May 16, 2025 • 20 mins
Orca conservation takes center stage as we highlight an inspiring community-led effort to protect these iconic marine mammals. Andrew explores how nearshore ocean heroes are driving real change, and why their stories matter more than ever. Learn how protecting your local waters can lead to healthier oceans worldwide—and why it’s time we recognize those leading the charge.
Shark encounters on social media spark a deeper discussion on wildlife ethics, as Andrew reacts to a TikTok video that demonstrates exactly what not to do. Wrapping up the episode is a look at David Attenborough’s new film “Ocean”, including an eye-opening sequence on bottom trawling and what it reveals about modern ocean challenges. Whether you’re an ocean lover or new to marine conservation, this episode offers compelling stories that educate and inspire.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(01:00:00):
[Music]
Back again for
another episode
of the How to
Protect the Ocean
podcast.
I'm trying out
again two weeks
in a row,
recording it
before I go live,
trying out this
live Ecamm
software.
But bringing you
content a little
(01:00:20):
longer of a
show today,
we're going to be
talking about
ocean
conservation
stories,
about orcas.
We're going to be talking about
what not to do
with the shark by
looking at a
TikTok video that
I found.
And of course,
we're going to be
talking about the
new movie by
David
Attenborough or
starring David
Attenborough
called Ocean.
Haven't seen the
movie yet, but I
want to cover
some of the
aspects of it,
(01:00:41):
especially
there's a
trawling scene
that I think
people are a
little
surprised up.
But it's going to
be interesting to
go over that.
So let's start
the show.
What's up
everybody?
Welcome back to
another exciting
episode of the
How to Protect
the Ocean
podcast.
I am your host,
Andrew Lewin.
This is the
podcast where you
find out what's
happening with
the ocean, how
you can speak up
for the ocean,
(01:01:01):
and what you can
do to live for a
better ocean by
taking action.
On today's
episode, we're
going to be
talking about a
lot of different
things going on.
Three different
stories.
We're going to be
talking about
David
Attenborough
finishing off the
episode with David
Attenborough.
We talk about
what not to do
with the shark by
looking at a
TikTok video.
You can do more
of those
reaction videos.
You guys find a
lot of TikToks
that are just
like, it's a little
weird to do.
(01:01:21):
You know, I don't
know what people
are
thinking about.
And then of
course, we're
going to be
talking starting
off with, you
know, an ocean
conservation
story.
Here's the thing.
I did an episode
last episode
about
conservation
stories,
especially near
shore
conservation
stories
and identifying
heroes that are
conservation
heroes.
People who are
(01:01:41):
leading the
charge for
conservation
along the near
shore, along the
coastline.
Angela
Villagomez, Alia
Haidyat, or from
the center of
ocean progress,
or from the
center of
American
progress, sorry,
talking about
ocean
conservation,
going from area
based offshore
conservation to
near shore
conservation.
(01:02:02):
Something that
kind of surprises
a lot of people,
but also is so
near and dear to
our hearts.
Because as I said
in the episode,
when you look out
from the
coastline,
whether you're on
a lake or river,
when you're on
the coastline of
an ocean,
you look out into
the water.
You want to see
clean water.
You want to see
maybe some
wildlife
out there.
You want to see
some waves.
You want to see
some habitats,
maybe some
seagrass, maybe a
coral reef or
(01:02:23):
something.
But it's always
fun to see
something
healthy.
You don't want to
see anything that
looks green, like
that's algae
related or
that smells,
or you can smell
like sometimes
you can smell
like diesel,
gasoline and sea
oil slicks.
You don't want to
see that.
You want to see
clean oceans.
And to do that,
we need people to
step up.
We need to focus
on a lot of
(01:02:43):
ocean heroes.
We need to focus
on those
community leaders
that want to help
us save our
coastlines.
And so we're
going to be
talking about one
today, one story
that I want to
cover in this
episode.
Now, this is
always
interesting
because we're
going to be
talking about
something that is
not necessarily
an ocean hero as
(01:03:04):
an individual.
I'm going to be
talking about
that next
episode.
If you catch the
Mondays episode,
that will be with
a local hero in
the Maldives,
looking to help
with plastic
pollution, single
use plastic
pollution and
what she was
able to do.
But today we're
going to be
talking about
orcas in the San
Juan Islands in
Washington state.
(01:03:25):
We're going to be
talking about
something, a
community B whale
wise guidelines
that was led
by whale watch
captains,
naturalists,
conservationists
from the San
Juan County.
And so we're
going to be
talking about
some of the key
outcomes and the
conservation
targets
that they talked
about. So here
was the problem
in the early two
by the early
2000s, the
(01:03:45):
southern
resident whale
orca population.
They basically
were declining in
population due to
a lack of food,
which is
an examine
contaminants and
of course, vessel
noise
distribution or
disturbance.
Before that, they
were the target
of capture in
1970s and they
just never
recovered. They
lost about half
their population.
(01:04:05):
They haven't
really fully
recovered from
that. I think it
was 60
individuals.
So this is a
little less than
half their
population that
went into
captivity.
And since then,
they've never
really recovered
and it's never
fun to be able to
have to go
through that.
So that's what
was going
on in that.
And we want to
make sure that
people know what
(01:04:27):
happens to these
animals, right?
Down to only
about 73
individuals
by 2024.
That was the last
estimate
that was taken.
And then, you
know, they're
spending less
time foraging,
you know, they're
spending less
time foraging.
They're spending
more time trying
to just be safe,
you know, be safe
(01:04:47):
and enjoy life.
And that's
really hard.
So spending less
time foraging
successfully due
to boat mascots,
their eco
location. They
are a very
pod friendly.
They're very like
close family knit
orca population.
As many of the
orcas are,
they communicate.
They use noise to
communicate with
whistles, clicks
and all
(01:05:07):
that stuff.
And that leads to
missing feeding
opportunities and
miss deleting
from like dangers
around like ships
or anything
like that.
So, you know,
having that noise
can really affect
these this
population. They
feed together.
They communicate
when they feed.
They communicate
when they do
everything and
not being able to
communicate
really
harms them.
So not having
(01:05:28):
always having
boat problems or
boats around them
that causes noise
can really
affect them.
So let's look at
the local
context here.
Let's look at the
San Juan Islands
are a hub for
whale watching
tourism actually
going out to
Vancouver in a
little bit
in a couple of
weeks, hopefully
going to do some
orca whale orca
watching then.
This industry
provides major
local income but
poses risks
(01:05:49):
through noise
pollution, too
close approaches
and uncoordinated
boat traffic,
especially when
whales are
present.
Everybody gets
excited.
Everybody wants
to see the
whales. If you're
paying to go on a
whale watching
ship, you want to
see the whales
when
they're there.
If you see orcas,
I want to see the
orcas when
they're there,
but so are
other boats.
So you have to be
mindful of other
boats and you
have to make sure
that these
animals are not
being affected.
(01:06:09):
Now, who are the
local hearers in
this situation?
It's not
necessarily an
individual. It's
actually a
collective of
whale watching
operators.
Naturalists and
marine educators
from the San
Juan Islands
decided to take
responsibility
for the problem
within their own
industry. Rather
than wait for
government
mandates,
they voluntarily
developed a code
of conduct. Now,
waiting for
government
regulations
mandates doesn't
(01:06:29):
always happen.
The wait can be
very long. It
could affect the
whale population.
So they decided
to take it upon
themselves since
they are leading
the charge
anyway. And they
said, you
know what?
We are going to
put a voluntary
code of conduct
that we that
we're going
to develop
together. They
partnered with
scientists, local
governments,
Parks Canada, NOAA and
Fisheries and
Oceans
Canada, DFO
(01:06:50):
for the federal
government. So
the key
individuals of
this group were
the San Juan
County Marine
Resources
Committee,
the MRC,
the Whale Museum
from Friday
Harbor, Sound
Watch Boater
Education
Program, and the
Pacific Whale
Watch
Association,
the PWWA,
the members of
that association.
So here was the
conservation
action. So this
guideline turned
(01:07:10):
into the B
Whale Wise
guidelines. So it
launched in the
early 2000s and
continually
updated based on
science and
regulation. The
campaign
encourages
voluntary and
regulatory best
practices for all
vessels around
whales, including
staying 400 yards
away from orcas,
speed
restrictions
within 1,000
(01:07:31):
yards, avoiding
the path of
whales as much as
possible,
turning off fish
finders and eco
sounders to
reduce noise even
further, using
whale spotting
networks to avoid
accidental
disturbances. And
the guidelines
were promoted
through onboard
education by
naturalists. They
were they were
promoted by
outreach,
(01:07:52):
promoted through
outreach to
private boaters
and kayakers and
partnerships with
marinas,
ferry operators
and dive
companies. So
you're probably
wondering like,
okay, this is a
lot of action and
it worked.
Why did it work?
Because there was
industry
leadership,
right? Always the
industry always
has to help and
make sure that
things are good.
Whale watching
companies led the
(01:08:12):
charge, reducing
opposition and
building
credibility,
community
engagement, the
local pride in
the whales and
marine ecosystems
fostered
cooperation from
boats and
residences. If
you've ever seen
videos when
orcas are found
in an area,
you'll see a lot
of people that
are just posting
it and they're
actually going to
see it. They're
(01:08:33):
taking time off
of work.
They're going out
of their way,
driving miles and
kilometers to see
these orcas. And
when they do,
they get
emotional. There
is a huge
pride in the
local community
to not only
protecting
these orcas,
but also making
sure that they
get to see them
as much as
possible and get
to know them as
much as possible.
If you saw the
(01:08:53):
interview I did
with Mark Laron
Young, you can
see how emotional
he got when he
talked about
these orcas and
just their
characteristics
and what they've
been able to do
in front of
people and how
people have been
able to catch
them doing some
pretty amazing
things. So
something to
check out.
They've also had,
were
science-based.
That's why it
worked, these
guidelines. The
guidelines were
rooted in
acoustic and
(01:09:14):
behavioral
research
on orcas.
And then there's
a cross-border
coordination. You
heard me say that
there's fisheries
notions Canada
was involved.
NOAA was
involved. Parks
Canada was
involved.
So since the
Salish Sea spans
the US and
Canadian waters,
collaboration was
key. So B Whale
Wise became a
(01:09:34):
bi-national
initiative.
That's a huge
thing. That takes
a long time to
put together.
And being able to
put that together
was really great
for this. So the
success is the
SoundWatch
program
documented,
reduce close
approaches and
increase
compliance
by commercial
operators over
the last 20
years. The
initiative helped
influence the US
federal and Washington state
legislation,
including
a mandatory
(01:09:54):
400-yard buffer
zones for boats
and orcas in 2021
and temporary
closures of whale
foraging
areas during
these times.
Canada adopted
similar laws for
vessel distance
and speed zones
in British
Columbian
waters and
tourists were
educated on board
amplifying
conservation
messaging far
beyond
the region.
(01:10:15):
This is a huge
conservation
success. There's
only a certain
amount of things
you can do to
help this
population.
And this is what
they did. And it
was industry led.
It was science
based. It was
adopted.
And then a lot of
these measures
were adopted by
governments on
both sides of the
border. And that
is cooperation.
And again,
industry led. It
all started off
with the
industry. It all
(01:10:36):
started off with
the people. The
government will
follow what the
people do.
It may take them
some time, but
they will follow
what the people
want to do.
Here are some of
the challenges
because no
project is
perfect. Some of the
challenges is private
boater compliance
remains
inconsistent,
especially during
peak tourism
months. This is
going to be a
long-term
educational
process that will
make sure that
over the long
(01:10:57):
term people will
not only be
compliant,
but also be
enforced by other
community
members. That
will be
interesting. And
enforcement
resources, speaking
of which,
are limited,
especially across
a wide marina
area or marine
area. So that's
very difficult.
But you have
people in the
water all the
time. You have
people who are
friends with
other boaters and
they make sure
that they will
(01:11:17):
behave over time.
And as long as
this continued
with this
approach, we'll
see better
behavior,
hopefully
over time.
Noise pollution
from commercial
shipping and
ferries remains a
problem beyond
whale watching
industry. Now,
there have been
some projects,
some pilot
studies really
that have worked
with shipping
industries to
reduce noise
within the San
(01:11:37):
Juan Islands
and other places
like within Puget
Sound. And so
that is still
something that
needs to be
determined even
more. So
something that we
want to keep a
close eye on, we
want to make sure
that we are
working with all
boaters,
not just whale
watching boats,
but we want to
work with all
types of ships to
make sure
that we protect
this very, very
critically
(01:11:58):
endangered
population. So
the legacy and
the next steps
for this
conservation
initiative and
project, the B
Whale Wise model
is now studied as
a template for
community-led marine
stewardship,
which is great to
see. The program
continues to
evolve with the
input of
scientists, indigenous
nations,
and the tourism
sector. And then
(01:12:19):
a growing number
of kayak guides,
drone
operators, and
paddle boarders
are also being
brought into this
fold. And the
whale warning
flying system
introduced more
recently alerts
nearby vessels to
whale presence in
real time. So the
takeaway of this
story is it shows
that local
stewards within
an industry
can recognize
(01:12:39):
their impact, can
mobilize their
peers, and can
drive behavior
change that
spreads to a
regional policy
and political
norms or
public norms.
This is something
that it's a case
of basically a
voluntary action
influencing legal
frameworks and a
small island
communities
protecting the
giants of
the sea.
It can happen,
(01:13:00):
folks. It can
happen. And we
are seeing it
happen in front
of our eyes. We
know that this is
something that
needs to continue
to be addressed,
but it's
something that we
are going to look
out for.
And I want to
make sure that we
are documenting
it, right? That's
the biggest
thing. Okay,
let's move on to
the next story.
This one's going
to be a quick
one. I saw this
(01:13:21):
on TikTok as I
was scrolling
through and I was
like, look, I was
like, you know,
when you're in
the ocean, you've
got to be
responsible and
you've got to be
careful.
There are a lot
of videos of
sharks out there
that are
beautiful videos
of sharks, people
keeping their
distance, seeing
behaviors of
sharks that are
non aggressive,
might be avoiding
sometimes
swimming away.
If they're
(01:13:41):
swimming away,
leave them alone.
If they're
swimming towards
you, take
precautions and
so forth. This is
not for everybody
being
around a shark.
A lot of times
when you see
people in videos,
they've been
around sharks for
a long time and
they know the
risks, but they
also know how to
behave around
sharks in
different types
of behaviors that
they exhibit.
If they're more
aggressive, they
know what to do.
They're less
aggressive, they
know what to do
(01:14:02):
and they know not
to prod and poke
for most part.
So you have to be
careful if you're
not somebody
who's been around
sharks for a long
time to be
careful and just
stay away and
don't touch.
Obviously, that's
something that
every scuba diver
knows everybody
should
know as well.
All right. I
wanted to just
kind of look at a
video. There's no
sound on
this video.
Well, there's
probably music on
it, but there's
(01:14:22):
no sound. It says
here shark
attacks jet ski.
And so when I see
this, I'm already
very curious of
what's
happening here.
Sharks just don't
go and attack jet
skis on its own.
Sharks will react
to
certain things.
And when I saw
this, when I
initially saw
this, I was like,
I have a feeling
this is not a
(01:14:42):
shark attack or
shark event.
So let's just
take a look and
see what this is
all about.
And I want to I
want to kind of
talk about it
right after just
what not to do
around a shark.
If you see a
shark in the
ocean, this is
obviously a very
shallow area in
the ocean, very
clear water.
You can see that
this is a shark.
And here we go.
So he's got a jet
ski. He's in and
around the shark.
(01:15:03):
He's following
the shark sharks
trying to
get away.
It's pretty big
shark and it goes
after the boat or
it goes after the
jet ski and watch
it again.
Again, moving
away from the
ship or from the
jet ski
coming close.
Yeah, you're
annoying the
shark. Let's
watch it
one more time.
You know, don't
annoy big sharks.
Don't annoy
sharks at all.
You're following
(01:15:23):
this with a loud
boat and people
just people don't
like jet skis.
And this shark
definitely
doesn't like the
jet ski. So I
want to share
that with you of
what not to
do sharks.
And that's not a
shark attack.
This is a shark
defending itself
and just be
better around
around sharks.
That's really
what it comes
down to is you
just you just
have to be better
(01:15:43):
and act better
and act more
responsible when
you're
around sharks.
OK, now we are
going to go into
I want to show
the trailer. I
don't know if I
have the rights
to show the
trailer.
So hopefully they
don't take this
down. But I
wanted to show
part of the
trailer, at least
for the David,
the David
Attenborough
movie Ocean.
He turned ninety
nine this week.
(01:16:04):
So it's pretty
cool. So here we
go. We're going
to just kind of
talk about it.
We're going to
see what this is
all about. So
here I'm actually
not going to
allow the
sound plays.
I don't know if
I'm allowed to
play this, but
this is just the
trailer. You can
go see it. I'll
link to it in the
show notes,
showing a lot of
beautiful images,
talking about
some of the
problems here.
(01:16:25):
And I'm going to
stop here because
I really don't
think I'm allowed
to play this, but
we'll see.
But anyway, what
this talks about
in this in the
movie, a big part
of this come out
of the movie
because it was
originally aired
May 8 in the U.K.
Was really about
trolley. There
was a lot on on
trolley. There
was a there was
an incident or a
(01:16:46):
scene in the
movie where the
troll shows it
actually
functioning.
And essentially,
if you don't know
what a troll is,
it is a net, a
huge net that has
an opening and
strings that are
attached
to the boat.
And then when it
is laid out, it's
got these boards
on the bottom and
those boards and
then a chain
along that is
(01:17:07):
attaching those
boards and those
go along
the bottom.
So when it gets
released, it goes
to the on the
bottom on the
ground, the sea
floor, usually in
a shallow area,
sometimes in a
deeper area.
And then
essentially what
happens is those
doors give it
weight, the
chain. And as the
boat moves, it
just scrapes
along the ocean
and the
ocean bottom.
And it just
destroys
everything that's
that's underneath
it or that's in
its pathway,
(01:17:28):
ideally bringing
fish into the net
and is catching
indiscriminately
fish or fish
indiscriminately.
It can catch sea
turtles. It can
catch dolphins.
It can catch a
lot of things.
And we just you
know, you never
know what you're
going to catch.
There have been
sea lions in
there. There have
been sharks in
there, all
different sizes,
whale sharks,
depending on the
size of the net.
And then it
(01:17:49):
brings it up and
then people sift
through it and
they get rid of
what they don't
want and what
they call
bycatch.
And then they go
and then they
leave. They keep
whatever they
want and
they leave.
But a lot of
stuff that they
throw over the
bycatch end up
dying on either
on the way up,
depending on how
deep it is or as
they're just on
the getting
sifted through a
way to get sifted
through and
thrown overboard.
So it's very
destructive
fishing. It's
(01:18:09):
something
especially
in the UK.
They're trying to
get banned
because up until
recently,
trawling was
allowed in the
marine protected
areas, which
doesn't really
protect anything
in that area.
If you're trying
to destroy the
bottom, it will
take basically a
swath of couple
of kilometers.
That's maybe 20
feet wide, you
know, something
like that. Nine,
nine meters wide,
maybe a little,
maybe a
little less.
(01:18:30):
And and it'll
just take these
strips out of the
habitat.
And if you
continue to trawl
over the same
habitat, you're
going to destroy
a lot of things.
It's not just
going to be one
pathway. It's
going to be a lot
of things.
So that's
something that we
have to be
careful of.
And that really
what's
interesting about
the movie is it
showed exactly
what happened
during the trial.
It had, you know,
the opening and
showed it
in the water.
(01:18:50):
And then you saw
a trial actually
working.
We've talked
about trials
before, but this
is really one of
the first times
that people in a
large scale
audience have
seen this type of
of incident.
And people were
not happy.
It was very
emotional.
Obviously, David
Attenborough, Sir
David
Attenborough is a
genius when it
comes to
communication,
really pulling at
the heartstrings
(01:19:11):
when you see a
scene like this
and something
that nobody
wants to see.
So I thought it
was interesting
to share.
I will be
watching the
movie is coming
out in my local
area, Burlington,
Ontario on the
24th of May.
I'm hoping
to go see it.
I'd like to
go see it.
And I will do
more review on
the movie and
what I thought of
it when I when I
(01:19:32):
come back from
that movie.
So that's what we
have for today.
That's the story.
Wanted to just
kind of let that,
you know, let
that sink in and
hope you get to
see the movie.
You've seen
the movie.
Let me know.
Leave a comment
in the in the
YouTube or leave
a comment if
you're watching
this on YouTube
down below.
And if you
haven't left a
comment before
you want to
(01:19:52):
contact me, you
can hit me up on
Instagram at how
to protect
the ocean.
That's at how to
protect
the ocean.
And that's it for
today's episode.
I really
appreciate you
watching.
Let me know what
you think of this
type of episode,
this format.
I'm going to be
going live.
Assume I'm just
practicing how to
use this.
I got to practice
how to go live.
So bear with me.
Trying to get
comfortable with
this, trying to
bring you more
(01:20:12):
science
information and
more science
stories more
often, especially
on YouTube.
So I want to
thank you so much
for joining me on
today's episode
of the How to
Protect the Ocean
podcast.
I'm your host,
Angelou, from the
True North strong
and free.
Have a great day.
We'll talk to you
next time and
happy
conservation.
[Music]
Back again for
another episode
of the How to
Protect the Ocean
podcast.
I'm trying out
again two weeks
in a row,
recording it
before I go live,
trying out this
live Ecamm
software.
But bringing you
content a little
(01:00:20):
longer of a
show today,
we're going to be
talking about
ocean
conservation
stories,
about orcas.
We're going to be talking about
what not to do
with the shark by
looking at a
TikTok video that
I found.
And of course,
we're going to be
talking about the
new movie by
David
Attenborough or
starring David
Attenborough
called Ocean.
Haven't seen the
movie yet, but I
want to cover
some of the
aspects of it,
(01:00:41):
especially
there's a
trawling scene
that I think
people are a
little
surprised up.
But it's going to
be interesting to
go over that.
So let's start
the show.
What's up
everybody?
Welcome back to
another exciting
episode of the
How to Protect
the Ocean
podcast.
I am your host,
Andrew Lewin.
This is the
podcast where you
find out what's
happening with
the ocean, how
you can speak up
for the ocean,
(01:01:01):
and what you can
do to live for a
better ocean by
taking action.
On today's
episode, we're
going to be
talking about a
lot of different
things going on.
Three different
stories.
We're going to be
talking about
David
Attenborough
finishing off the
episode with David
Attenborough.
We talk about
what not to do
with the shark by
looking at a
TikTok video.
You can do more
of those
reaction videos.
You guys find a
lot of TikToks
that are just
like, it's a little
weird to do.
(01:01:21):
You know, I don't
know what people
are
thinking about.
And then of
course, we're
going to be
talking starting
off with, you
know, an ocean
conservation
story.
Here's the thing.
I did an episode
last episode
about
conservation
stories,
especially near
shore
conservation
stories
and identifying
heroes that are
conservation
heroes.
People who are
(01:01:41):
leading the
charge for
conservation
along the near
shore, along the
coastline.
Angela
Villagomez, Alia
Haidyat, or from
the center of
ocean progress,
or from the
center of
American
progress, sorry,
talking about
ocean
conservation,
going from area
based offshore
conservation to
near shore
conservation.
(01:02:02):
Something that
kind of surprises
a lot of people,
but also is so
near and dear to
our hearts.
Because as I said
in the episode,
when you look out
from the
coastline,
whether you're on
a lake or river,
when you're on
the coastline of
an ocean,
you look out into
the water.
You want to see
clean water.
You want to see
maybe some
wildlife
out there.
You want to see
some waves.
You want to see
some habitats,
maybe some
seagrass, maybe a
coral reef or
(01:02:23):
something.
But it's always
fun to see
something
healthy.
You don't want to
see anything that
looks green, like
that's algae
related or
that smells,
or you can smell
like sometimes
you can smell
like diesel,
gasoline and sea
oil slicks.
You don't want to
see that.
You want to see
clean oceans.
And to do that,
we need people to
step up.
We need to focus
on a lot of
(01:02:43):
ocean heroes.
We need to focus
on those
community leaders
that want to help
us save our
coastlines.
And so we're
going to be
talking about one
today, one story
that I want to
cover in this
episode.
Now, this is
always
interesting
because we're
going to be
talking about
something that is
not necessarily
an ocean hero as
(01:03:04):
an individual.
I'm going to be
talking about
that next
episode.
If you catch the
Mondays episode,
that will be with
a local hero in
the Maldives,
looking to help
with plastic
pollution, single
use plastic
pollution and
what she was
able to do.
But today we're
going to be
talking about
orcas in the San
Juan Islands in
Washington state.
(01:03:25):
We're going to be
talking about
something, a
community B whale
wise guidelines
that was led
by whale watch
captains,
naturalists,
conservationists
from the San
Juan County.
And so we're
going to be
talking about
some of the key
outcomes and the
conservation
targets
that they talked
about. So here
was the problem
in the early two
by the early
2000s, the
(01:03:45):
southern
resident whale
orca population.
They basically
were declining in
population due to
a lack of food,
which is
an examine
contaminants and
of course, vessel
noise
distribution or
disturbance.
Before that, they
were the target
of capture in
1970s and they
just never
recovered. They
lost about half
their population.
(01:04:05):
They haven't
really fully
recovered from
that. I think it
was 60
individuals.
So this is a
little less than
half their
population that
went into
captivity.
And since then,
they've never
really recovered
and it's never
fun to be able to
have to go
through that.
So that's what
was going
on in that.
And we want to
make sure that
people know what
(01:04:27):
happens to these
animals, right?
Down to only
about 73
individuals
by 2024.
That was the last
estimate
that was taken.
And then, you
know, they're
spending less
time foraging,
you know, they're
spending less
time foraging.
They're spending
more time trying
to just be safe,
you know, be safe
(01:04:47):
and enjoy life.
And that's
really hard.
So spending less
time foraging
successfully due
to boat mascots,
their eco
location. They
are a very
pod friendly.
They're very like
close family knit
orca population.
As many of the
orcas are,
they communicate.
They use noise to
communicate with
whistles, clicks
and all
(01:05:07):
that stuff.
And that leads to
missing feeding
opportunities and
miss deleting
from like dangers
around like ships
or anything
like that.
So, you know,
having that noise
can really affect
these this
population. They
feed together.
They communicate
when they feed.
They communicate
when they do
everything and
not being able to
communicate
really
harms them.
So not having
(01:05:28):
always having
boat problems or
boats around them
that causes noise
can really
affect them.
So let's look at
the local
context here.
Let's look at the
San Juan Islands
are a hub for
whale watching
tourism actually
going out to
Vancouver in a
little bit
in a couple of
weeks, hopefully
going to do some
orca whale orca
watching then.
This industry
provides major
local income but
poses risks
(01:05:49):
through noise
pollution, too
close approaches
and uncoordinated
boat traffic,
especially when
whales are
present.
Everybody gets
excited.
Everybody wants
to see the
whales. If you're
paying to go on a
whale watching
ship, you want to
see the whales
when
they're there.
If you see orcas,
I want to see the
orcas when
they're there,
but so are
other boats.
So you have to be
mindful of other
boats and you
have to make sure
that these
animals are not
being affected.
(01:06:09):
Now, who are the
local hearers in
this situation?
It's not
necessarily an
individual. It's
actually a
collective of
whale watching
operators.
Naturalists and
marine educators
from the San
Juan Islands
decided to take
responsibility
for the problem
within their own
industry. Rather
than wait for
government
mandates,
they voluntarily
developed a code
of conduct. Now,
waiting for
government
regulations
mandates doesn't
(01:06:29):
always happen.
The wait can be
very long. It
could affect the
whale population.
So they decided
to take it upon
themselves since
they are leading
the charge
anyway. And they
said, you
know what?
We are going to
put a voluntary
code of conduct
that we that
we're going
to develop
together. They
partnered with
scientists, local
governments,
Parks Canada, NOAA and
Fisheries and
Oceans
Canada, DFO
(01:06:50):
for the federal
government. So
the key
individuals of
this group were
the San Juan
County Marine
Resources
Committee,
the MRC,
the Whale Museum
from Friday
Harbor, Sound
Watch Boater
Education
Program, and the
Pacific Whale
Watch
Association,
the PWWA,
the members of
that association.
So here was the
conservation
action. So this
guideline turned
(01:07:10):
into the B
Whale Wise
guidelines. So it
launched in the
early 2000s and
continually
updated based on
science and
regulation. The
campaign
encourages
voluntary and
regulatory best
practices for all
vessels around
whales, including
staying 400 yards
away from orcas,
speed
restrictions
within 1,000
(01:07:31):
yards, avoiding
the path of
whales as much as
possible,
turning off fish
finders and eco
sounders to
reduce noise even
further, using
whale spotting
networks to avoid
accidental
disturbances. And
the guidelines
were promoted
through onboard
education by
naturalists. They
were they were
promoted by
outreach,
(01:07:52):
promoted through
outreach to
private boaters
and kayakers and
partnerships with
marinas,
ferry operators
and dive
companies. So
you're probably
wondering like,
okay, this is a
lot of action and
it worked.
Why did it work?
Because there was
industry
leadership,
right? Always the
industry always
has to help and
make sure that
things are good.
Whale watching
companies led the
(01:08:12):
charge, reducing
opposition and
building
credibility,
community
engagement, the
local pride in
the whales and
marine ecosystems
fostered
cooperation from
boats and
residences. If
you've ever seen
videos when
orcas are found
in an area,
you'll see a lot
of people that
are just posting
it and they're
actually going to
see it. They're
(01:08:33):
taking time off
of work.
They're going out
of their way,
driving miles and
kilometers to see
these orcas. And
when they do,
they get
emotional. There
is a huge
pride in the
local community
to not only
protecting
these orcas,
but also making
sure that they
get to see them
as much as
possible and get
to know them as
much as possible.
If you saw the
(01:08:53):
interview I did
with Mark Laron
Young, you can
see how emotional
he got when he
talked about
these orcas and
just their
characteristics
and what they've
been able to do
in front of
people and how
people have been
able to catch
them doing some
pretty amazing
things. So
something to
check out.
They've also had,
were
science-based.
That's why it
worked, these
guidelines. The
guidelines were
rooted in
acoustic and
(01:09:14):
behavioral
research
on orcas.
And then there's
a cross-border
coordination. You
heard me say that
there's fisheries
notions Canada
was involved.
NOAA was
involved. Parks
Canada was
involved.
So since the
Salish Sea spans
the US and
Canadian waters,
collaboration was
key. So B Whale
Wise became a
(01:09:34):
bi-national
initiative.
That's a huge
thing. That takes
a long time to
put together.
And being able to
put that together
was really great
for this. So the
success is the
SoundWatch
program
documented,
reduce close
approaches and
increase
compliance
by commercial
operators over
the last 20
years. The
initiative helped
influence the US
federal and Washington state
legislation,
including
a mandatory
(01:09:54):
400-yard buffer
zones for boats
and orcas in 2021
and temporary
closures of whale
foraging
areas during
these times.
Canada adopted
similar laws for
vessel distance
and speed zones
in British
Columbian
waters and
tourists were
educated on board
amplifying
conservation
messaging far
beyond
the region.
(01:10:15):
This is a huge
conservation
success. There's
only a certain
amount of things
you can do to
help this
population.
And this is what
they did. And it
was industry led.
It was science
based. It was
adopted.
And then a lot of
these measures
were adopted by
governments on
both sides of the
border. And that
is cooperation.
And again,
industry led. It
all started off
with the
industry. It all
(01:10:36):
started off with
the people. The
government will
follow what the
people do.
It may take them
some time, but
they will follow
what the people
want to do.
Here are some of
the challenges
because no
project is
perfect. Some of the
challenges is private
boater compliance
remains
inconsistent,
especially during
peak tourism
months. This is
going to be a
long-term
educational
process that will
make sure that
over the long
(01:10:57):
term people will
not only be
compliant,
but also be
enforced by other
community
members. That
will be
interesting. And
enforcement
resources, speaking
of which,
are limited,
especially across
a wide marina
area or marine
area. So that's
very difficult.
But you have
people in the
water all the
time. You have
people who are
friends with
other boaters and
they make sure
that they will
(01:11:17):
behave over time.
And as long as
this continued
with this
approach, we'll
see better
behavior,
hopefully
over time.
Noise pollution
from commercial
shipping and
ferries remains a
problem beyond
whale watching
industry. Now,
there have been
some projects,
some pilot
studies really
that have worked
with shipping
industries to
reduce noise
within the San
(01:11:37):
Juan Islands
and other places
like within Puget
Sound. And so
that is still
something that
needs to be
determined even
more. So
something that we
want to keep a
close eye on, we
want to make sure
that we are
working with all
boaters,
not just whale
watching boats,
but we want to
work with all
types of ships to
make sure
that we protect
this very, very
critically
(01:11:58):
endangered
population. So
the legacy and
the next steps
for this
conservation
initiative and
project, the B
Whale Wise model
is now studied as
a template for
community-led marine
stewardship,
which is great to
see. The program
continues to
evolve with the
input of
scientists, indigenous
nations,
and the tourism
sector. And then
(01:12:19):
a growing number
of kayak guides,
drone
operators, and
paddle boarders
are also being
brought into this
fold. And the
whale warning
flying system
introduced more
recently alerts
nearby vessels to
whale presence in
real time. So the
takeaway of this
story is it shows
that local
stewards within
an industry
can recognize
(01:12:39):
their impact, can
mobilize their
peers, and can
drive behavior
change that
spreads to a
regional policy
and political
norms or
public norms.
This is something
that it's a case
of basically a
voluntary action
influencing legal
frameworks and a
small island
communities
protecting the
giants of
the sea.
It can happen,
(01:13:00):
folks. It can
happen. And we
are seeing it
happen in front
of our eyes. We
know that this is
something that
needs to continue
to be addressed,
but it's
something that we
are going to look
out for.
And I want to
make sure that we
are documenting
it, right? That's
the biggest
thing. Okay,
let's move on to
the next story.
This one's going
to be a quick
one. I saw this
(01:13:21):
on TikTok as I
was scrolling
through and I was
like, look, I was
like, you know,
when you're in
the ocean, you've
got to be
responsible and
you've got to be
careful.
There are a lot
of videos of
sharks out there
that are
beautiful videos
of sharks, people
keeping their
distance, seeing
behaviors of
sharks that are
non aggressive,
might be avoiding
sometimes
swimming away.
If they're
(01:13:41):
swimming away,
leave them alone.
If they're
swimming towards
you, take
precautions and
so forth. This is
not for everybody
being
around a shark.
A lot of times
when you see
people in videos,
they've been
around sharks for
a long time and
they know the
risks, but they
also know how to
behave around
sharks in
different types
of behaviors that
they exhibit.
If they're more
aggressive, they
know what to do.
They're less
aggressive, they
know what to do
(01:14:02):
and they know not
to prod and poke
for most part.
So you have to be
careful if you're
not somebody
who's been around
sharks for a long
time to be
careful and just
stay away and
don't touch.
Obviously, that's
something that
every scuba diver
knows everybody
should
know as well.
All right. I
wanted to just
kind of look at a
video. There's no
sound on
this video.
Well, there's
probably music on
it, but there's
(01:14:22):
no sound. It says
here shark
attacks jet ski.
And so when I see
this, I'm already
very curious of
what's
happening here.
Sharks just don't
go and attack jet
skis on its own.
Sharks will react
to
certain things.
And when I saw
this, when I
initially saw
this, I was like,
I have a feeling
this is not a
(01:14:42):
shark attack or
shark event.
So let's just
take a look and
see what this is
all about.
And I want to I
want to kind of
talk about it
right after just
what not to do
around a shark.
If you see a
shark in the
ocean, this is
obviously a very
shallow area in
the ocean, very
clear water.
You can see that
this is a shark.
And here we go.
So he's got a jet
ski. He's in and
around the shark.
(01:15:03):
He's following
the shark sharks
trying to
get away.
It's pretty big
shark and it goes
after the boat or
it goes after the
jet ski and watch
it again.
Again, moving
away from the
ship or from the
jet ski
coming close.
Yeah, you're
annoying the
shark. Let's
watch it
one more time.
You know, don't
annoy big sharks.
Don't annoy
sharks at all.
You're following
(01:15:23):
this with a loud
boat and people
just people don't
like jet skis.
And this shark
definitely
doesn't like the
jet ski. So I
want to share
that with you of
what not to
do sharks.
And that's not a
shark attack.
This is a shark
defending itself
and just be
better around
around sharks.
That's really
what it comes
down to is you
just you just
have to be better
(01:15:43):
and act better
and act more
responsible when
you're
around sharks.
OK, now we are
going to go into
I want to show
the trailer. I
don't know if I
have the rights
to show the
trailer.
So hopefully they
don't take this
down. But I
wanted to show
part of the
trailer, at least
for the David,
the David
Attenborough
movie Ocean.
He turned ninety
nine this week.
(01:16:04):
So it's pretty
cool. So here we
go. We're going
to just kind of
talk about it.
We're going to
see what this is
all about. So
here I'm actually
not going to
allow the
sound plays.
I don't know if
I'm allowed to
play this, but
this is just the
trailer. You can
go see it. I'll
link to it in the
show notes,
showing a lot of
beautiful images,
talking about
some of the
problems here.
(01:16:25):
And I'm going to
stop here because
I really don't
think I'm allowed
to play this, but
we'll see.
But anyway, what
this talks about
in this in the
movie, a big part
of this come out
of the movie
because it was
originally aired
May 8 in the U.K.
Was really about
trolley. There
was a lot on on
trolley. There
was a there was
an incident or a
(01:16:46):
scene in the
movie where the
troll shows it
actually
functioning.
And essentially,
if you don't know
what a troll is,
it is a net, a
huge net that has
an opening and
strings that are
attached
to the boat.
And then when it
is laid out, it's
got these boards
on the bottom and
those boards and
then a chain
along that is
(01:17:07):
attaching those
boards and those
go along
the bottom.
So when it gets
released, it goes
to the on the
bottom on the
ground, the sea
floor, usually in
a shallow area,
sometimes in a
deeper area.
And then
essentially what
happens is those
doors give it
weight, the
chain. And as the
boat moves, it
just scrapes
along the ocean
and the
ocean bottom.
And it just
destroys
everything that's
that's underneath
it or that's in
its pathway,
(01:17:28):
ideally bringing
fish into the net
and is catching
indiscriminately
fish or fish
indiscriminately.
It can catch sea
turtles. It can
catch dolphins.
It can catch a
lot of things.
And we just you
know, you never
know what you're
going to catch.
There have been
sea lions in
there. There have
been sharks in
there, all
different sizes,
whale sharks,
depending on the
size of the net.
And then it
(01:17:49):
brings it up and
then people sift
through it and
they get rid of
what they don't
want and what
they call
bycatch.
And then they go
and then they
leave. They keep
whatever they
want and
they leave.
But a lot of
stuff that they
throw over the
bycatch end up
dying on either
on the way up,
depending on how
deep it is or as
they're just on
the getting
sifted through a
way to get sifted
through and
thrown overboard.
So it's very
destructive
fishing. It's
(01:18:09):
something
especially
in the UK.
They're trying to
get banned
because up until
recently,
trawling was
allowed in the
marine protected
areas, which
doesn't really
protect anything
in that area.
If you're trying
to destroy the
bottom, it will
take basically a
swath of couple
of kilometers.
That's maybe 20
feet wide, you
know, something
like that. Nine,
nine meters wide,
maybe a little,
maybe a
little less.
(01:18:30):
And and it'll
just take these
strips out of the
habitat.
And if you
continue to trawl
over the same
habitat, you're
going to destroy
a lot of things.
It's not just
going to be one
pathway. It's
going to be a lot
of things.
So that's
something that we
have to be
careful of.
And that really
what's
interesting about
the movie is it
showed exactly
what happened
during the trial.
It had, you know,
the opening and
showed it
in the water.
(01:18:50):
And then you saw
a trial actually
working.
We've talked
about trials
before, but this
is really one of
the first times
that people in a
large scale
audience have
seen this type of
of incident.
And people were
not happy.
It was very
emotional.
Obviously, David
Attenborough, Sir
David
Attenborough is a
genius when it
comes to
communication,
really pulling at
the heartstrings
(01:19:11):
when you see a
scene like this
and something
that nobody
wants to see.
So I thought it
was interesting
to share.
I will be
watching the
movie is coming
out in my local
area, Burlington,
Ontario on the
24th of May.
I'm hoping
to go see it.
I'd like to
go see it.
And I will do
more review on
the movie and
what I thought of
it when I when I
(01:19:32):
come back from
that movie.
So that's what we
have for today.
That's the story.
Wanted to just
kind of let that,
you know, let
that sink in and
hope you get to
see the movie.
You've seen
the movie.
Let me know.
Leave a comment
in the in the
YouTube or leave
a comment if
you're watching
this on YouTube
down below.
And if you
haven't left a
comment before
you want to
(01:19:52):
contact me, you
can hit me up on
Instagram at how
to protect
the ocean.
That's at how to
protect
the ocean.
And that's it for
today's episode.
I really
appreciate you
watching.
Let me know what
you think of this
type of episode,
this format.
I'm going to be
going live.
Assume I'm just
practicing how to
use this.
I got to practice
how to go live.
So bear with me.
Trying to get
comfortable with
this, trying to
bring you more
(01:20:12):
science
information and
more science
stories more
often, especially
on YouTube.
So I want to
thank you so much
for joining me on
today's episode
of the How to
Protect the Ocean
podcast.
I'm your host,
Angelou, from the
True North strong
and free.
Have a great day.
We'll talk to you
next time and
happy
conservation.
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