Mark Leiren-Young – Sharks Forever and Jaws Forever?

Sharks Forever and Jaws Forever?

David Shiffman – On 50 Years of Jaws vs. Sharks

David Shiffman – On 50 Years of Jaws vs. Sharks

Shane Gero – Speaking to Sperm Whales, the Power of Storytelling and Why All Science is Political

Shane Gero – Speaking to Sperm Whales, the Power of Storytelling and Why All Science is Political

Beatrice Frank – On the Power of Positivity and the Georgia Strait Alliance’s Past, Present and Future Fights for the Salish Sea

Beatrice Frank – On the Power of Positivity and the Georgia Strait Alliance’s Past, Present and Future Fights for the Salish Sea

Lummi Elder Squil-le-he-le on the Documentary Resident Orca and Her Relatives Beneath the Waves

Lummi Elder Squil-le-he-le on the Documentary Resident Orca and Her Relatives Beneath the Waves

Mark Leiren-Young on Canadians Voting for the Ocean and Against Trump

Mark Leiren-Young on Canadians Voting for the Ocean and Against Trump

Arno Kopecky on Canada’s Election Climate

Arno Kopecky – On Canada’s Election Climate. Pierre Poilevere vs. the Planet and Greens vs. Greens

Octopus Ocean – Shaking Hands With A Giant Pacific Octopus

Octopus Ocean – Shaking Hands With A Giant Pacific Octopus

Paul Watson – Free and Fighting!

A letter from Captain Paul Watson from prison in Greenland, an interview with Paul in prison  and a plea for you – yes you – to help save his life.

Eric Pelkey on BC’s Fishy Herring “Fishery” – “SHUT IT DOWN!”

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Let the Herring Live! Eric Pelkey is done pretending BC fishers should still be capturing herring. The Community Engagement Coordinator for the W̱SÁNEĆ leadership council talks about a proposed boycott, over-fishing, under-enforcement and the disappearance of a keystone species with significance to the W̱SÁNEĆ Nation and the entire eco-system of the Salish Sea. “Without the herring the salmon can’t live. The sea lions can’t live. The seals can’t live. And if there’s no salmon, the killer whales and the larger sea mammals can’t live either. No salmon, no killer whales… The herring is a keystone species for the survival of life within the Salish Sea.”

Shownotes:

3:11 “The importance of herring to our people is immeasurable.” A trade item. A food source. And more.

6:31 “Herring and other fish provided a really substantial part of our diet… Not having that seafood and herring has really had a detrimental effect to the health of our people. Especially the First Nations women.”

10:20 How real is the herring “fishery” as an industry?

11:30 The history of herring fishing and when the herring were everywhere.

14:09 The Canadian government allowing over-fishing. “They went in there and took whole communities at once. And wiped them right out.”

15:10 “Without the herring the salmon can’t live. The sea lions can’t live. The seals can’t live. And if there’s no salmon, the killer whales and the larger sea mammals can’t live either. No salmon, no killer whales… The herring is a keystone species for the survival of life within the Salish Sea.”

16:28 “The DFO is supposed to be the protector of the fish, of the sea… but the DFO speaks only to the commercial industry and listens only to them. And doesn’t listen to us.”

17:45 “They’re gonna do the same thing that they did on the east coast with the cod… it’s like you’re putting another arrow into the backs of the First Nations people.”

18:30 “They’re willing to wipe out the herring for a few dollars more… for a few dollars.”

19:40 “Let the herring live!”

23:33 “Talk to your MLA or MP about the importance of herring.”

24:19 How long the moratorium should last – 20-25 years. Real science vs. pseudoscience.

25:32 His herring necklace.

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#FreePaulWatson – It’s Up to You!

A letter from Captain Paul Watson from prison in Greenland, an interview with Paul in prison  and a plea for you – yes you – to help save his life.

Andrew Lewin on Making Media Matter

Andrew Lewin – host of the How to Protect the Ocean podcast – on Jaws vs. sharks, orcas vs. sharks, Asian carp and working with and against Canada’s department of Fisheries and Oceans and how young people can and do change the world.

Dr. Andrew Rosenberg on Trump vs. Science, Facts & The Planet

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Talking Trump vs. science, facts and the planet with Dr. Andrew Rosenberg.  The former director of the Center for Science and Democracy at the Union of Concerned Scientists and former director of NOAA on Project 2025, popping social media bubbles and why it is so friggin’ important that Americans vote… And not for Trump. “Whatever your issue is, should you be concerned? Yes! …This is not a time to sit it out.” On Project 2025: “It’s worse than you think it is. No matter how bad you think it is, it’s worse.”

Shownotes:

4:11 Andrew Rosenberg explains what the Union of Concerned Scientists is concerned about and how the focus shifted from weapons to using science to spin for politicians.

7:00 “Everyone will ask what are you concerned about… until Mr. Trump was elected and then nobody needed to ask that question anymore because it was pretty obvious what we were concerned about.”

8:00 Trump’s wasn’t the first administration to distort facts. “Everything that was talked about the facts became whatever Mr. Trump said they were at any given moment and that was not the same thing from one moment to the next. And in our current presidential campaign that’d gotten even worse.”

8:52 The futility of fact-checking when “everybody’s in their little bubbles in the social media age.”

11:06 Why the Trump administration kept losing their challenges in court and how Project 2025 will stop the courts from ignoring laws.

11:51 “We also leaned into the ideas that scientists can and should be much more active in the political process.” And the resistance to that…

16:45 How to challenge lies. What works, what doesn’t and why. “We’re not going to turn everybody into scientists.”

22:07 The impact of COVID and isolation on fact based reality.

23:10 “Anybody can say anything on social media.”

28:45 On Project 2025: “It’s worse than you think it is. No matter how bad you think it is, it’s worse.”

33:41 “President Trump was frustrated that people didn’t just do what he wanted.” ‘cause laws and consciences…

35:20 “It’s 900 pages long and covers every agency.” The end of NOAA… the end of science and research… and privatizing the weather service and…. yeah it’s worse…

37:00 Everybody becomes a political appointee…  You’re fired! “You would choose people based on their loyalty, not their expertise.”

39:15 Sharpiegate! How Trump moved a hurricane – so he could send money to a state he liked.

43:25 You can imagine what it will be like if he’s back in office. It will be worse… things will get a lot worse.”

44:00 “There’s no tethering to facts at all… it’s just whatever he happens to think about it at a given time.

48:04 BC water moving to California?

49:00 “I don’t believe he understands the sovereignty of other nations. Or cares.”

55:00 What you can do…

51:25 “Whatever your issue is, should you be concerned? Yes!”

51:52 “This is not a time to sit it out.”

Skaana podcasts connect you to news and experts and their discussions about environments, oceans, and orcas.

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Podcaster Andrew Lewin On Protecting the Oceans

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Andrew Lewin – host of the How to Protect the Ocean podcast – on teaching the world about oceans, myth-busting fake facts and falling for the oceans from his home in Ontario. “This is what people should be talking about.”

Shownotes:

3:25 How Andrew Lewin fell for the oceans and marine biology.

5:18 The first time Andrew saw a whale.

6:47 Finding Flipper and falling for dolphins. “You have this sense of awe when you look at dolphins.” Can dolphins be, um, jerks?

8:45 Talking orcas – including the orcas who eat great white sharks.

11:20 The origin of How to Protect the Oceans podcast and the mission to educate.

17:20  “My why is just change somebody’s life.”

18:52 The challenge of fighting fake facts and junk science. “The goal is to inform.”

Skaana podcasts connect you to news and experts and their discussions about environments, oceans, and orcas.

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16-year-old Rylee Brooke on Young People Saving the Planet

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Sixteen-year-old Hawaiian environmental activist Rylee Brooke hasn’t just been fighting for the environment – and the rights of keiki (young people) – since the age of eight, she’s teaching other young people and adults how to make change and make laws. Adventures in changing things locally and globally, making the case for Vote 16 and proving that young people can do pretty much anything – including inspiring law-makers to do better.

Shownotes:

3:30 Meet Rylee Brooke. “I kind of grew up doing community service.”

7:12 Starting “The Plastics Project” and sparking youth-run beach clean-ups at age eight.

8:20 How 15 kids clean up 500 pounds of plastic. In one day!

10:20 The power of social media. And the local grapevine.

12:45 Learning to create law – and teaching young people how to create laws. “I got into writing my own bills…”

15:40 “I was asked to be part of the first youth-led conservation case… I was one of the thirteen plaintiffs on that.”

20:00  Vote 16 and the fight to lower the voting age in Hawaii and throughout the US.

22:08 Shark diving with Ocean Ramsey.

23:23  “I think just a kid coming in to speak is really powerful.” On getting comfortable talking to politicians and crowds.

28:24 Advice for other young people and, really, everyone. “It’s really figuring out what you’re passionate about.”

Skaana podcasts connect you to news and experts and their discussions about environments, oceans, and orcas.
Rylee Brooke
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The King & Queen of OctoNation

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Sy Montgomery (author: Soul of an Octopus) and Warren Carlyle (founder of OctoNation) on friendly octopuses, the Mayor of Octopus City, and their top octopus secrets from their new book Secrets of the Octopus that accompanies the National Geographic TV series. Second of a two-part interview about the wild world of octopuses! “We’re in the age of octopus,” Sy Montgomery.

Shownotes:

2:28  How the books Secrets of the Octopus and Soul of the Octopus informed the TV series and vice versa.

4:10 How OctoNation raised the profile of octopus photographers and vice versa.

7:02 Favourite octopus secrets – more social than anyone imagines. “They certainly are not all solitary”.

8:30 Octopolis & Octlantis and the Mayor of Octopus City.

9:02 Octopus hunting with other species.

11:15 “I’m taking my vitamins because I want to be on this planet to learn more secrets of the octopus.” Sy Montgomery.

11:25 The tiny hairy octopus aka the Chewboctopus!

12:49  Hanging out with a hippo. “I always felt that animals were my people… I’ve always felt more at home with animals than with people.” Sy Montgomery.

14:54 Meeting an octopus at age 7 – Warren.

16:00 “We’re just a blip on the radar of life compared to the octopus.” Warren Carlyle.

17:54 The first time Sy saw an octopus.

18:25 “This is someone. It’s not someTHING. It’s someONE. And they are as curious about you as you are about them.” Sy Montgomery.

21:15 Sy Montgomery on meeting Athena the octopus.

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Warren Carlyle & Sy Montgomery.
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The Beyonce of Octopuses and The OctoKing on Why Octopuses Needed a Publicist

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Sy Montgomery (Soul of an Octopus) and Warren Carlyle (founder of OctoNation) on octopuses taking over the media, the origins of OctoNation, why octopuses needed a publicist and some of the secrets of octopus from their new book Secrets of the Octopus that accompanies the National Geographic TV series. First of a two-part interview about all things octopus!

Shownotes:

0:01 Meet author Sy Montgomery.

0:13 Meet Warren Carlyle “the PR agent for the octopus.”

3:50 How Sy met Warren.

4:25 Warren’s journey from high fashion to the deep ocean.

5:32 The origins of OctoNation: “When the Beyonce of octopus people tells you to do something, you just do it.” – Warren Carlyle

6:41 Octopus used to be monsters!

10:06 “It’s the golden age for octopus appreciation. For octopus research. And I think this is a great opportunity for the ocean in general. What better ambassador can you imagine than somebody who’s got the equivalent of nine brains and eight arms.” – Sy Montgomery.

13:00 Octopuses can give themselves manicures… we kind of laid the red carpet for “My Octopus Teacher.”

14:57 The impact of OctoNation. “Appreciation for the octopus has just exploded.”

16:00 Sy: “They are not some slimy gross monster. They are super smart. They are superheroes with superpowers. And yet they are enough like us that you can be friends with an octopus.”

18:45 Sy: “We’re in the age of octopus.”

18:50 Warren: “The way that I view Sy… Sy has this insatiable desire to hang out with animals all the time… All OctoNation is is really a reflection of Sy’s light.”

23:47 The blanket octopus!

28:08 Connecting with National Geographic.

32:10 Octopus have their own hunting fish the way humans have hunting dogs!

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Warren Carlyle & Sy Montgomery.
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Getting the Poop on Orca Genetics, Species, Names and Really Old Whales With NOAA Scientists Tom Jefferson & Kim Parsons

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NOAA scientists Kim Parsons & Tom Jefferson on orca species, orca survival, orca scat, really old whales, the return of harbour porpoises, the fight for vaquitas and so much more in the second part of a special two-part episode on the two soon-to-be official species of orcas who call the Salish Sea home.

Shownotes:

2:29 The challenge of naming new animals… scientific names, the names we use and the politics of naming. Yes, we’re sticking with Residents & Bigg’s.

5:15 How many orca species are there? The challenges of collecting data.

7:01 The genetic challenges facing the southern resident orcas.

10:09 Not enough J-pod baby-daddies.

12:32 “I think we need some optimism here…” a happy story about harbour porpoises. “There may be hope for this species after all. We know what the problems are… if we can make enough compromises in our own behaviour to reduce those threats, I think there’s good reason for being optimistic that the future of southern resident killer whales can still look quite bright.”

14:50 Biological and chronological ages.

19:30 The latest on the vanishing vaquitas – the most endangered marine mammal in the world. Are there only 10 left? “As long as there’s one male and one female left in the population there’s a chance for them to survive.”

23:20 Talking poop about orcas. And orca poop. “I spent a lot of time working with killer whale poop… I’ve collected a lot of poop in my time.”

24:55 Is there another orca species in Alaska? Probably! How many species are there? “We may be looking at six or maybe eight species… maybe more.”

26:58 Improvements in understanding orca health and their environments.

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Kim Parsons from NOAA.
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Killer Whales Versus Orcas & Big Bigg’s Whale News with NOAA Scientists Tom Jefferson & Kim Parsons

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NOAA scientists Kim Parsons & Tom Jefferson on killer whale science, killer whales versus orcas, orcas versus dolphins, how science becomes official, the challenges of translating science to civilians and so much more in the first of a special two-part episode on the two soon to be official species of orcas who call the Salish Sea home.

Shownotes:

3:45 Meet marine mammal biologist, Tom Jefferson.

4:21 Meet molecular geneticist, Kim Parsons.

5:10 Orcas or killer whales? And how to pronounce orcinus orca.

6:35 Orcas vs. whales/dolphins vs. Delphinidae and confusion over “common names.”

10:35 Talking taxonomy: splitting orca populations into two species.

12:55 Exploring orca genetics.

17:38 What’s in a name? Taxonomists reviewing splitting up species. And making the species designation official. Ish.

20:10 How to tell the difference between types of orcas.

24:31 Early observations of killer whales and how and why they got their names.

26:16 Naming the two orcas – the scientific names and the names we’ll all use…

Skaana podcasts connect you to news and experts and their discussions about environments, oceans, and orcas.
Tom Jefferson from NOAA.
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Eco-Pirate and Eco-Church Founder Paul Watson on Fighting for Whales and Phytoplankton, Launching Neptune’s Navy and Daring Iceland to Arrest Him

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Eco-pirate Paul Watson talks about taking on whalers in Iceland and Japan, splitting with the Sea Shepherd, launching an eco-church and what the hell just happened in his world with Skaana host Mark Leiren-Young (author of Sharks Forever & Orcas Everywhere). “We’re ecologically ignorant. And unless we learn to educate ourselves, we’re not going to survive.”

Shownotes:

4:45 Paul Watson on how he landed in Paris and why he’s only working with Sea Shepherd France & Brazil.

5:40  “They said I was too controversial. Too confrontational.”

9:20 On being an international fugitive. And the disappearance of his Interpol Red Notice.

19:00 “We’ll rebuild it.” On the split with Sea Shepherd Global, his new boat and the dangers of sponsors.

21:40 On radically retiring Sea Shepherd vessels.

22:18 “The three most valuable things – courage and imagination and passion.”

22:30 What’s in a name? Neptune’s Pirates, Neptune’s Navy and The Captain Paul Watson Foundation

23:43 Taking action in Iceland and saving whales by taking on “modern Ahab” Kristján Loftsson. “I’m not really concerned about getting arrested.” Why he’d like to be arrested in Iceland.

28:14 Chasing super-trawlers and the importance of saving krill.

30:30 The return of Japanese whalers – with a new factory ship. And preparing to take on a faster ship.

33:45 Shifting baselines and rebranding fish like pollock becoming artificial crab. “Who wants to buy a toothfish… It all comes down to marketing.”

35:10 “We’re overfishing the ocean.” The need for a 75 year moratorium on mechanized fishing.

35:40 The fight for phytoplankton. “If phytoplankton disappear from the ocean, we die… The ocean dies, we die.”

37:15 “We’re ecologically ignorant. And unless we learn to educate ourselves, we’re not going to survive.”

38:20 Founding the Church of Biocentrism and the dangers of anthropocentrism.

45:30 “We can’t have a viewpoint that it was all created for us and we’re the only species that matters.”

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Captain Paul Watson in his natural habitat!
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Melody Horrill: On Saving Dolphins and Her Book About The Dolphin Who Saved Her

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Author, broadcaster and activist Melody Horrill (The Dolphin Who Saved Me) talks about saving the Port River dolphins and how a dolphin named Jock saved her with Skaana host Mark Leiren-Young (author of Sharks Forever & Orcas Everywhere). “Dolphins do have a special place in our hearts… They help us connect to the water and the natural world.”

Shownotes:

5:10 Meet the Port River dolphins. And find out why they’re in trouble.

10:20 “I made it my single-minded mission to let everyone know in South Australia that these dolphins existed. They’re here.”

11:10 “They do have a special place in our hearts… They help us connect I think to the water and the natural world.”

11:50 On the Port River becoming a dolphin sanctuary and how her documentary helped change minds and laws.

15:23 Is the sanctuary really dolphin-friendly?

15:46 The first time she saw a dolphin.

16:51 Meeting Jock.

19:35 “Little did I know at that time that Jock would end up being my best friend. And lead me out of a place that I didn’t think was possible. Immediately I just felt this connection to this solitary dolphin. He was by himself… he just seemed adrift and alone. So from my perspective it was this instant recognition of another being that I felt compassion for and a connection with.”

22:20 “He accepted me in a way that I’d never been accepted in my life before.”

24:20 “He taught me a lot about forgiveness.”

25:07 “He forced me to live in the moment… we’re not feeding him, we’re not enticing him. There’s no other reason for him to hang out with me other than he just wants to. How mind-blowing is that?… It made me realize love was possible.”

26:00 Helping Jock meet and interact with other dolphins. “He taught me about courage.”

29:59 “We really tried to keep his friendliness quiet.” Jock following her boat.

32:34 Connecting with Jane Goodall and the Jane Goodall Institute.

Skaana podcasts connect you to news and experts and their discussions about environments, oceans, and orcas.
Melody Horrill with the perfect beach book!
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David Shiffman: On Jaws, Sharknados, Megalodon-Mania and Shark Week Vs. Sharks

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Author and marine conservation biologist David Shiffman (Why Sharks Matter) talks about Sharkweek, Sharknados, megalodon myths, Jaws and junk science with Skaana host Mark Leiren-Young (author of Sharks Forever & Big Sharks, Small World). “More people are bitten by other people on the New York city subway system every year than are bitten by sharks in the whole world… but whenever any shark gives someone side eye anywhere in the world, it’s headline news everywhere in the world.”

Shownotes:

4:10 “Jaws has had a really transformative impact. For sharks mostly bad.” How Jaws changed everything for sharks and meeting Richard Dreyfuss. “The movie is just so good.”

5:05 “It’s really changed the world. Before Jaws came out most people really didn’t think about sharks at all.”

5:56 “Spielberg has a lot to answer for here.”

6:23 The Jaws Effect. “It refers to how fictional portrayals of a real world issue can affect how people really think about that issue. In reality.”

7:36 Watching The Shark is Broken – the Jaws play – on Broadway!

10:14 On the impact of Sharknado! “I love those goofy, bad shark movies… there are two kinds of shark movies – there are bad shark movies and there’s Jaws.” And how Sharknado funded his PhD work.

13:18 “It’s just frigging weird how much this goofy Saturday night basic cable movie has escaped its cage and entered the cultural zeitgeist.”

13:44 “Here’s a crazy story for you…” How Sharknado may have launched Donald Trump’s political career.

16:04 On being Sharkweek’s number one critic “I’m very critical of the dumpster fire of nonsense and lies that they show every year.”

17:33 “I could rant about how bad Sharkweek is… forever.” And how Sharkweek does nothing to help sharks. “Sharkweek and I are not besties.”

17:48 There are more dudes named Mike on Sharkweek than there are women… even though in real life 60% of shark experts are women.

19:37 Great white sharks are mentioned in 40% of newspaper stories about endangered sharks – even though they’re not one of the most endangered species… All anyone wants to talk or write about… great white sharks.

21:00 Getting people to care about the bigger picture…”One thing that does change people’s minds is “yes, and…””

25:44 Talking 24 and sharks. “All of the species of sharks in the world combined have killed a lot fewer people than Jack Bauer has killed on-screen. Not even counting his off-screen exploits.”

26:34 “More people are bitten by other people on the New York city subway system every year than are bitten by sharks in the whole world… but whenever any shark gives someone side eye anywhere in the world, it’s headline news everywhere in the world.”

27:46 “Seeing a shark swimming close to the beach is not news. That’s where they’re supposed to be.”

28:00 A toy story – myth busting a fake goblin shark.

31:18 The megalodon conspiracy! “They were very cool – but they’ve been extinct for millions of years.”

33:38 The importance of public science engagement.

34:54 A new treaty that may help save sharks – and other species.

Skaana podcasts connect you to news and experts and their discussions about environments, oceans, and orcas.
David Shiffman and friends…
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Gloria Pancrazi: On Endangered Orcas, Endangered Humans and Making Movies that Change the World

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Filmmaker Gloria Pancrazi (Coextinction) talks with Skaana host Mark Leiren-Young about red herrings, fishy fish farms, whale watching, whale saving and Coextinction. “Orcas are telling us something. They’re showing us something. You can learn a lot about the things we’ve got to do in the world right now by looking at these orcas.”

Shownotes:

3:35 Meet Gloria Pancrazi and how the story of love for orcas turned into a mission to save the southern resident orcas.

6:12 “A lot of politicians like to blame whale watchers because then they can accept a pipeline that’s going to increase tanker traffic by seven- fold… you can go on and on about the impact of the Trans Mountain pipeline and how it’s going to impact southern resident orcas.”

8:38 “One of the biggest points of the movie is that everything is connected… it’s hard to pick one big issue.”

11:50 “It always fascinated us how the orcas are telling us something. They’s showing us something. You can learn a lot about the things we’ve got to do in the world right now by looking at these orcas.”

13:18 “They are each other’s home and we’re destroying that home.”

13:38 The first time she saw a whale:

15:35 Working for Cetus’s Straitwatch program in Canada and SoundWatch in the US and the challenges of keeping orcas safe from small boats.

22:04 Visiting OrcaLab. “It’s magical up there.”

25:28 The impacts of colonization and colonial trauma.

27:50 Where and how to see Coextinction.

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Danna Staaf: On Alien Octopuses, Squid Squads and Why Baby Animals Rule

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Cephalopod expert Danna Staaf (author of The Lady and the Octopus and Monarchs of the Sea) talks with Skaana host Mark Leiren-Young about the alien world of octopuses, the secret lives of squid and her two new books Nursery Earth: The Wondrous Lives of Baby Animals and the Extraordinary Ways They Shape Our World and The Lives of Octopuses and Their Relatives: A Natural History of Cephalopods. “They are definitely our fellow earthlings and some of the oddest ones we share the planet with.”

Shownotes:

3:20 Meet Danna Staaf. “They are extremely intelligent animals with extremely short life-spans.”

6:12 Meet Danna Staaf’s first pet octopus – Serendipity.

12:32 “There’s this tension between the alien and the familiar in them.” And octopus decor…

13:50 “They are definitely our fellow earthlings and some of the oddest ones we share the planet with.”

15:49 How and why cephalopods lost their shells.

22:15 The difference between octopus and squid. “Squid basically evolved for swimming and for speed.”

25:10 “Cephalopods are amazing.”

27:13 “These are real animals that inspired a lot of myths and legends.”

28:35 “Squid are like the protein bars of the oceans.”

31:30 Squid squads!

32:36 Baby animals doot doot doot doot – Danna Staff’s new baby book!

34:31 “At any given moment, most of the animals on earth are babies… I find all of them to be adorable in their own ways.”

41:20 Her favourite odd octopus facts… donut brains!

42:17 “I love asking what if questions about nature and about science.”

44:20 How humans are threatening octopuses and the health of the oceans.

Skaana podcasts connect you to news and experts and their discussions about environments, oceans, and orcas.
Danna Staff Author Photo_credit Josh Weaver
Danna Staff Author Photo – credit Josh Weaver
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Jason Colby: On the Capture of Toki/Tokitae/Lolita/Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut and How Penn Cove Almost Ended the Southern Resident Orcas

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Jason Colby (author of Orca: How We Came to Know and Love the Ocean’s Greatest Predator) talks with Skaana host Mark Leiren-Young about the capture of Toki/Tokitae/Lolita/Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut and how Penn Cove almost ended the southern resident orcas and was the beginning of the end of the capture era. “It’s worth remembering that the argument at the time, if there could have been a debate at the time, it was really between whale catching and whale shooting, not whale catching and whale watching.”

Shownotes:

0:00 The voice of Toki.

4:08 Jason Colby on writing the book – or at least a very long chapter of his book – on Penn Cove.

6:05 “They eventually capture virtually all of these orcas behind nets. They estimate at the time around 90 individuals… The estimates vary but almost certainly the entire population of the Southern residents.”

7:43 “It’s worth remembering that the argument at the time, if there could have been a debate at the time, it was really between whale catching and whale shooting, not whale catching and whale watching.”

8:50 “Once they rounded them up, 90 to 100 animals, if Ted Griffin and his company would have wanted to and would have had the market to sell all 90 of them they could have done that. If they had wanted to shoot them all in the nets, they could have done that. There may have been a firearms violation, but there would be no sort of conservation law violation.”

10:30 “This must have been horrifically traumatic for these pods to be torn apart.”

11:20 How activists trying to free the orcas accidentally kill four baby orcas.

12:20 Hiding the bodies… “Whether it was illegal or not, it looks like a murder scene.”

14:20 Is Toki really L Pod or did she learn how to speak L Pod from Hugo in Miami?

20:04 “It was a generational loss.”

21:20 “If Griffin had done what the fisherman who was helping him demanded – which is to sell all of them all – you could have seen the entire population of Southern residents extinguished before we had even identified them scientifically as a population.”

23:00 How to help orcas today and the problems humans are creating for orcas today.

26:04 Toki talks.

Skaana podcasts connect you to news and experts and their discussions about environments, oceans, and orcas.
Jason Colby from Mark Leiren-Young’s award-winning documentary The Hundred Year-Old Whale
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Howard Garrett: On the Life and Death of the Orca Toki/Tokitae/Lolita/Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut

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Howard Garrett (Orca Network) remembering the southern resident orca Toki/Tokitae/Lolita/Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut and his nearly thirty year fight to bring Toki home to the Salish Sea. “Toki’s legacy is building, building, building by the day… She wasn’t just a circus animal. She was a member of the southern residents.”

Shownotes:

0:00 The voice of Toki.
4:57 How Howard started fighting to bring Toki home

7:50 “I really feel like she would have thrived and been thrilled and so relieved to be in her familiar waters.”

14:16 A superpod wake for Toki?

15:55 The Lummi Nation’s fight for Toki.

20:05  The origins of Toki’s names and becoming Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut.

21:44 “Her tank violated the very dismal standard of the animal welfare act…”

30:15 Getting the news that she was gone.

34:00 Toki’s legacy.

43:00 Toki speaks.

Skaana podcasts connect you to news and experts and their discussions about environments, oceans, and orcas.
Howard Garrett at a marine conference in Vancouver in 2017
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Rowena Rae on How We Can Save Salmon, the Fish Farm Jail-Break & Unlocking the Mysteries of a Keystone Species

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Author and biologist Rowena Rae on swimming with salmon, threats to this essential species and their incredible resilience with Skaana host Mark Leiren-Young. “Salmon can thrive if we just give them a chance… if people would just get out of the way, they can thrive”.

Shownotes:

3:54 On becoming a biologist and leaving biology for writing.
7:12 Introducing young readers to the story of Rachel Carson.

9:20 Introducing Rachel Carson and the importance of Silent Spring.

12:20 Swimming with salmon.

14:07 Keystone species and why they matter.

  Humans Vs. Salmon; almost everything eats salmon  — salmon as “eco-system engineers”.

23:44 How to save Chinook salmon.

26:09 The fish farm jail-break in Washington State.

28:50 On the resilience of nature and salmon, and why to have hope. “They’re tenacious, they hang on … salmon can thrive if we just give them a chance”.

31:30 How we can help salmon.

Skaana podcasts connect you to news and experts and their discussions about environments, oceans, and orcas.

Rowena Rae – author of Salmon: Swimming for Survival

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Alessandro De Maddalena on Hunting for the Perfect Shark Photo and the Orcas Hunting Great White Sharks

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Shark expert Alessandro De Maddalena talks with Skaana host Mark Leiren-Young about hunting for the perfect shark photo, the two orcas who are hunting great white sharks in South African waters, what makes great whites great and so much more! “The reason I love sharks is that they are a perfect art form. I consider Mother Nature the greatest artist.”

Shownotes:

4:22 How Alessandro De Maddalena fell for sharks as a kid and why sharks are cooler than dinosaurs.
9:00 Why he thinks the great white is great: “the first time I was watching a great white underwater it was magic… The reason I love sharks is that they are a perfect art form. I consider Mother Nature the greatest artist.”
13:10 Perfect predators and perfect book titles.
17:01 How little sharks care about humans. “Sharks care very little about humans. In most cases they don’t care at all.”
21:40 “The fear was born with Jaws…”
27:50 “People like to be afraid. People like monsters. People also like to create monsters.”
28:44 Leading Great White Shark expeditions.
33:40 His three best moments with sharks.
37:15 The truth behind the orcas attacking sharks in South Africa. No they are not a major threat to the great white shark population!
Skaana podcasts connect you to news and experts and their discussions about environments, oceans, and orcas.

Alessandro De Maddalena

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Alessandro De Maddalena image – featured in Mark Leiren-Young’s book Sharks Forever

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Sean Holman on Fighting for Facts and Holding Onto Hope as the World Burns

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Sean Holman @Seanholman founder and lead of the Climate Disaster Project @cdp_community talks with Skaana host Mark Leiren-Young @leirenyoung about the past and future of the media’s climate coverage, fighting fires with facts and sharing stories to save the future.

Shownotes:

5:00 Welcome Sean Holman. Why he challenged journalists to do better in their climate coverage.
10:57 The challenge of news cycles moving faster than science
15:10 “There is a lot that we can individually do about combat climate change creating collective action around that. as an example In the United States if everyone switched from eating beef to beans the United States would have actually met the greenhouse gas targets that were set by Obama.”
16:34 ““Almost all of us are climate disaster survivors in one way shape or form but many of us are also perpetrators of climate change as well in our individual lives.”
17:01 Climate impact on the oceans.
21:53 Climate impact on the economy
23:44 How the smoke from the 2017 BC Wildfire season changed the way he saw the world
26:40 The origins of the Climate Disaster Project and the importance of creating community
29:33 What gives Sean Holman hope
Skaana podcasts connect you to news and experts and their discussions about environments, oceans, and orcas.

Sean Holman

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Photo via the BC Wildfire Service.

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Painter Robert Bateman Makes Waves and Creates Cranes in His Interview with the Skaana Podcast

“My whole life story has been planned around having adventures in nature,” artist Robert Bateman told Mark Leiren-Young, in an interview that was just released on the Skaana podcast.

The iconic Canadian painter met Leiren-Young virtually to talk about his views on the importance of staying connected with the natural world and to share how his passions led him to a career in art.

NDP MP Fin Donnelly on the fight for a new Canadian law to stop shark finning

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Fin Donnelly (@FinDonnelly), NDP critic for Fisheries, Oceans and Canadian Coast Guard, on the history and future of his fight for a law to protect sharks and what you can do to help pass a new Canadian law to end Canada’s role in shark-finning.

To help turn this bill into law sign the Oceana petition to ban the sale and importation of shark fins.

 

“These animals predate dinosaurs… and the scary thing is it could be on humans’ watch that we would lose them.”

Skaana podcasts connect you to news and experts and their discussions about  orcas, oceans and the environment.

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Fin Donnelly on Saving the Southern Resident Orcas

Links:

  1. Senator MacDonald: Shark finning is unsustainable, irresponsible and ecologically reckless
  2. MPs, senators unite to oppose ‘finning’ at premiere of ‘Sharkwater Extinction’
  3. Proposed federal shark fin ban a good ‘first step,’ Vancouver advocate says

Fin Donnelly

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A Tribute to Rob Stewart from young filmmakers he inspired

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Julia Barnes, (Sea of Life), and Jonah Bryson @JonahLBryson (The Fight for Bala) on how Rob Stewart (Sharkwater Extinction, Sharkwater, Revolution) inspired them to make movies to change the world.

“In Revolution, I was learning for the first time that the world’s coral reefs, rainforests and fisheries are expected to be gone by the middle of the century.”

– Julia Barnes

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Check out Rob Stewart’s film “Sharkwater Extinction”

Links:

Guest: Julia Barnes

Campaigns:

Organization:

Guest: Jonah Bryson

Organization:

 

Rob Stewart:

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Sharkwater Week – Remembering Rob Stewart

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Rob Stewart’s Sharkwater Extinction () premieres in Canadian theatres Oct 19th. Celebrate earth’s real-life Aquaman with never-before heard interviews from the  launch of his 2013  documentary, Revolution, as Rob talks about big dreams, fighting for the future and why kids will save the world.

“Any revolution in the past has been led by the people most directly impacted by the atrocity… now it’s going to be kids because they’re going to be the ones that are impacted by it. It’s their future that we’re taking.”

Skaana podcasts connect you to news and experts and their discussions about  orcas, oceans and the environment.

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Check out Sharkwater Extinction:

Links:

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Michael Moore on Making Waves, Making Enemies, Making Movies & Canada, eh

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Michael Moore waving the flag.

Michael Moore (@MMFlint) on making waves, making movies, making enemies and Canada, eh. A Trump-Free interview from the Obama era archives with Skaana host: Mark Leiren-Young (@leirenyoung). 

Skaana connects you to news and experts and their discussions about orcas, oceans and the environment.

Fahrenheit 11/9… https://fahrenheit119.com

Georgia Strait Alliance… https://georgiastrait.org

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Michael Moore tears into America with Capitalism: A Love Story

Eating Pizza and Slicing Up Capitalism with Michael Moore

“I wish more Americans would look north and see that there are some things we can learn from you, that we might be better off if we were more Canadian-like in some ways. Not the boring, dull stuff. But there’s something about your core, your values, the way you’re wired. You believe that you’re your brother’s keeper, that you have a responsibility, that you exist as part of a whole. If one of you gets sick, it means that if that’s not taken care of, then we all sort of suffer a bit. I think that’s pretty profound.”

Fahrenheit 11/9

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Saving Salmon in Washington – Damsense vs. Nonsense

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Kelly Iriye, project coordinator for Damsense (@DAMSNSE) on how breaching the Snake River dams could help save the endangered southern resident orcas and why the arguments against damsense are nonsense. #FreeTheSnake

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Damsense… https://damsense.org/get-involved/

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Kelly Iriye, Project Coordinator, Damsense

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Kelly’s advice: YELL! Write a hand-written letter to elected officials, the BPA, the Army Corps of Engineers. Call them and give them your 2-cents. But always press the issue that breaching can begin in 2018 and there is no reason it shouldn’t! On our website, the Get Involved page:  we’ve links to all the documents you’d need to build your case and get the mailing address and phone numbers to the various stakeholders.

Snake River – Lower Granite Dam

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