What Do House Cats Have to Do With Deep-Sea Mining? A Surprising Ocean Connection
Release Date: 03/06/2026
The Hidden Risk Behind Melting Glaciers
How To Protect The Ocean
Antarctic glaciers are melting, but the real story is not just about ice disappearing. It is about what happens next, and how fast those changes can impact sea levels, coastlines, and ecosystems around the world. Glacier collapse is not a slow, steady process. In some cases, it can happen rapidly, triggered by warming oceans, weakening ice shelves, and shifting climate patterns. Scientists are now racing to understand how unstable these systems really are and what it means for the future. In this episode, we break down how glaciers work, why Antarctica matters more than most people realize,...
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What Happens When Emperor Penguins Lose Their Ice
How To Protect The Ocean
Emperor Penguins are facing a problem most people don’t fully understand, and it’s happening faster than expected. In this episode, we break down what’s really happening in Antarctica as sea ice disappears beneath emperor penguin colonies. These penguins rely on stable ice to breed, raise chicks, and survive, but warming oceans and changing climate patterns are making that ice less reliable every year. Climate change is not just melting ice, it is disrupting an entire life cycle. You’ll learn how emperor penguins depend on the precise timing of ice formation, why early ice break-up can...
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What You Think About Leopard Seals Is Probably Wrong
How To Protect The Ocean
Leopard seals are often seen as one of the most dangerous predators in Antarctica, but what if that story is incomplete? Leopard seals play a critical role in the Antarctic food web, influencing populations of penguins, fish, and even other marine mammals. Their behavior, hunting patterns, and distribution are shaped by sea ice, climate change, and shifting ecosystems. Yet despite their importance, we still know surprisingly little about how their populations are changing. In this episode, we explore how leopard seals fit into the Antarctic ecosystem, why their role is more complex than most...
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What Orcas Are Changing in Antarctica Might Surprise You
How To Protect The Ocean
What if Antarctica isn’t changing as slowly as we think? And what if one of the biggest drivers of that change… is an animal most people only see as a top predator? In this episode, we look at what orcas are really doing in Antarctica, and why it might surprise you. These aren’t just whales passing through a frozen landscape. They are specialized hunters with learned behaviors, working in coordinated groups, and possibly reshaping the ecosystem in ways scientists are still trying to understand. As sea ice melts and new areas of the Southern Ocean open up, orcas may be gaining access to...
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Why Tuna Might Be Doing Better Than You Think
How To Protect The Ocean
Tuna fisheries are often seen as one of the biggest challenges in ocean conservation. But that story is starting to change, and most people have not caught up to it yet. In this episode, you’ll hear how tuna fisheries in many parts of the world are actually improving. Better science, stronger monitoring, and more coordinated international management are helping rebuild stocks and reduce pressure on key species. To understand what’s really happening, I spoke with , President of the . She shares how data-driven decisions, harvest rules, and industry collaboration are changing the way...
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Who Decides How Much Fish Ends Up on Your Plate?
How To Protect The Ocean
Most people assume fisheries are either working or failing, but very few people know how the system actually works. In this episode, I break down the hidden process behind fishing limits, stock assessments, political negotiations, and the science that shapes what ends up on your plate. You will learn why fisheries management can go wrong, what happens when countries ignore the science, and how better systems like harvest rules and stronger accountability can help fisheries recover. This episode also sets up tomorrow’s interview with Susan Jackson from ISSF, where we will reveal just how far...
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Why the Tuna on Your Plate Didn’t Run Out
How To Protect The Ocean
Tuna sustainability might be the biggest ocean success story you’ve never heard about. Nearly 100 percent of global tuna catch is no longer experiencing overfishing, but that didn’t happen by accident. There is a hidden system behind the scenes that most people never see, and it is quietly changing how fisheries work around the world. Harvest rules for fisheries are replacing political negotiations with science-based decisions. Instead of arguing every year about how much fish to catch, managers now use pre-agreed rules that respond automatically to changes in fish populations. This shift...
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How Do We Know If Tuna Is Running Out?
How To Protect The Ocean
Tuna fishing is a global industry, but how do we actually know if we’re catching too much? Every time you eat tuna, you’re relying on a system most people have never heard of: stock assessments. These scientific models estimate how many fish are in the ocean, how fast they reproduce, and how much can be caught without causing long-term damage. Stock assessments are not about counting every fish, they’re about making the best possible decisions with imperfect data. Scientists use catch records, fishing effort, and biological information to understand whether tuna populations are healthy...
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The Tuna Story Nobody Is Really Talking About
How To Protect The Ocean
What if one of the most popular seafoods in the world isn’t the disaster story you’ve been told? Tuna has been at the center of overfishing conversations for decades. But something changed, and most people have no idea. In this episode, we unpack the hidden system behind tuna fishing, how it nearly failed, and what turned it around. This isn’t about saying everything is fine. It’s about understanding what actually worked, why it worked, and what it means for the future of ocean conservation. Because if tuna can improve, it raises a bigger question: Why isn’t every fishery doing the...
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The Ocean Career Path Nobody Talks About
How To Protect The Ocean
Ocean careers often look straightforward from the outside, but the reality is far more complicated. In this episode, Andrew flips the script and shares what actually happened behind the scenes as he landed his latest role, including the uncertainty, tradeoffs, and decisions most people never see. Career paths in ocean conservation are rarely linear. From networking to timing to unexpected opportunities, this episode breaks down how jobs really happen in this field and why chasing the “perfect job” can sometimes hold you back more than help you. If you’re trying to build a career in...
info_outlineDeep sea mining and domesticated cats do not seem like they belong in the same story… but they are.
In this episode of the How to Protect the Ocean Podcast, Andrew Lewin sits down with deep-sea ecologist Dr. Andrew Thaler to explore one of the most unexpected stories in ocean science. What starts with mining minerals from the deep ocean quickly turns into a journey through ancient trade routes, maritime history, and the surprising role the ocean may have played in how cats became one of humanity’s closest animal companions.
Dr. Thaler shares a fascinating narrative that connects deep-sea resources, seafaring civilizations, and the spread of cats across the world. It is a reminder that the ocean has influenced human history in ways we rarely think about, and that even modern debates like deep-sea mining are connected to much bigger stories about exploration, trade, and human society.
If you enjoy ocean science, unusual scientific connections, and great storytelling, this episode will give you a completely new way to think about both the deep ocean and the animals that now live in our homes.
Listen now to discover how an ocean story thousands of years in the making might explain why cats and humans share such a unique relationship.
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