Rising Tide: The Ocean Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Drew Harvell — Exploring the Secrets of the Sea Sep 08, 2025

Show notes

In the latest episode of 'Rising Tide, the Ocean Podcast,' hosts David Helvarg and Vicki Nichols Goldstein of the Inland Ocean Coalition interview Dr. Drew Harvell, an esteemed professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at Cornell University. The discussion delves into the recent breakthrough in identifying the bacteria responsible for sea star wasting disease, which has decimated starfish populations and kelp forests on the West Coast. Dr. Harvell reveals her journey into marine biology, highlights her research on marine ecosystem health, and discusses her influential books, including 'A Sea of Glass' and 'The Ocean's Menagerie.' Dr. Harvell emphasizes the impact of pathogen pollution on marine life, the interconnectedness of human and environmental health, and the therapeutic potential of marine organisms. The episode underscores the critical need for better ocean management and the role of art in translating scientific knowledge to foster public interest and understanding.

** Links & Resources **

Catherine Drew Harvell of Cornell: https://ecologyandevolution.cornell.edu/catherine-drew-harvell

Check out her books, Sea of Glass (https://a.co/d/41kufFg), Ocean Outbreak (https://a.co/d/ihQpRi5), and her latest Ocean's Menagerie (https://a.co/d/0R5dK53)

Blaschka Glass Collection: https://digital.library.cornell.edu/collections/blaschka

World Bank Project: https://projects.worldbank.org/en/projects-operations/projects-home

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.

Kirsten Donald — A Voice for the Ocean's Mammals Aug 25, 2025

Show notes

The latest episode of Rising Tide: The Ocean Podcast features a conversation with Kirsten Donald, a marine mammal biologist, educator, and ocean advocate with the Pacific Marine Mammal Center in Laguna Beach, California. This renowned rescue center responds to whales and dolphins in distress while rehabilitating and releasing hundreds of sick and injured seals and sea lions each year.

Before joining the Pacific Marine Mammal Center, Kirsten spent 18 years at the Dolphin Research Center in the Florida Keys, where she also co-founded and directed the College of Marine Mammal Professions.

Learn about the current state of marine mammals, the impacts of climate change, and challenges facing gray whales. Kirsten shares memorable release stories—including a group of sea lion pups who checked in on each other before re-entering the ocean—and discusses why now is the time to strengthen, not weaken, marine mammal protection.

** Links & Resources **

Pacific Marine Mammal Center

It’s Time To Save The Whales Again

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.

The War Against the Greens - Stronger than Ever Aug 11, 2025

Show notes

The latest episode of the Rising Tide Ocean Podcast features an excerpt from a recent conversation between David Helvarg and Chris Clarke of the desert podcast 90 Miles from Needles. Clarke discusses Helvarg’s first book, The War Against the Greens (1994), which was highly influential in exposing a violent environmental backlash funded by western industries such as hard-rock mining, beef, and timber. Helvarg draws parallels between that earlier backlash and today’s top-down right-wing attacks on environmental laws and agencies under President Trump. He explores how violent rhetoric and climate denial merged within a Republican Party that once championed both environmental protection and democracy. He also explains how the oil and gas industry applied lessons from the past to obstruct the growth of clean energy, and reflects on what he now believes is most effective in the fight to protect the planet’s blue world—and humanity itself. ** Links & Resources ** 90 Miles From Needles Podcast https://www.90milesfromneedles.com/ 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.

George Leonard on Trump’s Anti-Ocean Bill Jul 28, 2025

Show notes

In the latest Rising Tide: The Ocean Podcast David and Vicki talk with former Ocean Conservancy Chief Scientist and policy expert George Leonard about the Trump administration’s approach to our public seas. In taking a closer look at the BBB (‘Big Beautiful’ or ‘Big Brother’) mega-bill that Congress just passed, George breaks down many of the vital services from ocean observation and weather labs to protection of salmon, parks in the sea and public education, fishing regulation, beach pollution warning systems, deep-sea exploration and coastal management that will be gutted or terminated under this law. Listening to area experts like George you realize not only will this legislation blow a hole in the deficit and untax the rich, it will expand offshore oil drilling and put more mercury in tuna. It may even mark the end of right whales along with many of our own rights. So, tune in to hear what George has to say about Trump 2.0 policies and his major new law that treats the Ocean as little more than a gas station and a garbage dump. Also, hear what he thinks you can still do about it. ** 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.

Meaghan Brosnan – Ocean Sheriff Jul 14, 2025

Show notes

In the latest episode David & Vicki talk with Wildaid CEO Meaghan Brosnan who, when it comes to marine wildlife and protected areas, is all about the enforcement. Wildaid is a leading international non-profit dedicated to saving the world’s declining wildlife species, perhaps best known for its decade-long media campaign that helped turn China from a consumer to an opponent of shark finning. Since taking over in 2017, Meaghan has expanded Wildaid’s ocean programs 10-fold with an emphasis on putting the bad guys away. No surprise, given her 20 years of service in the US Coast Guard, much of it in the Marine Resources Enforcement program. David & Vicki talk to her about her blue background, how a non-profit can help locals enforce protection of their (more than 20 nations’) waters and much more. And of course, Blue News You Can Use.Dive in with us. ** Links & Resources ** Wild Aid: https://wildaid.org/ 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.

The UN’s Ocean Conference Jun 30, 2025

Show notes

In the latest episode of Rising Tide: The Ocean Podcast, David & Vicki bring you some of the news that other media may not have. Earlier in June there was a United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice, France attended by thousands of people including many heads of state. While a lot got done there, there was little coverage of it in the United States. That’s why Rising Tide Ocean Podcast recently talked with Mike Sutton, Executive Director of the Goldman Environmental Prize and Lindsay Gordon, head of Global Programs at Parley for the Oceans, both of whom were there in Nice. They’ll give us their impressions about what worked and what didn’t in terms of a global High Seas Treaty, new Marine Protected Areas including the world’s largest, what was said about Deep Sea Mining and what role climate change and industrial overfishing played. The changing positions of government delegations and citizen groups is also worth hearing about. So, Dive in for a lively and hopeful world-spanning discussion. ** Links & Resources ** Goldman Environmental Prize: https://www.goldmanprize.org/ Parley For The Ocean: https://parley.tv/ UN Ocean Conference: https://sdgs.un.org/conferences/ocean2025 BB NJ Deep Sea Mining Global Plastics Treaty: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBNJ_Agreement White Shark Cafe: https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/rivers-oceans/white-shark-cafe-the-mysterious-meeting-spot-for-great-whites-in-the-middle-of-the-pacific-ocean 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.

Restoring the Underwater Forest: Tom Ford's Kelp Crusade Jun 16, 2025

Show notes

In this episode of the Rising Tide Ocean Podcast, hosts David Helvarg and Vicki Nichols Goldstein welcome Tom Ford, CEO of the Bay Foundation and Director of the Santa Monica Bay National Estuary Program. They discuss Ford's journey from his first ocean encounter in high school to his extensive work in kelp forest restoration. Ford shares insights into the Bay Foundation's efforts, including restoring 75 acres of kelp forest off Palos Verdes, California, reintroducing endangered white abalones, and collaborating with commercial sea urchin harvesters. The conversation covers the challenges and successes of these restoration projects, the impact of environmental changes, and the importance of continued funding and community engagement. Ford also talks about his memorable kelp dives and the significance of creating sustainable marine ecosystems. ** Links & Resources ** Sequoias of the Seas:** An award-winning documentary by Blue Frontier. https://sequoiasofthesea.org/ The Bay Foundation:** Tom Ford is the CEO of this organization. https://www.santamonicabay.org/ Santa Monica Bay National SJA Program:** Tom Ford is the director of this program. https://www.santamonicabay.org/ UCLA Ocean Discovery Center:** A small aquarium at the Santa Monica Pier where Tom Ford worked. https://www.ioes.ucla.edu/marine/ University of Rhode Island:** Where Tom Ford studied biology. https://www.uri.edu/ Bodega Marine Lab, UC Davis:** Involved in white abalone recovery efforts. https://marinescience.ucdavis.edu/bml/about 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.

Behind the Glass – Kim McIntyre and the Aquarium Conservation Partnership Jun 02, 2025

Show notes

In the latest episode of Rising Tide, the Ocean Podcast David Helvarg and Natasha Benjamin talk with Kim McIntyre, the Executive Director of the Aquarium Conservation Partnership, a coalition of 35 aquariums working together to increase their collective impact. Along with helping revive the Peter Benchley Ocean Awards that took place at the National Aquarium in May, the 9-year-old coalition is involved in educating its members’ 40 million annual visitors around issues of sustainable seafood, climate change, plastic pollution and more. Kim talks about the changing role of aquariums as conservation hubs for the sea, marine animal rehab and release centers and how many children are transformed by their first visit to an aquarium. Plus, we’ll have our ‘Blue News You Can Use’: This week on the threat of Deep-Sea Mining that the Trump administration has just embraced. So, dive into our aquarium special. ** Links & Resources ** National Aquarium: https://aqua.org/ Aquarium Conservation Partnership: https://www.aquariumconservation.org/ The Metals Company: https://metals.co/ UN's International Seabed Authority: https://www.isa.org.jm/ New England Aquarium: https://www.neaq.org/ The New York Aquarium: https://nyaquarium.com/ Monterey Bay Aquarium: https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/ Shedd Aquarium: https://www.sheddaquarium.org/ West Coast Governor's Alliance on Ocean Health: https://www.westcoastoceanalliance.org/ 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.

Blue News and Great Diving with Rep. Huffman & Tiani Dun May 19, 2025

Show notes

Our latest episode of Rising Tide the Ocean Podcast ranges from Palau in the central Pacific to Washington D.C. After a short Blue News update with Congressman Jared Huffman in his DC office we go to the shark enhanced – not infested - waters of Palau where Blue Frontier's David Helvarg interviews Tiani Dun an underwater photographer who also organizes dive charters, part of the multi-billion-dollar global scuba diving industry. Co-Owner of Dive and More, a company that focuses its dive trips around underwater photography and more recently, marine conservation, Tiani’s also a marine biologist, surfer and drone pilot from Byron Bay Australia. So, lots to cover this episode from political resistance to Trump administration attacks on our public seas to diving with big critters in one of the world’s last best coral reef habitats and Marine Protected Areas. So, let’s dive in! ** Links & Resources ** Tiani Dun: https://www.tianidun.com/ Shiver: https://www.tianidun.com/shop/p/harvest-moon-cup-5fc72-ww9xn Eagle Ray: https://www.tianidun.com/shop/p/earth-sky-planter-4awkk-lm479-pwat8-n5rrk Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tianioceani/ Dive and Moore: https://www.diveandmore.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dive_and_more/ James Cook University (JCU): https://www.jcu.edu.au/ Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority: https://www2.gbrmpa.gov.au/ Magnetic Island, Australia: https://www.townsvillenorthqueensland.com.au/destinations/magnetic-island/ Palau's Marine Protected Areas: https://marine-conservation.org/blue-sparks/projects/palau-nms Manta Trust: https://www.mantatrust.org/ Shark Trust: https://www.sharktrust.org/ 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.

From Bay to Blue Planet: Live at SF Climate Week with Ocean Defenders May 05, 2025

Show notes

On Friday April 25 the Rising Tide Ocean Podcast recorded our show with a live audience during SF Climate Week – one of the largest climate gatherings in the world. From the downtown studios of KALW – “The Voice of the Bay Area,” David and Natasha discussed global and Bay Area aspects of the Ocean and the Climate Crisis with guests Rod Fujita, a marine consultant and recently retired director of ocean research and development for the Environmental Defense Fund and Sejal Choksi-Chugh an attorney and Executive Director of the San Francisco Baykeeper. We had a lively and informative discussion about impacts and solutions for our global seas and West Coast estuary. Our live audience enjoyed it and we hope you will too. ** Links & Resources ** Making Shift Happen - https://www.amazon.com/Making-Shift-Happen-Successful-Environmental/dp/0865719489 Heal The Ocean: https://www.amazon.com/Heal-Ocean-Solutions-Saving-Seas/dp/0865715009 Ocean Innovations: https://www.oceaninnovations.me/ San Francisco Baykeeper: https://baykeeper.org/ 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.

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