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Mass penguin die off explained, the shocking truth behind why African penguins are disappearing and what it means for our future

How To Protect The Ocean

Release Date: 12/10/2025

Scientific Discoveries That Changed How We See the Ocean show art Scientific Discoveries That Changed How We See the Ocean

How To Protect The Ocean

Scientific Discoveries are transforming our understanding of the ocean in ways that were once unimaginable. In this episode of Surfacing Secrets: Explore the Ocean. Know the Planet, Richard Dewey, Kohen Bauer, and Gwen Klassen of Ocean Networks Canada share some of the most exciting breakthroughs made possible by real-time ocean monitoring. From mysterious sediment flows to acoustic insights that map marine life, this conversation reveals how cutting-edge technology is unraveling underwater mysteries. Ocean conservation has never felt more urgent or more hopeful. Scientific discoveries...

info_outline Marineland Beluga Whales: What Happens Next and Why This Decision Matters for Animal Welfare show art Marineland Beluga Whales: What Happens Next and Why This Decision Matters for Animal Welfare

How To Protect The Ocean

Marineland Beluga Whales are once again at the center of a national debate, and the outcome could shape the future of captive whales in Canada. Marineland Beluga Whales face uncertain futures as government decisions, export permits, and welfare concerns collide, raising a critical question, are these whales being protected or simply moved out of sight? Beluga whales in captivity reveal a deeper problem that goes beyond one facility. This episode breaks down the latest updates on relocation plans, the role of federal permits, and why animal welfare groups argue that sending belugas to other...

info_outline Will the US move towards Deep-Sea Mining? What’s Really at Stake for the Ocean and Our Future show art Will the US move towards Deep-Sea Mining? What’s Really at Stake for the Ocean and Our Future

How To Protect The Ocean

Will the US move towards Deep-Sea Mining? This question is no longer theoretical, it is urgent, political, and deeply consequential for the ocean. As pressure grows to secure critical minerals for batteries and clean energy, the US is facing a decision that could permanently alter the deep ocean. In this episode, we break down what deep-sea mining really means, why it is suddenly back in the spotlight, and why scientists are sounding the alarm about what we stand to lose before we even understand it. Deep sea mining explained through real testimony, expert insight, and clear examples that cut...

info_outline Should bull sharks be culled? The truth behind shark bites and how people can actually stay safe show art Should bull sharks be culled? The truth behind shark bites and how people can actually stay safe

How To Protect The Ocean

Should bull sharks be culled? Shark bites spark fear, outrage, and calls for action, but the real question is whether killing sharks actually makes people safer. In this episode, we unpack why bull shark incidents happen, what science tells us about risk, and why quick emotional reactions can lead to decisions that do more harm than good. Bull shark attacks are tragic and serious, but one surprising insight from this episode is that bull sharks often bite because they cannot clearly see what is in front of them. Murky water, river runoff, and warm summer conditions dramatically increase...

info_outline Ethical climate storytelling: How honest stories move people from fear to action show art Ethical climate storytelling: How honest stories move people from fear to action

How To Protect The Ocean

Ethical climate storytelling asks a hard question that most climate conversations avoid: why do so many people shut down when the science is clear and the stakes are high, and how do we tell stories that actually move people to care and act. In this episode, we explore how ethical climate storytelling can reconnect audiences to climate issues without fear, guilt, or manipulation, and why this approach matters for protecting the ocean and the communities that depend on it. Climate communication strategy often defaults to urgency and catastrophe, but our guest explains why that approach can...

info_outline Who Decides Offshore Drilling, And Why Coastal Communities Pay the Price show art Who Decides Offshore Drilling, And Why Coastal Communities Pay the Price

How To Protect The Ocean

Who Decides Offshore Drilling is the central question behind decisions that shape coastlines for decades, yet are often made by people who never have to live with the consequences. This episode breaks down how offshore drilling decisions are made far from the coast, why public input often feels symbolic, and how risk quietly shifts from decision-makers to coastal communities. Offshore oil and gas leasing sounds like a technical process, but the impact is deeply human. Through firsthand voices from across the US, this episode reveals a surprising truth: once an area is leased, the future of...

info_outline Cook Inlet Offshore Oil Drilling: Why Alaskans Are Questioning Another Generation of Fossil Fuels show art Cook Inlet Offshore Oil Drilling: Why Alaskans Are Questioning Another Generation of Fossil Fuels

How To Protect The Ocean

Cook Inlet offshore oil drilling is being pushed forward through new federal lease plans, but the people who live closest to these waters are asking a hard question: who really benefits, and who takes the risk. In this episode, we unpack why Cook Inlet matters so deeply for salmon, beluga whales, and coastal communities, and why offshore drilling decisions made far from Alaska can have permanent local consequences. Alaska offshore oil and gas leasing has shaped the state’s economy, politics, and identity for decades, and that history still influences how people talk about jobs, revenue, and...

info_outline Distant water fishing fleets are stripping the ocean bare and the new high seas treaty may be our last chance show art Distant water fishing fleets are stripping the ocean bare and the new high seas treaty may be our last chance

How To Protect The Ocean

Distant water fishing fleets are operating just beyond national borders, pulling massive amounts of squid from the ocean with almost no rules, and this episode asks a simple but urgent question: can the new high seas treaty stop ecological collapse before it is too late? Off the coast of Argentina, hundreds of vessels gather in international waters to exploit a regulatory loophole, threatening a keystone species that supports whales, seabirds, and entire food webs. What happens here does not stay here, it affects global fisheries, biodiversity, and the seafood on our plates. High seas squid...

info_outline Hidden costs of seafood: Why “Sustainable” Tuna Is Being Paid for by Taxpayers show art Hidden costs of seafood: Why “Sustainable” Tuna Is Being Paid for by Taxpayers

How To Protect The Ocean

Hidden costs of seafood are shaping the global tuna industry in ways most people never see, and this episode asks why it matters for the ocean, workers, and anyone who buys seafood. Hidden costs of seafood raise a simple but uncomfortable question: if an industry cannot survive without public money, can it truly be sustainable, and who is paying the price behind the scenes? Tuna fishing subsidies are at the center of this story. Drawing from new peer-reviewed research, this episode breaks down how fuel tax exemptions and government support keep European tuna fleets operating, even when they...

info_outline This ocean place will help protect the planet, but we need to do something to help it show art This ocean place will help protect the planet, but we need to do something to help it

How To Protect The Ocean

This ocean place will help protect the planet but it is disappearing faster than scientists can track it, and that puts climate goals, food security, and coastal protection at risk. In this episode, we explore why seagrass meadows are one of the most powerful and overlooked ecosystems on Earth, and why failing to measure them properly could undermine global conservation and climate efforts. Seagrass conservation and climate solutions are deeply connected, yet monitoring these underwater meadows has been inconsistent and fragmented around the world. We break down why scientists have struggled...

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More Episodes

Mass penguin die off explained, a crisis that wiped out ninety five percent of some African penguin colonies, raises a heartbreaking question: how does a thriving species fall to fewer than ten thousand breeding pairs and almost no one sees it happening? This episode uncovers the chain reaction that pushed an entire population toward collapse, from vanishing sardines to the brutal timing of the molt that left tens of thousands of penguins starving. One of the most emotional discoveries in the research was that more than sixty thousand penguins died simply because they did not have enough body fat to survive a three week fast.

 

African penguin population collapse reveals a deeper story about the ocean. Sardines and anchovies shifted out of reach as warming waters changed plankton patterns, leaving penguins stranded at colonies they could not abandon. Even as conservation groups step in with nest protection, rescues, and fishing closures, the core problem remains that the food web itself has moved. Without a return of sardine abundance, recovery is nearly impossible at scale.

 

The collapse of the ocean food web illustrates how fragile marine ecosystems can become when climate pressure and overfishing intersect. Listeners will learn why conservation helps slow the decline but cannot reverse it until prey returns, why projections warn of possible extinction in the wild by 2035, and what actions people can take right now to protect one of the most iconic seabirds on Earth.