Jonathan Mesulam @MesulamJonathan Founder and Coordinator of the West Coast Development Foundation in New Guinea talks with Skaana host Mark Leiren-Young @leirenyoung about the crucial fight to stop Deep Sea Mining in his home – New Guinea – and around the world.

Shownotes:

5:00 Welcome to Jonathan Mesulam
10:00 The importance of the church in fighting sea bed mining in New Guinea
12:20 Calling out Canada for allowing Canadian companies to mine in the waters off other countries
14:49 “No one knows the risk.”
16:23 On displacing communities. “If the sea is destroyed where are people going to get food?”
21:40 On leaving teaching to fight for the oceans.
25:12 “This fight is not really about us, it’s about everyone.”
27:00 All the places the sign we carried has traveled.
28:32 What he’d like Canadians to do. “We’re looking at the Pacific Ocean and it’s connecting you and me.Any activity on the Pacific Ocean is going to affect your coastline as well. The sea has no boundary… Canadians really need to speak up… Canadians should say no to sea bed mining… This project is a Canadian initiation.”
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READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT: https://www.yammagazine.com/multi-talented-writer-mark-leiren-young-dives-into-the-world-of-sharks/

“The National Post once described Mark Leiren-Young as someone with a background in pretty much everything.

That’s fairly accurate.

Leiren-Young is a playwright, author, screenwriter, novelist, journalist, editor, podcaster, producer, director, documentarian, comedy performer, satirist, memoirist, university lecturer, occasional actor and full-time environmentalist.” -David Lennam, Yam Magazine.

Skaana (@Skaanapod) host Mark Leiren-Young (@LeirenYoung) shares the introduction and opening chapter of his new book Sharks Forever: The Mystery and History of the Planet’s Perfect Predator published by Orca Book Publishers (@orcabook).  “If you swim in the ocean every day for 100 years, you are more likely to be struck by lightning than swallowed by a shark.” – Mark Leiren-Young from Chapter 1, Sharks Forever.

 

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Show notes:

0:00 – Intro
0:00 – Introduction to Sharks Forever
0:00 – Chapter 1: Sharks Forever

Skaana (@Skaanapod) host Mark Leiren-Young (@leirenyoung) talks sharks, Sharkwater (@teamsharkwater) and politics with Joseph Planta (@Planta) on a special shared episode with Planta On the Line @TheCommentary.ca


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Show notes:

00:21 Introduction
2:51 Joseph Planta introduces Mark Leiren-Young.
4:00 Why Sharks Forever is dedicated to Rob Stewart and meeting Rob in Barcelona
10:45 Why I call sharks “the perfect predator.” “They are eating machines… they look devastating and awesome when you see them hunting.”
12:40 The impact of Jaws “What is baffling to me is that this one movie – released in 1976 – completely defined the way humans see sharks…. every time somebody saw a shark it was reported as if aliens invaded.”
16:41 “One moose hit one person in Jasper? ‘We’re going to shoot every moose in Jasper!’ That is the approach to sharks. And I wish I put that analogy in the book… the government does not go, “it’s time for a war on moose.” You get a bear bite you don’t go after every bear.”
17:20 “We’re not food to them. We’re a lousy food source.”
18:00 “Sharks just look scary to us – something about them hits us on a primal level.”
21:18 Shark personalities and shark friendships.
23:40 The dangers of anthropodenial and the term’s creator, Frans de Waal.  “When you tickle a monkey it laughs.”
25:47 “Everything is now eating plastics… humans don’t share. Humans just are not good at sharing.”
26:30 “The more environmental stuff that I do, the more astonished I am by nature.”
28:10 “There are almost always sharks fairly close to shore… they’re everywhere. We’ve all been really close to sharks if we’ve been in the water.”
30:00 “Roughly five people are killed by sharks each year… falling bookshelves definitely kill more people each year than sharks. TVs falling on people. Just pick the most random thing and they are all more dangerous than sharks.”
31:10 Running for Saanich council. Why I ran for political office.
36:08 “Joseph – you’re an essential service.”

Director Josh Zeman (@joshzeman)  on the quest for the loneliest whale in the world and shifting his focus from human mysteries to marine mysteries with his movie, The Loneliest Whale: The Search for 52.  “Just when you think you’ve had too much devil-worshipping and serial killers, you go and you spend a day working on whales and everything’s okay again.”

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Show notes:

0:00 – intro
4:37 – There once was a film in Nantucket. . .
6:20 – Working on a whaling ship at age 14.
9:47 – “It was such a cool story that interconnected science and legend and naval stuff. It was such a fascinating journey.”
13:38 – “There’s a mystery here for us to solve.”
13:55 – The first time he saw a whale.
17:18 – Looking at loneliness and why this story became a phenomenon.
19:28 – Explaining the idea of 52 Hertz.
23:12 – Moving from true crime to the mystery of 52 Blue.
24:50 – Catching fire on Kickstarter
28:52 – “Just when you think you’ve had too much devil-worshipping and serial killers you go and you spend a day working on whales and everything’s okay again.”
29:33 – “Understand what your consumerism does.”


Filmmaker Nadine Pequeneza talks about meeting and fighting for the North Atlantic Right Whales Right Whales for her award-winning documentary, Last of the Right Whales, with Skaana (@Skaanapod) host Mark Leiren-Young (@leirenyoung).

Mark mentioning his campaign is authorized by Rayne Ellycrys Benu.
Mark’s campaign sponsorship mention is authorized by Rayne Ellycrys Benu -mly@icloud.com

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Seattle Times (@seattletimes) environment reporter Lynda V Mapes (@LyndaVMapes) on dams versus salmon, saving the southern resident orcas and how Tahlequah changed the world. “All the things we do for our comfort, convenience and commerce are not good for the southern residents. And that’s just fact.”
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Show notes:

00:30 – Lynda Mapes on falling in love with Ocean Sun
1:50 – Skaana introduction to Lynda Mapes and Tahlequah
9:31 – Removing dams and saving orcas
10:47 – “What do we want the next 150 years to look like?”
11:06 – Becoming the environmental reporter for Seattle newspapers and covering the Makah whale hunt.
15:25 – “We have a motto at the Seattle Times – news you can’t get anywhere else.”
19:30 – Hearing about Tahlequah and her daughter: “And I thought, she won’t let it go. I’m not letting it go.”
20:26 – “I don’t think she ever dropped it. I think it fell apart.”
21:04 – “By the time we wrote that last story where she dropped the calf, there were six million people reading that story online.”
21:13 – Scientists know that these very sophisticated intelligent animals grieve and that that’s what she was doing… these are families.”
26:05 – Tahlequah’s political impact.
30:54 – The Snake River Dam vs. salmon and orcas.
39:15 – Undamming the Elwha River – a river revival.
43:20 – Return of the eagles and dippers (a songbird at the Elwha).
46:36 – “Canada has been a real heartbreak for us down here in the States” – American opposition to Canadian pipeline expansion.
50:27 – “All the things we do for our comfort, convenience and commerce are not good for the southern residents. And that’s just fact.”
55:00 – On the differences in dealing with NOAA and the DFO.
57:38 – Names versus numbers.
1:00:17 – “Calling them by this sort of widget number is bizarre and insulting.”
1:04:00 – “The right way to think about these animals is… they comprise ancient societies.”
1:04:45 – “People say to me oh they’re just like us. Don’t flatter yourself… we could learn a lot from them.”
1:09:30 – “Everywhere we live is orca country.”
1:10:00 – On why she has hope.

Author and primatologist Frans de Waal  talks about great apes, not-so-great humans, animal emotions and anthropodenial with Skaana (@Skaanapod) host Mark Leiren-Young (@leirenyoung).

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Show Notes

1:30 – Intro

3:35 – Defining anthropodenial.

6:05 – Anthropomorphism and primates.

7:02 – “That’s the interesting part is we are so human-centric that we can deal with facial expressions, but not with the expressions of an elephant who do a lot of things was their trunk and ears, but their face is not very mobile.”

8:31 – Are humans a “successful” species?

11:05 – On human exceptionalism. “People always want to be special.”

12:40 – “If related species show similar behavior under similar circumstances, you have to use the same terminology because the psychology behind it is probably similar too.”

13:28 – How science’s relationship with anthropomorphism is changing.

14:40 – Laughing chimps.

16:15 -Why primatologists use names for apes not numbers.

17:58 – Animals and grief. “All animals that have attachments can also grieve.”

20:30 -“I’m not against humanizing animals or animalizing humans.”

22:49 – Survival of the kindest versus survival of the fittest.

26:00 – Talking about his book Mama’s Last Hug.

27:40 – Gender roles in bonobos.

30:05 – Bonobos solve problems with sex.

32:46 – Is there resistance to de Waal’s work and theories?

34:27 – His thoughts on animal personhood and the rights of animals.

36:30 – How he became interested in animals and animal behaviour.

42:34 – How he began working with chimpanzees.

46:32 – Becoming friends with apes.

47:25 – Animal communication and “dialect”.

51:12 – On being a cat person. “I consider cats extremely social.”

52:10 – Talking to the Dalai Lama about empathy. “I think empathy is found in all the mammals.”

Sea Shepherd Captain, Paul Watson (@CaptPaulWatson), talks with Mark Leiren-Young (@leirenyoung) about getting political, remembering Rob Stewart, saving salmon with Alexandra Morton and the Sea Shepherd Navy! Part two of our special two-part interview.

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Excerpts from Orcapedia by Paul Watson and Tiffany Humphrey

Sea Shepherd Conservation Society

Sea Shepherd Global

Sea Shepherd Legal

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Time Codes

    • 03:08 Running for public office. 
    • 03:38 “I did it primarily for the platform that it provided.”
    • 04:09 The Green Party trying to kick him out as a candidate.
    • 05:08 On the Sea Shepherd’s policy of “aggressive nonviolence.”
    • 08:29 On the Sea Shepherd going from outlaw to law enforcement.
    • 08:54 “We uphold international conservation maritime law.”
    • 11:47 The impact of Rob Stewart and his documentary, Sharkwater
    • 15:01 “The camera’s the most powerful weapon that’s ever been invented. It changes things. It can change society.”
    • 15:35 Operation Virus Hunter and working with Alexandra Morton to help save the salmon in the Salish Sea.
    • 19:02 Saving the vaquita.
    • 22:52 The Sea Shepherd’s current campaigns.
    • 23:45 The size of the Sea Shepherd navy
    • 24:14 “Everybody can do something.”
    • 27:00 Mark Leiren-Young performs Operation Dessert Storm live in Victoria in 2018 – music by Mike McCormick from The Arrogant Worms

Sea Shepherd Captain, Paul Watson (@CaptPaulWatson), talks with Mark Leiren-Young (@leirenyoung) about Seaspiracy, life as an outlaw and as a movie star, the impact of Covid on life in the oceans and whether whales are more intelligent than we are.

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Berke Breathed’s original drawing of Opus, the Penguin – used to illustrate Mark Leiren-Young’s poem Operation Dessert Storm in the Sea Shepherd newsletter.

Excerpts from Orcapedia

Mentioned Episodes:

Sea Shepherd Conservation Society

Sea Shepherd Global

Sea Shepherd Legal

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TIME CODES

  • 4:38– How Covid has effected the Sea Shepherd and the oceans
  • 4:52– “There has been an increase in poaching.”
  • 6:52– His new book, Orcapedia
  • 7:10– “What we’re talking about here is an international slave trade where the orcas are the new slaves.”
  • 8:36– “The orcas in captivity have names and therefore we tend to relate to them more so than the ones that are in the wild.”
  • 10:13– Tilikum’s story
  • 13:41– How Watson fell for whales.
  • 13:58– “To me whales are highly intelligent, very social, self-aware sentient beings and I think, in many cases, they’re probably more intelligent than we are.”
  • 17:20–  The backlash to Seaspiracy
  • 17:30– “The fishing industry’s very powerful and they throw a lot of money into their PR machines.”
  • 20:55–   “What we really need is a tuna-free tuna.”
  • 21:12–   “You can find scientists who will defend any side of an argument. I call them “biostitutes,” when they’re working for the industry.”
  • 23:36– “A good percentage of the fishing industry is strictly, completely illegal – unregulated and uncontrolled.”
  • 27:10– How his movie Watson happened.
  • 29:04– Selling his life story – a lot.

Killer whales hunting on land? Josh McInnis (scientist) and Justine Buckmaster (naturalist) on their wild discovery that some Salish Sea orcas are hunting seals on the shores of Protection Island and how orcas continue to surprise us.

Skaana shares stories about oceans, eco-ethics and the environment.
Photo credits: Justine Buckmaster

Photo credits: Justine Buckmaster

 

Josh McInnes is a marine ecologist and masters candidate at the University of British Columbia’s Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries Marine Mammal Research Unit. Josh grew up on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.  For over a decade Josh has studied the ecology and behaviour of transient (Bigg’s) killer whales along the Pacific Coast, but has also traveled to remote locations off British Columbia, Washington State, Alaska, California, Australia, and Antarctica to study marine mammal populations.

Justine Buckmaster is a certified Marine Naturalist currently working at Puget Sound Express. She has been working in the Salish Sea region for over ten years as a guide and educator on whale watching ecotours. Justine works with local marine mammal researchers by providing digital photos and sightings data from her encounters to record proof of presence and unique behaviors of the marine mammal species and populations of the Salish Sea. Justine was raised in southern Washington State near the Columbia River and currently resides in the town of Mukilteo in northern Puget Sound.

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Timecodes

  • 0:00– Intro
  • 4:18– Killer whales hunting on land? Josh McInnis (scientist) and Justine Buckmaster (naturalist) on their wild discovery that some Salish Sea orcas are hunting seals on the shores of Protection Island and how orcas continue to surprise us.
  • 6:52 Discovering Bigg’s orcas who hunt on land.
  • 14:02– “This is something that maybe is brand new to these animals (Josh McInnes)”
  • 14:40– Josh McInnes on meeting rare Gerlache Orcas in Antarctica.
  • 15:01– “It’s kind of surprising that the killer whales are much more maneuverable than the penguins are.”  (Josh McInnes)
  • 19:34– “Seeing transient orcas hunt is always just a awesome” (Justine Buckmaster)
  • 21:30– “I think orcas are basically the epitome of what we are as a species and intelligence or smarter than us.” (Josh McInnes)
  • 27:09  “They’re spectacular animals and I don’t think we’re going to stop learning about them any time soon. (Josh McInnes)”

Eco-warrior, Alexandra Morton, on her fight to save wild salmon, being gaslit by the Canadian government and her adventures in Green politics. She also dares people to sue her over her essential new book Not On My Watch:  How a renegade whale biologist took on governments and industry to save wild salmon.

“The salmon farming industry is harming wild salmon, is harming whales, is causing algae blooms and really needs to be controlled.”

Skaana shares stories about oceans, eco-ethics and the environment.

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Significant Quotes:

“The salmon farming industry is harming wild salmon, is harming whales, is causing algae blooms and really needs to be controlled. I mean, at first I thought they just had to get off the wild salmon migration routes, but now I realize they just have to get out of the ocean completely, and if they want to continue, build a tank and get in it and operate from there.”(8:18)


“Doing all this damage was part of how they were making such a phenomenal amount of money. It’s really insidious.” (12:38)


“I cannot believe I have spent my whole adult life fighting salmon farms. It just seems ridiculous. But when I look at it from a global perspective I realize I’m part of a huge army across the planet that is trying to protect life on earth.” (12:55)


“When you have a corporation involved, they don’t really care how many fish there are. They just want that share price to go up. And so this is deadly, because it really is a cancer model. They need to grow, they need to grow, they need to grow, with no mind to the fact that they’re killing the very body that they’re in, which in this case is the ocean. I mean, they’re going to kill themselves off. They are killing themselves off in the process of following their business plan. It’s really deranged. It doesn’t make sense and it has to stop.”  (15:31)


“Nobody wants to buy fish that have killed off whales, never mind everything else.” (19:00)

 

“There’s nobody whose position in DFO is the health of wild salmon. There’s no director of wild salmon.” (24:48)


“We have the biggest salmon run in the world on the verge of extinction.” (29:29)


“I saw grizzly bears that no longer looked like Grizzly bears… they were emaciated.” (33:14)


Alexandra: I have to wonder at some level in government are people saying, “Oh my God, those fish… What?!  They’re still coming back? There’s still 20 of them?! Gosh darn it.” I don’t know. I don’t think people, I don’t think some level of government wants wild salmon at all.

Mark: That just gave me chills because I found myself asking the same question about the Southern residents.

Alexandra: I bet you do. Yep..

Mark: I feel like there are people in the federal government, you are going “Damn, there’s still 74 of them…. “

Alexandra: Yeah, and they’re having babies. ” (36:07)


“The salmon actually have the whole mating thing down. They can handle that.”  (42:30)


“And for the first time last spring, I set my big net and pulled it in and looked at the fish and, oh my gosh, they were fat and sassy. They were sparkly, blues and silvers, deep jet black eyes, not the cloudy film they get when they go by the farms and it was a feeling in my heart that I just really had to sort of stand back a minute and be like, what is that feeling? It was joy. It felt like my heart was ringing.” (48:00)

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launch of Operation Virus Hunter

Launch of Operation Virus Hunter (2016) Photo credits: Mark Leiren-Young

Timecodes

  • 0:00– Alexandra Morton – introduction
  • 1:40Mark’s welcome
  • 6:30Alexandra’s new book, “Not on My Watch
  • 8:18– “The salmon farming industry is harming wild salmon, is harming whales, is causing algae blooms and really needs to be controlled. I mean, at first I thought they just had to get off the wild salmon migration routes, but now I realize they just have to get out of the ocean completely, and if they want to continue, build a tank and get in it and operate from there.”
  • 9:37– The impact of fish farms
  • 12:38– “Doing all this damage was part of how they were making such a phenomenal amount of money. It’s really insidious.”
  • 14:33– Alexandra’s political adventure – running for the BC Green party
  • 15:31– “When you have a corporation involved, they don’t really care how many fish there are. They just want that share price to go up. And so this is deadly, because it really is a cancer model. They need to grow, they need to grow, they need to grow, with no mind to the fact that they’re killing the very body that they’re in, which in this case is the ocean. I mean, they’re going to kill themselves off. They are killing themselves off in the process of following their business plan. It’s really deranged. It doesn’t make sense and it has to stop.”
  • 19:00– “Nobody wants to buy fish that have killed off whales, never mind everything else.”
  • 22:14– Mark and Alexandra discuss their adventures with Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans
  • 24:48– “There’s nobody whose position in DFO is the health of wild salmon. There’s no director of wild salmon.”
  • 29:29– “We have the biggest salmon run in the world on the verge of extinction.”
  • 33:14– “I saw grizzly bears that no longer looked like Grizzly bears… they were emaciated.”
  • 36:07– “Alexandra: I have to wonder at some level in government are people saying, “Oh my God, those fish… What?!  They’re still coming back? There’s still 20 of them?! Gosh darn it.” I don’t know. I don’t think people, I don’t think some level of government wants wild salmon at all. Mark: That just gave me chills because I found myself asking the same question about the Southern residents. Alexandra: I bet you do. Yep.. Mark: I feel like there are people in the federal government, you are going “Damn, there’s still 74 of them…. ” Alexandra: Yeah, and they’re having babies. “
  • 42:30– “The salmon actually have the whole mating thing down. They can handle that.” 
  • 42:35– Wild salmon breeding
  • 48:00– “And for the first time last spring, I set my big net and pulled it in and looked at the fish and, oh my gosh, they were fat and sassy. They were sparkly, blues and silvers, deep jet black eyes, not the cloudy film they get when they go by the farms and it was a feeling in my heart that I just really had to sort of stand back a minute and be like, what is that feeling? It was joy. It felt like my heart was ringing.”
  • 50:21– Mark’s conclusion

1966 est Born

December 11, 1969
Captured in Pender Harbor, BC

1969
Sent to Marineland of Pacific

1987
Sent to SeaWorld San Diego

Species: Orcinus orca Breed: Northern Resident
Meaning of name: Irish for “hill hollow”
Captivity History: Captured at around age 4 from A5 pod in Pender Harbor, BC
Mother: Stripe (died in the wild in 2000)
Full Siblings: A21, A29, Okisollo, Ripple, FifeOffspring: Calf (1977) first Orca ever born in captivity but died after 16 days, Spooky (1978), Stillbirth (1980), Kive (1982), Calf (1985), Miscarriage (1986), Miscarriage (1987)
Sex: Female
Weight: 8,335 lbs.
Length: 20 ft.

Corky II has been in captivity longer than any other Orca. She is about the same age as Lolita, both with estimated birth years of 1966. She has had seven offspring with Orky II, none of which lived past 46 days.
Corky II is the largest female Orca in captivity. On August 21, 1989 Kandu V collided with Corky II, which caused Kandu V to fracture her upper jaw and bleed to death.

Corky II became a surrogate mother to Kandu V’s orphaned calf, Orkid after this incident. In 1990, Corky II pushed the mid-section of her trainer and again pushed a trainer in 1994, however, she is known to be a very sweet and gentle Orca.

Filmmaker, Julia Barnes, on the dirty secrets of clean energy, how electric cars are running over the oceans and her new documentary Bright Green Lies – debuting online April 22 (Earth Day), 2021 https://www.brightgreenlies.com/

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Information on Julia Barnes and Deep Sea Mining

Trailer for Bright Green Lies

Timecodes

  • 0:00– Hello from Julia Barnes
  • 1:01– Mark’s welcome. Start of the Skaana Podcast
  • 3:51– Start of the interview. Discussing Julia’s upcoming documentary Bright Green Lies and where the idea for the documentary came from.
  • 6:30– About false solutions that are promoted by Bright Green Environmentalism.
  • 7:51– About Biomass. The dangers of wood waste and clear cutting.
  • 10:05– Solar, wind and hydro power lies
  • 13:34– How Julia Barnes got interested in filmmaking and her connection to Rob Stewart.
  • 20:33– About being uncomfortable in a room with David Suzuki
  • 24:41– Deep sea mining for electric cars…. “They’re calling it the largest mining operation in history. That’s about to begin. There should terrify everybody.”
  • 37:39– “We should be furious that the movement has been so co-opted and it is at this point, a betrayal of the natural world.”
  • 39:15– The displacement paradox
  • 40:10– There is no such thing as green industrial energy
  • 45:26– Experiences with whales while filming Sea of Life
  • 47:09– “My advice is learn as much as you can about what’s happening and get started right away.”
  • 48:02– Message from Mark Leiren-Young for our Patreons. Support independent coverage of issues facing the Southern Resident Orcas at www.patreon.com/mobydoll
  • 52:25 – Trailer for Bright Green Lies

What do you think of when you hear the word “psychopath?” Is it Norman Bates dressed in his darling mother’s clothes? Perhaps it’s Christian Bale’s handsome face spattered with blood in American Psycho. I’m sure the logo of a large corporation like Nike or Apple wasn’t the first image to pop into your head.

Joel Bakan, the world-famous filmmaker, lawyer, author and esteemed jazz guitarist, has made it his mission to reveal the true psychopathy and dangers of large corporations fed by capitalist pursuits in his latest film The New Corporation.

“We were learning about corporations and we were learning that they were persons, that the law sort of created them, constituted them, recognized them as these artificial beings,” says Bakan in a recent Zoom interview with Skaana podcast host Mark Leiren-Young. “We create this person. And then we imbue it with a personality that says it can only act in its own self-interest. It can’t act in ways that care for others, or for the environment, or for nature, or nonhuman animals, or any of that. It always has to act in its own self-interest. And what is that self-interest, basically? The collective financial interests of the shareholders that constitute the corporation.”

Joel Bakan, co-director of The New Corporation, on his Unfortunately Necessary Sequel, why corporations aren’t our friends and the reason corporations are considered persons, but orcas aren’t.

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Song Information

Timecodes

  • 0:00– Intro
  • 5:54– Where the original idea for The Corporation came from.
  • 9:15– Why The Corporation unfortunately required a sequel 10 years later.
  • 12:41– “This new movement on the part of corporations to be good, in the new film and in the book, we basically say that it’s very similar to the charm of the psychopath. You know, the first film we show that the corporation is a psychopath. One of the points in the second film is it’s found its charm.”
  • 20:57– “We can’t ignore COVID, and not only can we not ignore COVID because it is a major event. But we can’t ignore COVID because it’s a major event that ties into every single theme that we look at in this film, both in terms of the difficulties and challenges of corporate power, and the way it corrodes society and democracy.”
  • 25:35– How come corporations receive personhood and animals don’t?
  • 38:15– “What the orcas don’t have is power and dominion over the human societies that do have power and dominion. In a way they’re victims of colonialism, an imposition of a legal system.”
  • 41:09– Discussing the anthropocentric qualities of the legal system and laws.
  • 45:17– The self-governance of corporations and what that means for the environment.
  • 50:10– “Just speaking from a personal perspective, there’s really no point, in my view, in doing this kind of work if I don’t have hope. I mean, what’s the point in criticizing the world if you don’t believe that it can be changed?”
  • 1:00:42– “This Note’s for You” by Neil Young

Carl Safina (@carlsafina) author of Becoming Wild: How Animal Cultures Raise Families, Create Beauty, and Achieve Peace talks about the culture of animals, the worlds of whale and sharing the planet -with @Skaanapod host Mark Leiren-Young (@leirenyoung).

Skaana connects you to stories about oceans, eco-ethics and the environment.

Information on Carl Safina

Books on Amazon

**Amazon links are affiliate links and support our podcast, thanks for clicking!

Music:

Timecodes

  • 0:00– Intro
  • 03:40– How Carl Safina is doing and where he’s at in the world of COVID.
  • 08:27– Discussing his latest book Becoming Wild and cultures in other animal species.
  • 11:12– “There are only two animals in the world who are currently known, who are able to tell when they are meeting a complete stranger.”
  • 16:07– What exactly is culture?
  • 22:48– Discussing the complexities of Orca communication and the mystery of their “sound making”.
  • 31:06– Animals and careers? “What else do animals do besides make a living?”
  • 35:53– Carl Safina’s least favourite whale names.
  • 45:20– Discussing Tahlequah and her tour of grief. The affect she had on the world.
  • 49:00– “In law, the only living thing that cannot be legally owned…is a human being.” Discussing animals and personhood.
  • 56:47– The Safina Centre and their mission.
  • 1:04:15– “Feather, Fur & Fin” by Danny Michel

Skaana guests Erich Hoyt, Robbie Bond, Joel Bakan, Carl Safina, Julia Barnes, Marc Bekoff & the Skaana team share our wishes for a very new New Year in 2021.

Skaana connects you to stories about oceans, eco-ethics and the environment.

Books on Amazon

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Song Information

  • 0:00– Intro
  • 2:34– Wishes for 2021 from our guests and the Skaana team
  • 12:25– A big thanks to all our Patreon supporters
  • 16:12– Info on our SOCAN license and Mark’s farewell to 2020

Skaana (Skaanapod) host Mark Leiren-Young shares stories from the audio version of his award-winning book for orca lovers of all ages – Orcas Everywhere: The Mystery and History of Killer Whales (orcaseverywhere.com). “This inviting book will be treasured by kids – a fun way to discover orcas and the sea.” Erich Hoyt, author of Orca: The Whale Called Killer. An amazingly accessible and fun book that explores our relationship with whales over millennia.” Elizabeth May former leader of The Green Party of Canada.

Skaana connects you to stories about oceans, eco-ethics and the environment.

Books on Amazon

**Amazon links are affiliate links and support our podcast, thanks for clicking!

· The Killer Whale Who Changed the World  

· Orcas Everywhere

Support Local Anxiety

Timecodes

  • 0:00– Intro
  • 2:40– “Orca Love” from Orcas Everywhere
  • 8:00– Thank you and happy holidays from Skaana
  • 10:23– “Oh Christmas Tree, Eco Christmas Tree” by Local Anxiety

Global fisheries expert Daniel Pauly (@SeaAroundUs) on illegal fisheries, vanishing fish and the fight to save BC’s salmon with @Skaanapod host Mark Leiren-Young (@leirenyoung).

Skaana connects you to stories about oceans, eco-ethics and the environment.

Image credit: Ms.Valentina Ruiz-Leotaud

More Information About Daniel Pauly

Books on Amazon

**Amazon links are affiliate links and support our podcast, thanks for clicking!

· The Killer Whale Who Changed the World  

· Orcas Everywhere

Music: 

  1. “Skana” – Leah Abramson https://youtu.be/CQr5BHW0k44
  2. Leah Abramson’s Website: http://www.leahabramson.com/

Timecodes

  • 0:00– Intro
  • 5:38– Defining “Shifting Baselines”
  • 9:14– “The main reason why we need to study fisheries globally is because studying them at a local level doesn’t capture the dynamics…All the fish move, they don’t know borders.”
  • 11:46– The globalization of fisheries and outsourcing to meet fish consumption.
  • 14:15– What fish should we eat? And who’s fish are we eating?
  • 20:12– The status of fish as meat and the role they play in our diets.
  • 20:25– Fish were viewed as a package of healthy meat and not wild animals capable of feeling, capable of agency.
  • 22:10– Do fish feel pain?
  • 27:34– “The implication of our treatment of animals, the mass slaughtering of whales for example, is too horrible to contemplate. And so, we have coping mechanisms and denial is one of them.”
  • 31:04– Japan and whaling.
  • 34:00– On the Aquacolypse
  • 36:08– Discussing fish stocks and biomass.
  • 38:26– Canada’s errors in managing fish populations.
  • 40:47– Bureaucracy, the DFO, and the politics of fisheries.
  • 42:10– (In Canada) fish are seen as a commodity, rather than animals that can go extinct
  • 44:35– Discussing the work of Alexandra Morton and her struggle to reveal the failures of the DFO.
  • 52:03– “I think that the DFO has a two-fold mission that should never be imposed, on an agency. They have to both promote and control the aquaculture. And you can’t do both.”
  • 54:04– Discussing FishBase and the thousands of fish that have been catalogued there.
  • 59:28– Daniel Pauly’s childhood and his journey to becoming the world’s leading ichthyologist.
  • 1:04:49– “I’s the B’y” Performed by Great Big Sea

 

Michael Moore (@MMFlint) on Canada, inspiration and capitalism in this flashback interview from the start of the Obama era with Skaana (@skaanapod) host Mark Leiren-Young (@leirenyoung). 

Skaana connects you to stories about oceans, eco-ethics and the environment.

Support Michael Moore:

Books on Amazon

**Amazon links are affiliate links and support our podcast, thanks for clicking!

· The Killer Whale Who Changed the World  

· Orcas Everywhere

Music:

Timecodes

  • 0:00– Intro
  • 3:16– Sitting down for a slice of pizza with Michael Moore.
  • 4:48– “I’m inspired by a lot of things and I see a lot of good that’s going on.”
  • 5:51– The value of people’s work.
  • 7:00– “If I’m a citizen of a democracy, it means I’m a political activist automatically.”
  • 7:46– The power of movies and how they should be seen.
  • 10:21– What he wants Americans to do.
  • 12:09– Is he scared of haters?
  • 16:30– How he keeps his sense of humour or, since he’s American, sense of humour.
  • 17:20– His Canadian content.
  • 21:18– “Land of Greed” by Miss Emily

In this episode, iconic orca mom, Tahlequah, talks to host Mark Leiren-Young about the upcoming US elections and what life is like for a whale in the Trump-era.

Skaana connects you to stories about oceans, eco-ethics and the environment.

Check out this special video content we made to go along with the episode:

https://youtu.be/huJQXz_fj9c 

USA Voter Information: https://www.usa.gov/voting

And if you’d like to know which policies are worrying us — and Tahlequah…

Books on Amazon

**Amazon links are affiliate links and support our podcast, thanks for clicking!

· The Killer Whale Who Changed the World  

· Orcas Everywhere

Timecodes

  • 0:00– Intro
  • 0:45– Interview with Tahlequah
  • 1:10– Tahlequah’s thoughts on off-shore drilling
  • 1:27– Who Tahlequah is voting for
  • 2:13– Where you can find information on how to vote
  • 2:40– One last word from Tahlequah

Anthropologist/author Wade Davis (@authorwadedavis) on optimism, decency, public service and saving America with Skaana (@skaanapod) host Mark Leiren-Young (@leirenyoung). Part two of our special two-part election edition of Skaana featuring National Geographic’s Explorer-in-Residence and author of Magdalena: River of Dreams.

“Whatever happens in November, it won’t mean the end of this incredible schism between the two halves of the American reality.” – Wade Davis

Skaana connects you to stories about oceans, eco-ethics and the environment.

For more about Wade Davis and his work:

USA Voter Information: https://www.usa.gov/voting

Books on Amazon

**Amazon links are affiliate links and support our podcast, thanks for clicking!

 Music:

Wille Thrasher- “Wolves Don’t Live By the Rules”

Timecodes

  • 0:00– Intro
  • 04:29– How Wade Davis maintains hope
  • 05:08– “I’m always optimistic because I think pessimism is an indulgence.”
  • 06:22– Discussing the American military
  • 08:05– Factual divisions in America and the role of media
  • 10:17– “The end of America, the unraveling of America is no time to gloat. It’s no time for celebration. You should always remember that the military and industrial might of America literally saved civilization in the lifetime of my father.”
  • 13:26– Discussing gun control
  • 17:06– “America always swings between the wild extremes of the human heart and soul and spirit.”
  • 19:31– The evolution of how we consume news reports, and the role this plays.
  • 22:05– The fault in American democracy
  • 24:31– “40% of Americans feel so left out of what America’s become and is becoming that they simply don’t believe what is in front of them. The truth has lost all currency
  • 28:23– Discussing Trump and the environment
  • 30:14– “You know, the deeper thing that COVID has shown us is that we’re biological beings on a living planet.”
  • 34:03 – “You don’t vote your grievances, indulging your own indignations. The vote is something more serious than that. It’s a vote as to the destiny of your country.”
  • 35:56– Discussing rivers being granted personhood status and the river Magdalena
  • 40:27– “We need to change the way that we view our place on the planet. We are not apart from nature. We are a part of nature. And if COVID isn’t going to teach us that, COVID is going to teach us nothing.”
  • 42:38– “Wolves Don’t Live by the Rules” by Willie Thrasher

 

The United States is a country divided into Republicans and Democrats, haves and have nots, Biden and Trump supporters. But what does this mean for the future of America? According to world-renowned anthropologist and best-selling author Wade Davis, it means the American people have some work to do if they want to maintain their country’s status and legacy.

“Whatever happens in November, it won’t mean the end of this incredible schism between the two halves of the American reality,” says Davis in the second part of his interview with Skaana podcast host Mark Leiren-Young. “Even if Trump is resoundingly defeated, there still will be the desperate need to heal the two halves of the American reality.”

Anthropologist/author Wade Davis @authorwadedavis talks about wading into US politics to warn about the end of the American era & the Trump virus with Skaana (@skaanapod) host Mark Leiren-Young (@leirenyoung). A special two-part election edition of Skaana featuring National Geographic’s Explorer in Residence, the real-life Indiana Jones. For links on how/where to vote visit our show notes.

“America was the land of Walt Whitman and the Grateful Dead. Abraham Lincoln couldn’t tell a lie. The current president cannot recognize the truth. If Lincoln called for charity for all and malice toward none, this dark troll of a buffoon advocates malice towards all and charity for none.” -Wade Davis

Skaana connects you to stories about oceans, eco-ethics and the environment.

For more about Wade Davis and his work:

USA Voter Information: https://www.usa.gov/voting

Books on Amazon

**Amazon links are affiliate links and support our podcast, thanks for clicking!

 Music:

Timecodes

  • 0:00– Intro
  • 05:30– Discussing life during the pandemic
  • 07:06– “I travel in pursuit of stories. I’m a storyteller.”
  • 08:30– How the Rolling Stones article took off
  • 10:52– “Holding the mirror” to America’s face to see how far they’ve fallen
  • 13:33– “Every kingdom is born to die.”
  • 15:00 How Wade Davis’s father-in-law almost became Richard Nixon’s Vice President
  • 18:56– “COVID reminds us of a number of things. First of all, we’re living biological beings on a biological planet. Our lives were brought to a standstill by a parasite 10,000 times smaller than a grain of salt that commandeered the mechanisms of reproduction of ourselves. Forcing us to create it, not us.”
  • 20:45– Discussing the US’s WWII production records
  • 22:40– “Since 1970, China’s never been at war and America has never been at peace.”
  • 25:10– America’s income disparity
  • 28:03– I would argue that advocates for a wall are committing treason
  • 28:05– “Treason is also the acts that betrayal the very essence of your own country.”
  • 32:02– When you look at americans who deny the science… until… the fortitude to defeat it…
  • 33:10– Discussing the 2016 election
  • 36:17– That is a psychotic act… ending on chapel of the nation
  • 36:20– Americans viewing the federal government as a core problem
  • 40:00– Wade Davis’s own experience with the Canadian health care system
  • 42:10– Canadian patriotism and what sets Canada apart from the USA
  • 45:23– “Autumn in New York” by Diana Krall

Does Donald Trump’s irresponsible response to COVID mean the American Era is over? Wade Davis, the best-selling author and world-renowned anthropologist, thinks America’s response to COVID is a symptom that the country is diseased.

“America was the land of Walt Whitman, the Grateful Dead. Abraham Lincoln couldn’t tell a lie. The current president cannot recognize the truth,” David told the Skaana podcast. “If Lincoln called for charity for all and malice toward none, this dark troll of a buffoon, advocates for malice towards all and charity for none.”

Best known for his books like One River and the 2012 Samuel Johnson Prize Winner Into the Silence, Davis made international headlines when he published an article in Rolling Stone titled “How Covid-19 Signals the End of the American Era” that went viral. According to the CBC, the article made nearly 10 million impressions on social media within a week of publication.

Join Skaana Host Mark Leiren-Young for the 2020 Victoria Book Prizes Gala!

Mark has been nominated for a City of Victoria Children’s Book Prize and would like to invite you all to join in the online gala happening this year to celebrate! 

“Join us for a free online event celebrating our region’s finest authors. CBC Radio’s Gregor Craigie will host the gala in a new format, but it will still include readings by shortlisted authors and the awarding of the Victoria Book Prizes. Please register to attend using the link below.”

https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/2020-victoria-book-prizes-tickets-119106748491

For more information go to the the Victoria Book Prize website http://victoriabookprizes.ca/

or the Facebook event HERE

Bestselling author Peter Wohlleben, talks plant rights, fruit fly dreams, scientists in denial and animals in love with Skaana (@skaanapod) host Mark Leiren-Young (@leirenyoung). The German eco-philosopher shares the secret life of trees, the hidden life of animals and the responsibilities of humans.

“We have to bring more emotions into the process and the discussions about environmental things and climate change. Because when we just discuss the numbers, it’s emotionally so far away. It doesn’t touch your heart, just your mind.”

Skaana connects you to stories about oceans, eco-ethics and the environment.

Join the Pod……https://www.patreon.com/skaana

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“Your Magical Week” – meditation with Rayne Benu…. digital-enlightenment.net

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Support Peter Wohlleben:

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Music:

“We have brothers and sisters in nature,” says German author Peter Wohlleben in a recent interview with Skaana podcast host Mark Leiren-Young. “For many people, that’s a problem because it disturbs business. It disturbs daily life because you have to look at what you have on your plate, you have to look at what you buy and so on.”

Wohlleben is the author of multiple best-selling books documenting the rich inner lives of plants and animals, including 2016’s The Hidden Life of Trees. Through his work, he has become an advocate for recognizing the rights of the natural world. He urges people to look at animals and plants as more than a collection of specimens and potential products.

“I think that kids can make even more of a difference than adults,” says 12-year-old youth environmental activist (and Marvel Hero) Robbie Bond in a recent interview with Skaana podcast host Mark Leiren-Young. “As a kid, it may seem like you don’t have a lot of say in things. Like you can’t vote and you can’t drive and things like that, but you can still make a difference.”

Bond has always had a love for the national parks in his native USA. He began to share his passion with others at the age of eight when he spoke at the Utah “Rally Against Trump’s Monumental Mistake” in 2017, following President Donald Trump’s executive order to downsize national monuments. He has since travelled around America speaking at schools to raise awareness of the importance of maintaining natural areas and to encourage kids everywhere to take action to protect the environment.

Real-life Marvel superhero 12-year-old Robbie Bond (@Kidsspeak4parks ) talks about founding Kids Speak For Parks, inspiring kids and adults and becoming a Marvel superhero (@Marvel) on Skaana (@skaanapod) with host Mark Leiren-Young (@leirenyoung).

I think that kids can make even more of a difference than adults, because we’re going to be around to experience the consequences so we can be more driven to help change the world.” – Robbie Bond

Skaana connects you to stories about oceans, eco-ethics and the environment.

Join the Pod…… https://www.patreon.com/skaana

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Article and Video Links:

 

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Music:

August 26 at 7pm
Come and join Skaana Host Mark Leiren-Young for:
Char’s landing & Federation of British Columbia Writers present via Zoom
Alberni Valley Words On Fire Open Mic Event 
The Greater B.C.-Yukon Eco-Friendly Live Online Quite Determined (video conference) Literary Road Trip 2020
www.charslanding.com Follow the link to the zoom session. Doors at 6:30pm. Sign up ahead of time for the open mic spot (up to 5 minutes). Listeners welcome! 

Author and educator Marc Bekoff talks about animal emotions, his work with Jane Goodall and who you’re eating for dinner with Skaana (@skaanapod) host Mark Leiren-Young (@leirenyoung).

 “It’s a matter of who we eat, not what we eat. Who’s for dinner, not what’s for dinner. It’s the animals who eat the animals, who we keep in cages, who we keep in aquariums… Words matter.” Marc Bekoff

Skaana connects you to stories about oceans, eco-ethics and the environment.

Join the Pod…… https://www.patreon.com/skaana

Skaana home….. skaana.org

“Your Magical Week” – meditation with Rayne Benu…. digital-enlightenment.net

Facebook……….. https://www.facebook.com/skaanapod/

Twitter…………… https://twitter.com/skaanapod

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Spotify…………. www.bit.ly/spotify-skaana

Support Marc Bekoff

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Music:

 

Skaana (skaanapod) host Mark Leiren-Young (leirenyoung) talks Tahlequah and expectant southern resident orcas on the Adam Stirling Show (Adam_Stirling) on CFAX radio (@cfax1070).
“This was the story that captured the imagination of the entire world” – Mark Leiren-Young

Skaana connects you to stories about oceans, eco-ethics and the environment.

Skaana home….. skaana.org
“Your Magical Week” – meditation with Rayne Benu…. digital-enlightenment.net
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Photo by SR3 and NOAA’s Southwest Fisheries Science Center in 2019 and SR3 and SEA in 2020, collected under NMFS research permit 19091

Support Mark Leiren-Young

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Music:

Ken Dunn – Tahlequah

In a recent interview with Skaana podcast host Mark Leiren-Young, Kevorkian offered advice on how to cope with a world being rocked by COVID-19. “It’s not an easy time for anybody, but if you can find that something just within a moment where you can see any glimmer of hope, build on that and that will hopefully help you keep going… The lessons that I find from grief and from death are appreciating what we have in the now.”

Ta’Kaiya Blaney

“Activism doesn’t have to just look like one thing. It can be art, it can be creative resistance, it can be social-media-based. Do what you love to protect what you love.”

“Activism doesn’t have to just look like one thing. It can be art, it can be creative resistance, it can be social-media-based. Do what you love to protect what you love.”

 “I grew up around elders and relatives in my family who made an effort to instill cultural senses of value and what is sacred with our waters and our lands. So the work I’ve done in regards to land defense and advocacy and activism, has really been a result of them.”

“I grew up with people who tried to instill that sense of responsibility to land and to water and to future generations. And so it was never like one moment or something that I read. It was a lifetime of community that led me to care in that way about environment.”

“Commanding action that’s always a very powerful thing, but I think that it’s the work that follows those meetings, that is really the most crucial, you know, when we get together and we’re demanding justice for demanding action how do we carry that momentum forward? And what are the actions to follow?”

“Young people’s voices have such a powerful role in climate justice. It’s our generation that will witness and experience the repercussions of industrial activity, of environmental, the secretion of pollution, of climate change. So putting ourselves out there speaking to our concerns and speaking for our future and our right to live in a world with clean water and clean air and healthy lands.”

Actor and activist Ta’Kaiya Blaney (@TaKaiyaBlaney) talks about activism, art and the power and importance of young people speaking out for climate justice with Skaana (@skaanapod) host Mark Leiren-Young (@leirenyoung).

“Activism doesn’t have to just look like one thing. It can be art, it can be creative resistance, it can be social-media-based. Do what you love to protect what you love.”

Skaana connects you to stories about oceans, eco-ethics and the environment.

Join the Pod…… https://www.patreon.com/skaana

Skaana home….. skaana.org

“Your Magical Week” – meditation with Rayne Benu…. digital-enlightenment.net

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Photo by Lëa-Kim Châteauneuf

Support Ta’Kaiya Blaney

FOR MORE ON ISSUES AND ORGANIZATIONS MENTIONED

Music:

Robert Bateman
“A lot of doing art, and I guess anything, is perspiration rather than inspiration.”

“All little kids like art and nature. I’ve never met a little kid who doesn’t like art and nature. But most normal human beings grow up around the age of 12 and go on to more grown up things. And I just have not grown up yet.”

“If you’ve got an eye for it, nature is everywhere.”

“One of my missions in life is to get more kids out into nature.”

“A lot of doing art, and I guess anything, is perspiration rather than inspiration.”

“Mostly I just paint things that I love.”

“It’s a great benefit to be out into nature and paying attention to, well, one of the ways I put it, it’s kind of an unselfishness. Becoming involved and very interested in lives that are nothing to do with your life, but you become absorbed by these other lives and maybe you get into conservation and helping them and that sort of thing.”

“I would do an abstract painting and I would look at it and it was fun doing it. And then I would say is that all there is, was not very challenging, just slapping on paint.”

“I think fossil fuels should be left in the ground and we should be putting our money and our interests into an alternative power, wind and water.”

“I think fossil fuels should be left in the ground and we should be putting our. Our money and our interests into a alternative power, wind and water.”

Artist Robert Bateman talks about art, inspiration, teaching, the importance of hope and why we all need to spend more time in nature with Skaana (@skaanapod) host Mark Leiren-Young (@leirenyoung).

“If you’ve got an eye for it, nature is everywhere.”

“One of my missions in life is to get get more kids out into nature.”

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

You can use the affiliate links below to support the pod.

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Links:

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Music:

“Til I Am Myself Again” by Blue Rodeo

Thanatologist Kriss Kevorkian (@agrievingworld) talks about environmental grief, coping with covid, why we need to laugh at tragedy and much more with Skaana (@skaanapod) host Mark Leiren-Young (@leirenyoung). Kriss came up with the terms “environmental grief” and “ecological grief” and she developed these concepts by working with people working for the southern resident orcas.

“I help support people who are dealing with environmental grief or ecological grief, or just the grief that people are feeling from all the chaos in the world today.”

“If a corporation can have rights, I think Mother Nature should.”

Please join the virtual book launch for Orcas of the Salish Sea – for elementary school students – and the board book Big Whales, Small World – May 1 2020 at noon PST on Facebook Live courtesy of the National Arts Centre of Canada and #CanadaPerforms.

Skaana connects you to stories about oceans, eco-ethics and the environment.

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Check out our new theme song on YouTube:

Links:

Legal rights for the Salish Sea: http://legalrightsforthesalishsea.org/
The Climate Reality Project: https://www.climaterealityproject.org/ 
Global Earth Repair Foundation: https://globalearthrepairfoundation.org/

Support Kriss Kevorkian:

Support the Cowboy Junkies:

Kriss Kevorkian
The lessons I find from grief – and from death – are appreciating what we have in the now.

“The lessons I find from grief – and from death – are appreciating what we have in the now.”

“What is environmental grief? …It’s the grief reaction stemming from the environmental loss of ecosystems caused by natural or man-made events.”

“Ecological grief is the grief reaction stemming from the disconnection and relational loss from our natural world.”

“I don’t see grief as a disorder. I see it as a life issue. And I wish people would stop trying to medicalize it, or put it as some sort of mental illness because I don’t see my environmental grief or ecological grief as a disorder. I see it as a proper reaction to what’s happening on the planet.”

“Laughter is just one of those things that’s helped us get through dark times.”

“This pandemic is also teaching us that mother nature has a way of managing without us.”

“If Jane Goodall can maintain a sense of hope, then who am I not to?”

“I look at the rights of nature as helping… If a corporation can have rights. I think mother nature should.”

“We need to start putting nature first.”

“When we get rights for the Southern residents, they will be the first species to have rights of nature”

Erich Hoyt (@erichhoyt) on his fight to end Russia’s orca trade, strange sea creatures, whale watching, cosmic orcas and more with Skaana (@Skaanapod) host Mark Leiren-Young (@leirenyoung). Erich’s books include: Orca The Whale Called Killer; The Encyclopedia of Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises; Marine Protected Areas for Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises; Weird Sea Creatures and many, many more. This is our first two-part episode… in part one Erich talks about how he and the world fell in love with orcas.

“I would like to see thirty percent of the ocean designated as effective marine protected areas by 2030.”

Skaana connects you to stories about oceans, eco-ethics and the environment.

Join the Pod…… https://www.patreon.com/skaana

Skaana home….. skaana.org

Facebook……….. https://www.facebook.com/skaanapod/

Twitter…………… https://twitter.com/skaanapod

The Killer Whale Who Changed the World… http://amzn.to/2pRNU1q 

Orcas Everywhere… http://www.orcaseverywhere.com

Links:

Support Erich Hoyt:

Check out Chelsea Hotel: The Songs of Leonard Cohen (created by Tracey power)

 

Erich Hoyt
 “If you get to know them as individuals, you get this attachment and it’s beautiful.”


“If you get to know them as individuals, you get this attachment and it’s beautiful.” 


“You walk in to these places and, and maybe you were interested in dinosaurs before because you’ve heard of them, and then suddenly you look up. If you see them in the of natural history and New York or, or you find the room in Edinburgh, Scotland or Toronto, you find the room where there’s a blue whale. And you look at it and you realize it’s a lot bigger than dinosaurs, you know, and it’s alive today.”


“You know, in terms of climate change and everything else there, there isn’t a movement that I know of that’s anywhere near, I mean, there certainly isn’t a movement like what Greta has done with the climate emergency.”


“You know, to be honest, I realized this in redoing my book, you know, we have this sort of natural human desire to get closer and closer. You know, we’re. Visual creatures largely, and we want to fill our frames with, you know, what we see in a way.”


“I think more and more the older I get, the more I’m thinking about, the best way to observe wildlife is to stand off a bit.”


“[in regards to whale watching] the best thing you could do is just kind of stand back in awe and let it happen and try and take notes in your head. About what’s happening.”


“We really need to pay attention to that if we’re going to have these whales and other species around in the future.”

Skaana host Mark Leiren-Young (@leirenyoung) kicks off 2020 with a new vision and our amazing new theme song – Skana – by our special guest Leah Abramson (@abramsonsingers). Find out about her awesome album of songs for and about whales Songs For a Lost Pod.

Skaana connects you to stories about oceans, eco-ethics and the environment.

Join the Pod…… https://www.patreon.com/skaana

Skaana home….. skaana.org

“Your Magical Week” – meditation with Rayne Benu…. digital-enlightenment.net

Facebook……….. https://www.facebook.com/skaanapod/

Twitter…………… https://twitter.com/skaanapod

The Killer Whale Who Changed the World… http://amzn.to/2pRNU1q 

Orcas Everywhere… http://www.orcaseverywhere.com


Check out our new theme song on YouTube:

Links:

The voices of an orca pod helped Leah Abramson process grief for her lost family — in song: https://www.cbc.ca/arts/exhibitionists/the-voices-of-an-orca-pod-helped-leah-abramson-process-grief-for-her-lost-family-in-song-1.4805477

Inspired by the haunting calls of marine mammals, Vancouver musician Leah Abramson has found her pod: https://www.straight.com/music/887526/inspired-haunting-calls-marine-mammals-vancouver-musician-leah-abramson-has-found-her

This Video Of A Beluga Whale Trying To Play With A Sea Gull Is The Cutest Thing You’ll See Today: https://digg.com/video/this-video-of-a-beluga-whale-trying-to-play-with-a-sea-gull-is-the-cutest-thing-youll-see-today

Spy Beluga Plays with a Seagull: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-o4jWvMtcU 

Support Leah Abramson:

 

Leah Abramson
“I started researching orcas and was just sort of fascinated by them and their whole social structure and everything. Everything that I researched, I just kept going down rabbit holes until I knew that I had to make some kind of project.”

“When I was really little I had these recurring dreams about a pink beluga whale in a swimming pool, and I don’t know why or how, or it was a very lonely whale and it was pink and I was its only friend, and this was like recurring dreams that I had around the age of, I don’t know, four or five.”


“I started researching orcas and was just sort of fascinated by them and their whole social structure and everything. Everything that I researched, I just kept going down rabbit holes until I knew that I had to make some kind of project.”


“People seem to really respond to it. I mean, I think we’re at a time where people are really waking up to the environment”


“Whales are such a iconic set of animals, especially on the West coast, because, you know, we sort of have this idea of ourselves as wild and, you know, the orcas are jumping and it’s all happy and, you know, we’re obviously in a bit of a, um, crisis with the orcas right now.”


“I know a lot of people have found it quite sad to the project and I don’t know if there’s any way around that, you know, and I think that’s a grief that we have to feel and that it’s important to feel because otherwise we don’t do anything about it. So there’s that as well, you know, like allowing people space and time to feel those feelings of environmental grief, which, you know, you sort of have to slow down a little bit to do sometimes.”

Camille Labchuck
“We’ve got this obligation to animals as a society to try to help them if we can.”

“Canada hadn’t passed any serious new animal protection legislation since the eighteen hundreds. That’s pretty shocking to most people.”

“We’ve got this obligation to animals as a society to try to help them if we can.”

“We never would have come this far, and people never would have known about the industry, if not for Rob Stewart’s Sharkwater film in the first place. I mean, I don’t know about you, but that was definitely the first time that I was exposed to the idea that shark finning existed, and I think it’s what mobilized a lot of people to take action.”

“The problem Mark, is that animals are victims of crime. They can’t report abuse themselves. They can’t speak up for themselves if there’s no one around to listen. And they’re often isolated and kept behind closed doors by abusers and it’s very, very difficult for anyone to know or detect what’s going on.”

“I think the problem is that governments seem to think these days that their role is to protect businesses, their roles are to protect industry — and if some other aspect of our laws, including endangered species laws, it’s inconvenient. To that end, they’re happy just to disregard it.”

“It’s in the economic interests of many humans to keep animals in the position that they are right now and not elevate them to some other sort of status that has rights. So there’s no moral argument for it, and there’s no scientific argument. There really is only an economic argument and I don’t think that’s good enough to deny an entire class of billions and trillions of beings  basic fundamental rights and freedoms, like living in appropriate social groups, like having access to fresh air and water and life.”

“A lot of people say that we need to protect animals because they’re voiceless and we need to speak for them, and I think that’s a mistake too. I think it’s really clear that animals do have voices and they use them. They use them to tell us that they don’t like what they’re doing to us. Every time we see a calf escape a slaughter truck, every time we see a coyote try to gnaw his or her paw off to escape a leg hold trap, when they yell and they scream when they’re being sent to slaughter, they’re telling us that they don’t like what we’re doing to them. So I think it’s important to grant them that agency and recognize that they have voices. We just ignore it and silence those voices.”  

Green Party leader Elizabeth May (@ElizabethMayon Canada’s Free Willy Bill, NDP MP Fin Donnelly (@FinDonnelly)on how we can fight for the law to end shark finning and researcher Josh McInnes on southern resident orcas going south to California. A Skaana triple-header.

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

You can use the affiliate links below to support the pod.

Join the Pod……https://www.patreon.com/skaana

Skaana Tip Jar… https://paypal.me/skaana  

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Surprising Orca, Dolphin sightings in Monterey Bay:

VIDEO: Surprising Orca, Dolphin Sightings in Monterey Bay

  • Green Party leader Elizabeth May on the history and future of Canada’s Free Willy” bill.
  • NDP MP Fin Donnelly on how the Liberals may torpedo his anti-finning bill.
  • Researcher Josh McInnes on transient resident orcas and Gerlache orcas in action.

LINKS:

  1. Elizabeth May on the fight to end cetaceans in captivity in Canada https://ipolitics.ca/2019/04/02/free-willy-bill-sent-to-house-of-commons-for-final-vote/
  2. Fin Donnelly’s fight for an anti shark-finning bill https://ipolitics.ca/2019/04/02/donnelly-disappointed-by-liberal-stalling-on-shark-finning-bill/
  3. Southern Resident Orcas swim to California https://vancouverisland.ctvnews.ca/endangered-southern-resident-orcas-seen-swimming-off-california-coast-1.4360793
  4. Gerlache orcas in action vs. penguins https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2265860040139488
  5. To check Canada’s DFO proposals and weigh in before May 3, 2019 http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/consultation/fm-gp/srkw-eprs/index-eng.html
  6. See stunning drone footage of orcas kicking salmon and chasing birds in Monterey Bay https://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/environment/article229802934.html#storylink=cpy

Support Our Guests

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Music:

Dr. Jason Colby
Author
“The region that loves them is poisoning them and starving them.”

“In some ways it’s the book I was meant to write and need to write.”

“I wanted this to be an academic book masquerading as a great beach read… I thought about titling this book .“Crazy Shit That Really Happened.”

“I refer to this sometimes as the unthinkable history of the Pacific North West.”

“We have very generational memories about our local ecologies.”

“Ted Griffin is one of the most controversial, fascinating characters in the history of the Northwest.”

“I had to reckon with my family’s responsibility in what is now a northwest tragedy.”

“I don’t think I’ll do anything as meaningful or as personal again in my writing.”

“I want people to understand that everyone lives in their own context and they live their lives forward . . . we don’t know how people are going to view our actions . . . I can imagine fifty years from now when we have an ocean without any fish . . . people will look back on us and say, “How could you have eaten salmon? . . . How could you have killed so many tuna for your sushi? What were you thinking? How could you do that?”

“The region that loves them is poisoning them and starving them.”

Paul Watson
“We’re killing these incredibly beautiful, socially complex, sentient creatures for the purpose of making a weapon meant for the mass extermination of human beings. And that’s when it struck me we’re insane, as a species we’re insane. And that’s when I said I’ll never do anything for people. I’m going to do this for them. (whales)”

“No orca has ever attacked any human being in the wild ever.”

“We’re killing these incredibly beautiful, socially complex, sentient creatures for the purpose of making a weapon meant for the mass extermination of human beings. And that’s when it struck me we’re insane, as a species we’re insane. And that’s when I said I’ll never do anything for people. I’m going to do this for them. (whales)”

 “After being criticized for sinking whaling ships:  “I said, ‘John, I didn’t sink those whaling ships for you or for Greenpeace or for anybody else. We sank them for the whales. Find me a whale who disagreed with what we did and I’ll promise I’ll never do it again.’”

“We’ve never been a protest organization. We’re an interventionist organization. Sea Shepherd is an anti-poaching organization.”

“I felt there was a need for intervention, not protest. I’ve never been a protester.”

“I call what we do aggressive nonviolence.”

“The real fault with the mainstream media is what they don’t talk about.”

“I used to joke that we were the ladies of night of the conservation movement because people may agree with us, but they don’t want to be seen with us in the daytime.”

Whitney Neugebauer (@whalescout) host of the Whale Scout podcast on Whale Scout, whale woes and how much of that 1.1 billion dollars Washington Governor Jay Inslee just pledged to save whales will actually be spent on saving whales.

To find out more about Whale Scout and Whitney Neugebauer visit https://www.whalescout.org

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

You can use the affiliate links below to support the pod.

Join the Pod…… https://www.patreon.com/skaana

Skaana home….. skaana.org

“Your Magical Week” – meditation with Rayne Benu…. digital-enlightenment.net

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Twitter…………… https://twitter.com/skaanapod

The Killer Whale Who Changed the World… http://amzn.to/2pRNU1q 

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Whitney Neugebauer & Monika Wieland-Shields (Orca Behavior Institute) on Washington Governor Jay Inslee’s Orca Recovery Plans

reactions-to-inslees-budget-and-plan-to-recover-orcas-from-monika-wieland-shields-and-whitney-neugebauer

Links:

  1. The Snake River dam story in the Seattle Times
  2. Dam Sense
  3. David Bain on the proposed whale watching moratorium
  4. Jay Inslee pledges 1.1 billion to save orcas
  5. Whale Scout on Facebook
  6. Whale Scout Website

DISCLOSURE RE: WHALE WATCHING FROM TEAM SKAANA

This should be no secret if you regularly listen to the podcast since we credit them in our sponsored episodes, but Skaana’s sponsors include Eagle Wing Whale Watching Tours. We also shot part of The Hundred-Year-Old Whale onboard Eagle Wing boats after Orca godfather, Ken Balcomb, gave them his seal of approval. Eagle Wing’s sponsorship (which you can see alongside our other sponsors if you check out our Patreon page) is $50 a month. While this is most appreciated – and we’d love to have you join too — it’s not enough to buy our opinions. Sorry TransMountain…

Books on Amazon

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Music 

  

Fin Donnelly
“People don’t always realize just how important the ocean is in terms of producing clean air and doing so many things, maintaining a healthy environment and stable climate to create the conditions that humans need.”

“Back in 2012, I read a United Nations report on a state of the world’s oceans and this is what really got my attention.”

“If you lose those top predators – which take a long time to mature and to give birth – you are really affecting a significant portion of the ocean ecosystem.”

“We’ve got to draw some attention to what’s going on in our oceans and I thought sharks would be a good way to do that.”

“People don’t always realize just how important the ocean is in terms of producing clean air and doing so many things, maintaining a healthy environment and stable climate to create the conditions that humans need.”

“We have the longest coastline in the world. So we’re an ocean nation and we’re blessed with fresh water in our country so that’s, for me, a basis on which you build your community and economy and that has to be maintained in a healthy way.”

“It’s the right thing to do… Once Canada does it, we can put some pressure on the United States and then the EU and Asia and other countries.”

Rob Stewart
“I think the way I can best serve the planet and the environment is just educating people. If I bring everybody up in their knowledge of what’s going on, then they’ll elect different people.”

 

“If people knew that our life support system was in jeopardy, the human species could potentially go down this century, and future generations and millions of species are at stake because of it, then there would be a vote determinative issue.”

“What percentage of the planet would you say, knows about ocean acidification, knows about over consumption, that 75% of the forests are gone, 90% of the fish are gone, that, you know we face this world. Three percent? 90% of our food species are gone. This is happening.”

I keep optimistic because I think we’ve got the greatest opportunity here. They always say in movies, the hero is only as good as his villain. We’ve got the biggest villain possible.”

We’ve got the biggest crisis, potentially, that we’re facing, and to defeat it we’re gonna have to grow and we’re gonna have to evolve and we’re gonna have to step it up and learn what it is to be human—to care more about other people and other species than we have in the past.”

“I think the way I can best serve the planet and the environment is just educating people. If I bring everybody up in their knowledge of what’s going on, then they’ll elect different people.”

“What’s next, what’s bigger? Well, save the humans.”

“The reason why we can survive on this planet is because of life. That gives us our food our water and our air… oh my god, all these systems that we’ve built are destroying our food and our water and our air.” “Before, when we set up the systems, when we had 300 million people on earth, we could whatever the fuck we want. And now that we’ve got 7 billion of us, we’ve eaten everything.” 

“Any revolution of the past has been led by the people most directly impacted by the atrocity. It was women for women’s rights, it was black people for racial equality. It was them that hit the road and put their hands in the air. Now it’s gonna be kids, because they’re the ones that are going to be most directly impacted by it. It our future that we’re taking. So I expect kids will be a much bigger role in this than adults.”

“For adults it’s confronting the realization that you’re inherently bad for the planet… and everything you’ve been doing for most of your life has been bad for the planet… it’s tough to let that sink in.”

My favourite aspect about making a movie is giving the public the information they need to make better decisions.” 

“I think I was passionate about [sharks] from having a goldfish. From the time I was zero, onwards.”

Michael Moore
“I don’t use the words ‘political activist,’ because I think it’s redundant. If I’m a citizen of a democracy, it means I’m automatically a political activist. I have to be. All of us have to be. If we’re not active, it ceases to be a democracy.”

“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.”

“I’m continually inspired by a lot of things, a lot of people.”

“I hope that the average American will quit thinking that they’re going to achieve the ”˜American dream’, that they too will be rich someday. That’s just not going to happen. I would hope that people get involved—become active, join an organization, run for office themselves, any of a number of things. At the very least, quit participating in the system. Don’t buy shares of stock. Put your money in a credit union. Only use credit cards where you have to pay at the end of the month. Don’t put your pension in the stock market, for Christ’s sake. Things like that.”

“I don’t use the words ‘political activist,’ because I think it’s redundant. If I’m a citizen of a democracy, it means I’m automatically a political activist. I have to be. All of us have to be. If we’re not active, it ceases to be a democracy.”

“I go back over all these movies and things I’ve done where it feels like I’m beating my head against the wall, at some point I just get tired of it.”

“My job is to take a look at what’s going on and to make movies about it”

David Neiwert
“The fight to decide what kind of humans we are going to be, what kind of world are we going to make? Are we gonna be empathetic, decent, kind generous people, or are we going to be cruel and greedy and mean? Or do we want to believe that we can continue to control the world as its lord and master? Or do we maybe need to understand that we are just part of the world and need to find a better way of fitting into it?”

“Killer whales are the consummate northwest environmental story.” 

“…how you deal with the alt-right… you can’t pretend them away.  You can’t ignore them away.” 

“To me the fight against Trump and against hate groups and against the far radical right is very much the same fight that I’m engaged with when it comes to saving the whales – which is the fight to decide what kind of humans we’re going to be. What kind of world are we going to make? Are we going to be empathetic, decent, kind generous human beings or are we going to be cruel and greedy and mean?”

“You can’t go out and change anybody’s hearts and minds to get them to become a more decent person by spewing hate and wishing death on others.” 

“They will go extinct if we don’t take those dams down.”

“They’re just the coolest animals on the planet”

“Public pressure really is  foundational for effect change, but at the same time I don’t think that, ya know can’t we multitask”

“The fight to decide what kind of humans we are going to be, what kind of world are we going to make? Are we gonna be empathetic, decent, kind generous people, or are we going to be cruel and greedy and mean? Or do we want to believe that we can continue to control the world as its lord and master? Or do we maybe need to understand that we are just part of the world and need to find a better way of fitting into it?”

David Neiwert (@DavidNeiwert) – an expert on orcas and America’s Alt-Right – talks orcas, empathy and why fighting for whales still matters in the Age of Trump.  Neiwert is the author of Of Orcas and Men: What Killer Whales Can Teach Us & Alt-America: The Rise of the Radical Right in the Age of Trump.

“The fight against Trump and against hate groups and against the far radical right is very much the same fight that I’m engaged with when it comes to saving whales, which is the fight to decide what kind of humans we are going to be.”

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

You can use the affiliate links below to support the pod.

Join the Pod……https://www.patreon.com/skaana

Skaana home…..skaana.org

Facebook………..https://www.facebook.com/skaanapod/

Twitter……………https://twitter.com/leirenyoung

The Killer Whale Who Changed the World…. http://amzn.to/2pRNU1q

Links:

  1. Four Lower Snake River Dams
  2. Aryan Nations
  3. Milo Protest at the University of Washington
  4. Ingrid Visser
  5. Alexandra Morton

Support David Neiwert

Official Website: http://dneiwert.blogspot.com

Twitter: @DavidNeiwert

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DavidNeiwertAuthor/

Southern Poverty Law Center: https://www.splcenter.org

Books on Amazon

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Support the Arrogant Worms:

Link to the Bob Bossin original song: Here!

 

David Neiwert (@DavidNeiwert) – an expert on orcas and America’s Alt-Right – talks orcas, empathy and why fighting for whales still matters in the Age of Trump.  Neiwert is the author of Of Orcas and Men: What Killer Whales Can Teach Us & Alt-America: The Rise of the Radical Right in the Age of Trump.

Kelly Iriye
“Since the creation of the orca task force everyone says a lot of congratulations but nobody has decided to actually do anything.”

“If we had more food for the orcas then they’d be able to stay fat and happy and the toxicity wouldn’t enter their blood stream and they’d be fine.”

“[discussing Snake River dam] They are grossly overcharging for what the open market is because they have so much surplus power”

“We watched it get as high as -26 dollars which means we were paying California 26 dollars to take our power” 

“Even still we are watching the numbers not recover (in relation to salmon)”

“Because we’ve made reservoirs we’ve created an environment that favours the lake fish, and not the river fish and the salmon are river fish and their predators are lake fish”

“The guy that actually got to say this is what we’re gonna do, didn’t read the report and just said this is what we’re gonna do” 

“Since the creation of the orca task force everyone says a lot of congratulations but nobody has decided to actually do anything.”

“If they do anything besides dam breaching its gonna be too little, and at this point if they only do dam breaching it won’t be enough but if they don’t do dam breaching its not gonna work”

“But if there’s nothing to forage for they can have a full 24 hrs and still come up with nothing.”

Ken Balcomb
“J-50 is just another example in this story of starvation and ecosystem collapse”

“We gotta get this story out about what’s happening, it’s tragic”

“We are on day 17 now, what is the message to humans?”

“Let’s fix the ecosystem here, we are losing our icons”

“I think there was a great deal of emotions spread around and i think that some of our leaderships and bureaucracies were focused on other things other than their emotions”

“J-50 is just another example in this story of starvation and ecosystem collapse”

“ These are just the symptoms of what’s wrong, there’s been dead babies in the past and there’s gonna be dead babies in the future and the problem is there will be no successful reproduction if we don’t have a viable ecosystem for them to live in”

“They won’t be here if they don’t have anything to eat”

“We know from hormone studies that we’re not seeing 75% of the babies that are conceived.” 


“How fast do we want our governments to extinct everything here?”

Quotes from episode 10 with Zoe Hopkins. “Should tankers pass through these waters, the threat of a spill is not only a potential, it is a certainty. The only uncertainty is how long would we have to wait and how many times would it happen.” (from Kayak to Klemtu) 

“The ocean is a planetary issue, not a First Nations issue.”

Can a determined teenager stop a pipeline? Zoe Hopkins’ new movie, Kayak to Klemtu, was inspired by the battle to stop the Northern Gateway Pipeline. Mark Leiren-Young hosted Hopkins at the 2017 Victoria Film Festival where she talked about the inspirations behind her inspiring new movie.

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

Use the links below to support the pod.

The Hundred Year Old Whale coming soon to Vimeo 

AS A SPECIAL THANK YOU FOR FOLLOWING US we have an exclusive promo code to pre-buy the film. Use code “Skaana15” FOR 15% OFF the purchase price between June 1st and July 20th. The film will be yours to rent or own on July 21st. https://vimeo.com/ondemand/thehundredyearoldwhale

Join the Pod…… https://www.patreon.com/skaana

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Links:

Zoe Hopkins and Kayak to Klemtu:

Support Ta’Kaiya Blaney: 

Thanks to our Sponsors!

 

 

Aube Giroux
“We have a right to know what is in our food and what is being sold to us.”

“So when I came back to Canada, I couldn’t shake this nagging question, that if GMOs are labelled in 64 countries around the world, why are they not labelled in Canada and the United States? Well, that seemingly simple question ended up raising a whole bunch more  questions, about not just the state of our food, but the state of our democracy, and the influence that corporations have over our politicians and our food policies. ”

“Genetically engineered salmon is the first GMO animal that’s being sold for human consumption. In Canada we’re actually the first and only country in the world that is selling it to consumers.” 

“We have a right to know what is in our food and what is being sold to us.” 

“The Trudeau government came into power with these claims, that they were going to bring on transparency at every level of government.  That they were going to listen to Canadians. And on the GMO issue, we saw the exact opposite on that bill.” 

“I think in time truth always prevails.  And I think that a lot of people are waking up.   I think it’s taken us a long time here in Canada.” 

“The no side did talk to me. I set up an interview in Sacramento, rented a car, hired a camera guy, we drove there, we did the interview, and then when the interview was all done, she wouldn’t sign my release form. “

“If you go on the Health Canada website, you can kind of find out which GMO’s are on the market, but it’s very confusing because they call them plants with novel traits.”

“Canada is now the first and the only country in the world where we are now eating the world’s first GMO animal, and that is genetically modified Atlantic salmon.  It was right after the GMO labelling bill failed last may, that the company that produces the salmon, announced “Oh, we’ve just sold 5 tonnes of our salmon to Canadians”.  But because the bill had failed, they didn’t have to label it. And even though they proudly declared they are now selling it to Canadians, they refused to disclose where it was being sold.”

“So on the one hand, there’s this kind of bragging that “oh we have this wonderful new salmon, it’s safe, it’s great, it’s going to be good for the environment”. But on the other hand there’s this complete, um, refusal, to inform the consumer.  Or to even ask Canadians “do we even want this salmon? Do we want to be eating it?” 

 

“Canadians have not been consulted in this whole GMO experiment.”

BC’s farmed salmon are the only genetically modified animals for sale in Canada according to guest, Aube Giroux. Award winning author and filmmaker, Mark Leiren-Young, talks to the filmmaker behind Modified about genetically modified fruits, vegetables and fish or, as our government prefers to call them, “plants with novel traits”

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Canadian federal Green Party leader, Elizabeth May (@ElizabethMay), talks about saving orcas and right whales; stopping Kinder Morgan and Bilcon and Canada’s toothless endangered species laws.

All whales matter. All cetaceans matter. All life matters.

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Bilcon vs. Right Whales:

  1. Trade Deals vs. ‘Core Community Values’
  2. A remote Nova Scotian strip of land is symbolic of upcoming NAFTA fight
  3. A Nafta Battleground on the Shores of Canada 

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Elizabeth May
“All whales matter. All cetaceans matter. All life matters.”

“All whales matter. All cetaceans matter. All life matters.”

“If you’re looking for charismatic megafauna you really can’t beat the amazing creatures that whales are – for their intelligence, for their intricate communications, for their relationships.”

“The most endangered whale species in Canada is the right whale, and what we need to do is stop a company called Bilcon from the United States from getting permission to build a quarry on Digby Neck, Nova Scotia…”

“There are whales at risk all around the world, but our southern resident killer whale population is also extremely endangered. The loss of even one animal could imperil the population as a whole.”

“The number one thing we need to do to protect the southern resident killer whale population is to make sure we don’t see new pipelines that increase the tanker traffic.”

“…the Kinder Morgan proposal particularly was found even by the National Energy Board Environmental Assessment that was woefully inadequate, even they had to take account of Department of Fisheries and Oceans expert testimony that whale strikes from the increase in tanker traffic is a significant risk to the survival of the Southern Resident killer whale population.”

“We need to protect their habitat, we need to protect their food source, which means taking care of our salmon. We need to take care of, and pay attention to, the amount of noise in our marine environment… So we need to pay attention to giving them enough space.”

“…I’ve had some close encounters of the whale kind, just being on the water and being silent, and seeing what happens… When it happens, it’s quite an extraordinary experience and quite powerful, to come eye to eye with a whale.”

“Kinder Morgan’s pipeline is a threat, a direct threat, to the Southern Resident killer whale population.”

“We can’t forget the oceans. The oceans are out of sight and out of mind to those of us land animals. And the multiple threats to our oceans are growing.”

“[Ocean acidification] is a scary threat, and it’s looming, and we don’t know enough about it.”

“They need the three-quarters of this planet that is the ocean. We live on the one-quarter of this planet that’s land. But we can’t live on land without those oceans. Terrestrial species need oceans, and we tend to forget about them.”

“End our addiction to fossil fuels”

“We’re pushing as hard as we can to bring back science and to have Environment Canada have the kind of budget it needs to hire more people, so that we can actually have recovery plans for endangered species that make sense.”

“This generation, humanity now, has an obligation to stop robbing our children.”

Dag Ingemar Børresen
“And of course also because they knew fifty years earlier that they had to stop whaling if it was going to be sustainable…if they wanted it to be sustainable.  So they were quite clear about what they were doing, but they didn’t stop it.”

“It’s impossible to compare the Norwegian whaling industry as it was with the whaling today.” 

“Around 1930, there was about 10,000 Norwegian whalers going to the antarctic every year.  They hunted down ten thousands of whales each catching season. The whaling today is just nearly nothing.  It’s just a few fishermen catching minke whales. It’s just a few hundred minke whales a year. ”

“If you talk to old whalers, you can get, they probably have some stories about killer whales, but it is often related to killer whales who were attacking dead whales who were caught by the whale catchers. 

“Up to the late 1920s [the Norwegian whaling industry] was global.” 

“I don’t know anyone today who eats whale meat.”

“Why should we eat whale meat?  There are so many other things to eat, I don’t know really.” 

“Is it a big deal? No, it’s not a big deal at all. No one cares at all. It’s just a few fishermen up north.  If you ask Norwegians they’re not engaged in anything that you’re asking about, really. It’s only politics, isn’t it.” 

“We’re going to focus a lot on the blue whale and the story of the blue whale, how it was nearly extinct at the end of modern whaling.  It was very close, you know, very close. So it’s a really horrible story. “

“And of course also because they knew fifty years earlier that they had to stop whaling if it was going to be sustainable…if they wanted it to be sustainable.  So they were quite clear about what they were doing, but they didn’t stop it.” 

“It was very short-term. They took what they could and then it ended.” 

About Keiko “I don’t know if anyone cared about it at all.  I guess…Norwegians are not very…. I mean it was just…. a whale.  I don’t think Norwegians have this sort of emotional connection with the whales at all.”