Rising Tide: The Ocean Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Two Cousteaus Who Want to Save the Krill Jan 26, 2026

Show notes

In the latest episode of Rising Tide: The Ocean Podcast, David Helvarg and Vicki Nichols Goldstein speak with former guests and good friends of the Ocean Philippe and Ashlan Cousteau. Philippe is the third generation of the legendary family of Jacques Cousteau and a founder of the youth group Earth Echo International. Ashlan is a former entertainment journalist who now reports on the doings of sea stars and influencers of climate. Together they’ve produced ocean documentaries for CNN, the Discovery Channel and others, written books including ‘Oceans for Dummies’ and now are engaged in an effort to protect Antarctica’s Southern Ocean. They are supporting the establishment of protected areas and opposing massive commercial krill fishing that threatens the sea life, including penguins and whales, that depend on these tiny crustaceans. They have also launched an Omega 3 algae-based supplement – SeaVoir - to provide a healthier alternative to krill (or fish) oil that they also discuss. So, a fascinating encounter with a dynamic ocean duo. Please do listen in.

** Additional Resources **

SeaVoir — Building on the spirit of the Cousteau legacy of ocean exploration and conservation. With a passion for scaling solutions to the biggest problems facing our ocean, Ashlan and Philippe Cousteau are leading the way to a healthier future.

Blue Frontier / Substack — Building the solution-based citizen movement needed to protect our ocean, coasts and communities, both human and wild.

Inland Ocean Coalition — Building land-to-sea stewardship - the inland voice for ocean protection

Fluid Studios — Thinking radically different about the collective good, our planet, & the future.

Fighting Offshore Oil Again with Richard Charter Jan 11, 2026

Show notes

In the latest episode of Rising Tide: The Ocean Podcast, David Helvarg and Vicki Nichols Goldstein speak with longtime ocean activist and former guest Richard Charter about the Trump administration’s punitive effort to open the entire California coastline to offshore oil drilling. It has been several years since their last conversation with Charter, who has spent decades leading efforts to protect America’s coastal seas.

The discussion centers on the Department of the Interior’s latest offshore lease plan, which would open Arctic waters, the eastern Gulf of Mexico, and California’s 1,100-mile coastline to drilling—despite polls showing that more than 70% of Californians oppose the move.

Charter outlines the laws this plan would violate, the growing opposition mobilizing to stop it, and the hypocrisy he sees in the administration’s declared “Energy Emergency.” He also explains why this moment may represent the “last gasp” of Big Oil, and what people in California and across the country are doing—and can do—to challenge this dangerous and likely illegal proposal.

** Additional Resources **

Save My Coast — Prepare your public comment on 11th National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Draft Proposed Program.

Blue Frontier / Substack — Building the solution-based citizen movement needed to protect our ocean, coasts and communities, both human and wild.

Inland Ocean Coalition — Building land-to-sea stewardship - the inland voice for ocean protection

Fluid Studios — Thinking radically different about the collective good, our planet, & the future.

End the Year by Refusing Refuse Dec 29, 2025

Show notes

In this year-end episode Holden Hardcastle and Nick Paz do an on-the-ground (actually on the beach) interview with Vince Yuen, founder of 'Refuse, Refuse San Francisco.' During a beach clean-up on the city's oceanfront he discusses the significance of community-led trash cleanups in protecting the environment. Vince shares how his organization started as a personal project during the COVID pandemic and evolved into a city-wide movement aimed at reducing urban litter and its impact on all waterways. The discussion also touches on legislative efforts to reduce cigarette butts and single-use plastics, illustrating how collective citizen action and policy changes are crucial for lasting environmental impact.

** Additional Resources **

Refuse Refuse - Keeping San Francisco beautiful. Organizing events and cleanup opportunities, as well as partnering with local organizations with the ultimate goal of keeping San Francisco free of refuse.

Blue Frontier / Substack — Building the solution-based citizen movement needed to protect our ocean, coasts and communities, both human and wild.

Inland Ocean Coalition — Building land-to-sea stewardship - the inland voice for ocean protection

Fluid Studios — Thinking radically different about the collective good, our planet, & the future.

Cal Maritime’s Eric Jones - His Tall Ships and Tall Orders Dec 15, 2025

Show notes

In the latest episode of Rising Tide: The Ocean Podcast, David speaks with Superintendent Eric Jones of the Cal Poly Maritime Academy, the only one of 7 U.S. Maritime Academies located on the west coast. A retired Coast Guard Rear Admiral credentialed to captain anything afloat, Eric served 13 years of his distinguished career at sea where he commanded three Coast Guard cutters including the 3-masted Bark ‘Eagle’, known as ‘America’s Tall Ship.’

We’ll discuss his early life aboard fishing party boats off California, his career in the Coast Guard, including responding to hurricanes and ships in distress and his years commanding the Coast Guard Academy training-ship Eagle including during the anniversary of the War of 1812.

We’ll also discuss changes in the U.S. maritime industry, his overseeing the integration of Cal Maritime in Vallejo and Cal Poly at San Luis Obispo, one of the state’s top technical colleges and what today’s maritime students can expect of future careers in ports and at sea.

So, check out this even saltier than usual Rising Tide: The Ocean Podcast

** Additional Resources **

Blue Frontier / Substack — Building the solution-based citizen movement needed to protect our ocean, coasts and communities, both human and wild.

Inland Ocean Coalition — Building land-to-sea stewardship - the inland voice for ocean protection

Fluid Studios — Thinking radically different about the collective good, our planet, & the future.

Peter Gros and Dr. Wynn-Grant — Protecting the Wild Kingdom Dec 01, 2025

Show notes

In the latest episode of Rising Tide, David Helvarg speaks with Peter Gros and Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant, co-hosts of “Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom: Protecting the Wild,” a show whose origins go back to 1963, when most televisions were still black and white, but wildlife was both more abundant and less understood.

Today, you can see their Emmy-nominated television show on Saturday mornings on NBC or watch it on Peacock, Amazon Prime, YouTube - so many outlets, you have no excuse not to watch it, once you’ve heard what they have to say on this podcast.

Peter Gros is, among other things, a wildlife expert, a licensed animal educator, and a 40-year veteran of the show many of us grew up on.

Dr. Wynn-Grant is a wildlife ecologist specializing in carnivore-human interactions who also focuses on expanding science communications and sustainability. A National Geographic research fellow and author, she joined the show in 2023.

‘Wild Kingdom’ is also getting saltier over time with more ocean shows on gray whales, white sharks, coral reefs, and one of our favorites, kelp forests, including their most famous residents, the voracious marine weasels also known as sea otters. So, dive in for a fun and informative interview with these two land and sea stars.

** Additional Resources **

WILD KINGDOM PROTECTING THE WILD — Get inspired by wildlife success stories on Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild! Since 2023, Co-Hosts Peter Gros and Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant have taken viewers around the world in search of the most captivating wildlife conservation wins. Watch Season 3 on NBC and stream past episodes on nbc.com. Go behind the scenes of the show with in-depth stories from animal experts on Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom The Podcast.

Rae Wynn-Grant, PhD — Wildlife Ecologist, TV Presenter, Author, Speaker & Co-host of Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild

Blue Frontier / Substack — Building the solution-based citizen movement needed to protect our ocean, coasts and communities, both human and wild.

Inland Ocean Coalition — Building land-to-sea stewardship - the inland voice for ocean protection

Fluid Studios — Thinking radically different about the collective good, our planet, & the future.

Amy Bower Cordalis and a River’s Rebirth Nov 17, 2025

Show notes

In the latest episode, David Helvarg and Natasha Benjamin speak with Amy Bowers Cordalis of California’s Yurok Tribe about her life and her new book, The Water Remembers: My Indigenous Family’s Fight to Save a River and a Way of Life. Amy, the former general counsel for the Yurok Tribe, the largest tribe in California, living along the Klamath River, shares the story of her family’s leadership in the historic effort to remove four dams on the Klamath following the devastating 2002 fish kill. She reflects on how the Yurok and neighboring Klamath Basin tribes mobilized, organized, and persevered to restore the river’s health and its wild salmon.

A co-founder of the Ridges to Riffles Conservation Group, Amy has been recognized globally as a UN Champion of the Earth Laureate and one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential Climate Leaders. This episode explores what it means to be born of wild water, to uphold a culture of world renewal, and to take real-world action to protect and restore a river, its people, and our blue planet.

** Additional Resources **

The Water Remembers — A moving multigenerational memoir of Indigenous resistance, environmental justice, and a Yurok family’s fight to protect their legacy and the Klamath River.

Ridges to Riffles Conservation Group — an Indigenous-led conservation organization whose mission is to help Indigenous Peoples protect and restore the natural and cultural resources they rely on to maintain their identity and sovereignty.

Amy Bowers Cordalis — a devoted advocate for Indigenous rights and environmental restoration. A member of the Yurok Tribe and ceremony family from the village of Rek-Woi at the mouth of the Klamath River, she is a fisherwoman, attorney, and mother deeply rooted in the traditions of her people.

Blue Frontier / Substack — Building the solution-based citizen movement needed to protect our ocean, coasts and communities, both human and wild.

Inland Ocean Coalition — Building land-to-sea stewardship - the inland voice for ocean protection

Fluid Studios — Thinking radically different about the collective good, our planet, & the future.

Ministering to Mariners Nov 03, 2025

Show notes

In the latest episode, David Helvarg & Vicki Nichols Goldstein talk with the Reverend Robert Wilkins about how his faith led him to his work with the Seafarers Ministry, serving ship crews arriving at the Port of Oakland, California. Wilkins and his team make ship visits, help crew members connect with families in places like the Philippines and Bangladesh, and check in on conditions such as time spent at sea and food quality — often doing follow-up when issues arise.

They also support mariners on shore leave with recreation, transportation, and other needs, and even coordinate doctor visits when necessary, frequently working with Customs and Border Protection to make it happen.

Each holiday season, the ministry delivers gift bags to seafarers and continues to grow its volunteer program, expanding ship visits from 250 vessels to 370 this year — supporting the people responsible for moving more than 90% of the world’s goods.

Wilkins also shares his perspective on shipping automation and decarbonization, exploring how these changes are already affecting seafarers and may reshape their livelihoods in the future.

Tune in to this insightful conversation with Rev. Wilkins and gain his unique perspective.

** Additional Resources **

Blue Frontier / Substack — Building the solution-based citizen movement needed to protect our ocean, coasts and communities, both human and wild.

Inland Ocean Coalition — Building land-to-sea stewardship - the inland voice for ocean protection

Fluid Studios — Thinking radically different about the collective good, our planet, & the future.

Andrew Zimmern's Blue Foods Oct 20, 2025

Show notes

In the latest episode of Rising Tide: The Ocean Podcast, hosts David Helvarg and Vicki Nichols Goldstein speak with Chef Andrew Zimmern — the award-winning host and producer of numerous acclaimed radio and television programs, including the Food Channel’s Bizarre Foods and the PBS documentary series Hope in the Water, which explores ocean farming and restoration.

Zimmern, who began working in the food industry at age 14, has authored several books, including the forthcoming Blue Food Cookbook, co-written with Cod and Country author and longtime Blue Frontier friend Barton Seaver.

A recipient of multiple James Beard Awards and a founding member of the Coalition for Sustainable Aquaculture, Zimmern brings deep expertise and passion to the conversation. This episode offers a rich and flavorful exploration of food, sustainability, and the future of our seas — an audio feast not to be missed.

** Links & Resources **

Pre-Order The Blue Food Cookbook — Is farmed or wild-caught salmon better? Is tuna being overfished? Do I have to worry about mercury poisoning? Is seafood high in protein? Is industrial aquaculture sustainable? How can I do anything to address the climate change and food security crises? Is it okay to eat raw fish? How do you shuck an oyster? Is frozen seafood good? How do you cook mackerel without it stinking up the kitchen?

Blue Frontier / Substack — Building the solution-based citizen movement needed to protect our ocean, coasts and communities, both human and wild.

Inland Ocean Coalition — Building land-to-sea stewardship - the inland voice for ocean protection

Fluid Studios — Thinking radically different about the collective good, our planet, & the future.

Balancing Wonder and Warning: Dr. Ben Halpern on the Future of Our Oceans Oct 06, 2025

Show notes

In the latest episode of ‘Rising Tide, the Ocean Podcast,’ David and Natasha speak with Dr. Ben Halpern. Along with being a past Peter Benchley Ocean Award winner, Ben serves as Director of the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, a research center at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he is also a professor of marine biology and conservation science. Among his numerous honors and research papers, he’s contributed to a new report published in Science magazine warning that the world’s ecosystems could be permanently altered – meaning degraded - by mid-century if the present trend in greenhouse gas pollution, industrial overfishing, and coastal development continues unabated. Ben also offers some ideas on how each of us can act in ways that can help reverse that trend. So, give a listen, learn a bit, and visit the ocean when you can.

** Links & Resources **

Cumulative impacts to global marine ecosystems projected to more than double by mid-century.

Blue Frontier — Building the solution-based citizen movement needed to protect our ocean, coasts and communities, both human and wild.

Blue Frontier on Substack

Inland Ocean Coalition — Building land-to-sea stewardship - the inland voice for ocean protection

Fluid Studios — Thinking radically different about the collective good, our planet, & the future.

Labor is for ‘Revolution’ in Offshore Wind Sep 22, 2025

Show notes

In the latest episode of ‘Rising Tide, the Ocean Podcast,’ David speaks with Erica Hammond, Legislative Director of the Rhode Island AFL-CIO. They represent most of the roughly 1,000 workers who’ve been out of a job since the Trump administration issued a stop-work order in August on the ‘Revolution’ wind farm project. That’s a 5 billion-dollar 80 percent completed offshore wind farm that was slated to bring clean power to New England next year while saving ratepayers money.

Erica talks about how groups like ‘Climate Jobs Rhode Island’ helped bring unions, environmentalists and low-income communities together to promote an energy transition for ‘the Ocean State.’ She’ll also talk about how labor and its partners including the state government and Orsted, the Danish company building ‘Revolution,’ plan to fight back against the Trump administration’s pro-oil attacks on clean energy and particularly on offshore wind. This is one you won’t want to miss.

** Links & Resources **

Blue Frontier: bluefront.org — Building the solution-based citizen movement needed to protect our ocean, coasts and communities, both human and wild.

Blue Frontier on Substack: https://davidhelvarg.substack.com/

Inland Ocean Coalition: inlandoceancoalition.org — Building land-to-sea stewardship - the inland voice for ocean protection

Fluid Studios: fluidstudios.org — Thinking radically different about the collective good, our planet, & the future.