How To Protect The Ocean

Five centuries ago, explorers off Newfoundland described cod so plentiful that a weighted basket lowered into the sea came back full. By July 2, 1992, so few remained that Canada shut the northern cod fishery overnight. About 30,000 people lost their work in what became the largest single layoff in Canadian history. In this first episode of a week-long sustainable seafood series, Andrew tells the story of how the collapse happened and how slowly the cod came back.
Andrew then breaks down the words that cause the most confusion in fisheries headlines: overfishing, overfished, depleted, and fully fished. Using the FAO's 2025 review of 2,570 fish stocks, he explains why 35.5% of stocks being overfished is a serious problem, why 77.2% of the fish actually landed comes from sustainable stocks, and how lumping categories together produces the misleading claim that 90% of fish stocks are in trouble.
The episode closes with what good fisheries management looks like, rebuilding wins like Pacific bluefin tuna, and a cautious look at northern cod's return to the healthy zone as quotas climb. Your assignment: pick the fish you eat most and look up its stock status this week. Pre-order Dr. David Shiffman's Why Sustainable Seafood Matters using the link in the show notes.
Takeaways
Northern cod collapsed in 1992 after decades of industrial overfishing, and the moratorium lasted 32 years
Overfishing is an action happening now; overfished means the population is already too small
"Fully fished" (maximally sustainably fished) is the management target and a healthy outcome
35.5% of assessed stocks are overfished, while 77.2% of landed fish comes from sustainable stocks
Good management combines science-based catch limits, bycatch and habitat rules, solid data, and fishers at the table
Northern cod reached the healthy zone in 2026, but rapid quota increases still worry scientists
Check your favourite fish on Seafood Watch, the MSC, Ocean Wise, or your national fisheries agency
Pre-Order "Why Sustainable Seafood Matters" by Dr David Shiffman now
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You want to eat seafood the right way. Then you hit the seafood counter and face a wall of labels, a sign promising "sustainable practices," and an employee who has no idea where the tuna came from. Add documentaries like Seaspiracy telling you to quit fish entirely, and it's tempting to give up and buy whatever looks good. Unsustainable fishing is the biggest threat to marine biodiversity, so those choices carry real weight. In this episode, Andrew's good friend Dr. David Shiffman joins the show to talk about his new book, Why Sustainable Seafood Matters.
David spent two years on the Marine Stewardship Council's research team, and he wrote this book to answer the question audiences kept asking on his Why Sharks Matter book tour: what can I do as a consumer? He breaks down the difference between overfishing, overfished, and fully fished, and shows how those numbers get twisted. He explains what the dolphin-safe label guarantees, why North Atlantic right whales put Gulf of Maine lobster on the avoid list, and where bottom trawling can be done responsibly. He also covers proven fixes like turtle excluder devices, ropeless fishing gear, and camera monitoring on fishing boats.
You'll walk away knowing how to use Seafood Watch, MSC, Ocean Wise, and the Aquaculture Stewardship Council, and what to realistically expect at your grocery store. Every claim in David's book comes with directions to the data, so you can check it yourself and buy with confidence.
Takeaways
Unsustainable fishing practices are the leading threat to marine biodiversity, including overfishing, bycatch, and habitat destruction.
"Overfishing" is an action and "overfished" is a population's state. "Fully fished" is the management goal.
"Sustainable" has no legal definition on seafood packaging, so trusted third-party guides matter.
Dolphin safe means nets weren't set around dolphins to find tuna. Pole-and-line tuna avoids nearly all bycatch.
Bottom trawling is destructive in sensitive habitats and can be managed responsibly on sandy or muddy seafloors.
Weak rope, ropeless traps, and turtle excluder devices solve bycatch while fisheries keep operating.
Look for MSC, ASC, or BAP labels, and check Seafood Watch or Ocean Wise when a label is missing.
Ask seafood counter staff nicely. They're rarely the problem.
Your choices create real pressure when millions of shoppers make them together.
Pre-Order David's Book

Blue whales can't dodge ships. When scientists tracked blue whales alongside cargo ships off Southern California, the whales responded in just over half the encounters, and every response was the same: a slow, shallow dive. Not once did a whale move sideways out of the ship's path. Models suggest ships kill around 18 blue whales a year off the U.S. West Coast, nearly eight times what the population can lose and still recover.
The good news is in the data. Most blue whale strike deaths happen in a small slice of ocean, and that's where ports, air quality agencies, marine sanctuaries, and shipping lines decided to act. Through the Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies program, 787 vessels voluntarily slowed to 10 knots or less across more than 481,000 nautical miles in the 2025 season. Similar slowdowns now run off Vancouver, and whale sighting apps fed by everyday people warn captains when whales are nearby.
This episode wraps up our week on the biggest animals that have ever lived, building on our conversation with Ashley Blawas. You'll hear how one study changed shipping behavior, why voluntary programs work and where they fall short, and how a single sighting from shore can give a whale the time it needs.
Takeaways
Blue whales respond to approaching ships with slow, shallow dives and never move sideways out of the way
Ship speed is the variable humans can change; slower ships give whales time to sink below danger
Point Blue's 2017 model estimated 18 blue, 22 humpback, and 43 fin whales killed by ships each year off the U.S. West Coast
74% of modeled blue whale deaths occur in just 10% of the area, so targeted action works
In 2025, 787 vessels slowed to 10 knots or less across 481,000+ nautical miles off California
Logging sightings in apps like Whale Alert or Ocean Wise's Whale Report helps warn ships in real time
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In 2014, a patch of unusually warm water nicknamed "the blob" settled off the west coast of North America. The cold, food-rich water that normally stretches far offshore shrank into a narrow strip along the coast, and hungry humpback whales followed their food straight into the waters where Dungeness crabbers had set thousands of traps, each tied to a vertical rope. Entanglements jumped from about 10 a year to 53 in 2015 and 55 in 2016.
In this episode, Andrew traces the line from warmer water to a specific whale in a specific rope. You'll learn why lunge-feeding whales depend on dense patches of krill and anchovy, what scientists mean by habitat compression, and how a toxic algae bloom delayed the crab season right into the humpbacks' spring arrival. Then the story turns to California, where crabbers, scientists, managers, and conservation groups built a fix together: pop-up gear, a ropeless trap that keeps its line and buoy on the seafloor until the fisher sends a signal.
After a 2025 trial that landed more than 217,000 pounds of crab during a closure, California approved pop-up gear for spring fishing. Entanglements are still a risk, and Andrew closes with what you can do if you ever see a whale caught in rope. This episode wraps up our week on how whales feed, dive, and move through a changing ocean.
Takeaways
Lunge-feeding whales need dense prey patches, and those patches move with ocean temperature and circulation.
The 2014 to 2016 marine heatwave compressed cold upwelling habitat into a thin coastal band, pulling humpbacks inshore.
A toxic algae bloom delayed the 2016 crab season, putting peak fishing on top of peak whale arrival.
Confirmed humpback entanglements rose from about 10 a year to 53 in 2015 and 55 in 2016.
Pop-up gear removes vertical rope from the water between hauls.
In spring 2025, 12 crabbers hauled 25,721 pop-up traps with 98% reliability and 0.2% gear loss.
California approved pop-up gear for spring closures (April 1 to July 15) in December 2025.
If you see an entangled whale, report it, keep your distance, and never try to free it yourself.
Entanglement hotlines
United States (NOAA): 1-877-SOS-WHALE (1-877-767-9425)
Canada, Pacific (DFO): 1-800-465-4336
Canada, Maritimes (Marine Animal Response Society): 1-866-567-6277
Canada, Quebec (Urgences Mammifères Marins): 1-877-722-5346
Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador (Whale Release and Strandings): 1-888-895-3003
Elsewhere: search for your local marine mammal stranding network and save the number before you head out.
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Fill your hands with cold water, hold your breath, and press your face in. Your heart slows within seconds. That reflex lives in every whale in the ocean too, and in a blue whale it is pushed so far that the largest heart on Earth can drop to two beats a minute on a deep dive.
In this episode, Andrew walks through the first heart rate recording from a wild blue whale, led by Jeremy Goldbogen's team at Stanford, and a study by Terrie Williams of UC Santa Cruz that tracked narwhals fleeing after release from nets in East Greenland. The narwhals swam as hard as they could while their hearts fell to three or four beats a minute, burning through nearly all their stored oxygen. Andrew also shares what offshore helicopter escape training taught him about holding his breath in cold water.
The episode closes with the good news. Countries around the world already protect whales with distance rules, from 100 yards in the United States to 1,000 metres for endangered Southern Resident orcas in Canada. You will learn the simple steps to take the next time you are on the water with whales, so their dive stays a calm one.
Takeaways
Every mammal has a dive reflex; in some marine mammals it slows the heart by about 90 percent.
A tagged blue whale's heart dropped as low as 2 beats a minute on dives and rose to 25 to 37 at the surface.
Frightened narwhals sprint while their hearts fall to 3 or 4 beats a minute, using 97 percent of their oxygen stores.
Ship traffic, engine noise, and seismic surveys can trigger this costly escape response.
Keep at least 100 metres (about 100 yards) from whales, check local rules, and put your engine in neutral if one surfaces close.
Support Independent Podcasts: https://www.speakupforblue.com/patreon
Need help with your ocean non-profit, company, or project? Get the help you need with Pisces Oceans Inc.: https://www.piscesoceans.ca

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