 percent of the excess heat trapped by greenhouse gases. Data from NOAA and findings summarized in the IPCC AR6 report show a continued upward trajectory, with no sign of stabilization. Ocean heat is not just a statistic. It is driving stronger marine heatwaves, coral bleaching, shifting fisheries, oxygen loss, and rising sea levels through thermal expansion. Peer...
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Nature’s Most Overlooked Climate Solution: How Seagrass Is Quietly Saving Coastal Economies
How To Protect The Ocean
Seagrass meadows may be the most powerful climate solution underwater, and almost no one is talking about them. Research published in Nature Climate Change shows that seagrass ecosystems store vast amounts of carbon in their sediments, sometimes for centuries. Unlike forests, much of this carbon is locked below ground in oxygen poor environments, reducing the risk of rapid release. But when seagrass meadows are degraded, that long-stored carbon can return to the atmosphere. A study in Science Advances demonstrates that large scale seagrass restoration can significantly enhance blue carbon...
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Ocean Fish Populations at Risk: How WTO Subsidies Still Fuel Overfishing
How To Protect The Ocean
Ocean fish populations are under pressure, and public money is still part of the problem. The World Trade Organization adopted a Fisheries Subsidies Agreement to curb harmful funding tied to illegal fishing, but major loopholes remain. Billions of dollars in government support continue to prop up industrial fleets that contribute to overcapacity and overfishing. Research published in Nature estimates that governments provide approximately 35 billion USD annually in fisheries subsidies, with the majority considered harmful or capacity enhancing. While the WTO agreement marks progress, it does...
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Atlantic Fish Stocks at Risk? Politics Pushes Industrial Fishing Expansion
How To Protect The Ocean
Atlantic fish stocks sit at the center of a new political push to expand commercial fishing in federal waters. A recent U.S. executive action signals increased access for industrial fleets, raising critical questions about how economic policy aligns with science based fisheries management. The United States promotes its fisheries system as one of the most sustainably managed in the world, built on stock assessments, annual catch limits, and rebuilding plans overseen by NOAA Fisheries. Yet globally, more than one-third of assessed fish stocks are already overfished, according to the FAO. When...
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Are All Plastics Toxic? What the Science Actually Says About Microplastics and Human Health
How To Protect The Ocean
Microplastics are now found in the deepest ocean trenches, Arctic ice, seafood, drinking water, and even human blood. Headlines often claim that all plastics are toxic, but what does the science actually say? Recent research has detected microplastics in human lungs, placentas, and cardiovascular tissue, raising urgent questions about inflammation, chemical exposure, and long term health risks. At the same time, scientists caution that not all plastics behave the same way, and toxicity depends on polymer type, additives, breakdown processes, and exposure levels. This episode breaks down the...
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Are Marine Protected Areas Just Paper Parks? The Shark Protection Problem
How To Protect The Ocean
Marine Protected Areas are expanding faster than ever, but new research raises an uncomfortable question: are they actually protecting top predators? Satellite tracking of silky sharks shows that even inside designated protected zones, highly migratory species frequently move into heavily fished waters. If sharks cross invisible boundaries every day, how effective are those boundaries in the first place? Shark conservation and ocean governance collide when industrial fishing fleets concentrate along MPA borders and enforcement resources struggle to keep up. Studies reveal that some protected...
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Paper Parks? Why Marine Protected Areas Are Failing Sharks
How To Protect The Ocean
Marine Protected Areas are expanding worldwide, but new research shows that protection on paper does not always translate to protection in reality. Satellite tracking of silky sharks reveals that highly mobile predators regularly cross MPA boundaries into heavily fished waters, exposing serious enforcement gaps. When fishing fleets concentrate along invisible ocean borders, even large reserves struggle to deliver real conservation outcomes. Shark conservation and ocean governance are at the center of this story. Studies published in peer-reviewed journals and vessel tracking data from Global...
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Coral Reefs Are Recovering Faster Than Scientists Expected
How To Protect The Ocean
Coral Reef Recovery is happening faster than many scientists once believed possible, but only under the right conditions. Long-term monitoring from the Caribbean and Indo Pacific shows that reefs can regain coral cover and rebuild three-dimensional structure when fishing pressure is reduced, water quality improves, and protections are enforced. The idea that reefs are doomed after bleaching events is being challenged by real data collected over decades. Reef Resilience Science reveals that recovery is not random. Areas with healthy herbivore populations, strong marine protected area...
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Coral Reefs Can Look Alive and Still Be Functionally Dead
How To Protect The Ocean
Coral reefs can still show living coral cover and yet be ecologically collapsing beneath the surface. In this episode, we break down new coast-to-coast reef assessments from Thailand that reveal a critical warning sign: reefs are losing structural complexity even when coral is still present. Structural complexity, also known as rugosity, is what gives reefs their three-dimensional shape. That shape creates habitat for fish, supports predator-prey balance, fuels biodiversity, and protects coastlines from storms. New research published in Science and Nature Climate Change shows that repeated...
info_outlineIn this episode of the "How to Protect the Ocean" podcast, host Andrew Lewin discusses the significant return of the Southern Resident orca population, specifically L-Pod, to Penn Cove, Washington, after more than 50 years. This return is particularly poignant given the tragic history of the area, where in the 1970s, a brutal capture event took place. During this event, 80 orcas were corralled using bombs and boats, resulting in the deaths of five orcas and the capture of many others, including Tokite, also known as Lolita, who spent 50 years in captivity before passing away in 2023.
The emotional response from the local community and researchers upon witnessing the orcas return to Penn Cove was captured in videos, marking a full-circle moment for a population that has faced significant trauma. While the reasons for their return remain unclear—whether it was due to food availability or exploration—the event symbolizes hope for the future of the critically endangered Southern Resident orcas, whose numbers have dwindled from around 150 individuals to just 71-73 today.
Lewin emphasizes the importance of protecting the orcas' habitat and food sources, particularly their preferred prey, salmon, which has been declining due to various environmental factors. The episode highlights the resilience of these intelligent creatures and the joy of their return, serving as a reminder of the ongoing efforts needed to ensure their survival and recovery.
Link to article: https://www.greenmatters.com/news/penn-cove-orca-capture
U of Washington and Orcas: https://marinebiology.uw.edu/2022/10/13/from-detection-to-protection-orca-research-and-conservation/
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