How To Protect The Ocean

Off the south coast of England, about 100 kilometres out, sits Haig Fras, a granite reef covered in jewel anemones and cup corals. For years it was protected on paper, yet heavy fishing gear could still drag across it. In March 2024, that finally changed. In this episode, Andrew Lewin explains why where we fish matters as much as how much we fish, and what it takes to turn a line on a map into real protection.
Andrew breaks down the difference between midwater and bottom trawls and puts the damage shown in the recent Ocean documentary into context. Bottom trawling lands about a quarter of the world's wild-caught seafood, and the impact depends heavily on where it happens. He walks through the research on paper parks, where trawling was more intense inside European marine protected areas than outside them, and the five features that make an MPA deliver results. He also explains how England used public consultations to ban bottom-towed gear over sensitive reefs, and why the same place-based logic applies to fish farms.
The episode closes with a simple action anyone can take. The next time your government proposes or reviews a marine protected area, submit a public comment supporting rules that keep bottom trawling off sensitive habitats. Consultations count comments, and the rules written there decide whether a park is real.
Takeaways
Bottom trawling supplies about a quarter of wild-caught seafood, and its impact depends on the habitat being trawled.
Regions where less than 10% of the seafloor was trawled almost always had sustainably fished stocks.
In a study of 727 EU MPAs, 59% were commercially trawled, and trawling was 38% more intense inside them than outside.
MPAs that are no-take, enforced, older than 10 years, larger than 100 km², and isolated deliver far more fish and sharks.
England's 2024 byelaw banned bottom-towed gear over reefs in 13 more offshore MPAs, including Haig Fras.
Aquaculture now produces 51% of the world's aquatic animals. Look for ASC or BAP labels and seafood guide ratings.
Submitting a public comment during MPA consultations directly shapes the rules.
Pre-Order Dr. David Shiffman's book: "Why Sustainable Seafood Matter"
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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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A Kemp's ridley sea turtle, the most endangered sea turtle on Earth, gets swept into a shrimp trawl. It hits a metal grid, slides out through a flap in the net, and swims away. That small trapdoor, the turtle excluder device, is one of the biggest success stories in fisheries management, and in late August 2026 a US federal appeals court upheld the rule extending it to skimmer trawl boats 40 feet and longer.
In this episode, marine biologist Andrew Lewin walks through the bycatch fixes that are working and the fights still underway. You'll hear why North Atlantic right whales get tangled in lobster and crab rope, how weak rope and ropeless gear could solve it, and why the US House just voted to extend a pause on new whale rules to 2035. Andrew also explains what the dolphin-safe label on canned tuna actually covers and why dolphin deaths in that fishery fell from hundreds of thousands a year to roughly a thousand.
Every number in this story depends on someone counting. Andrew draws on his own time as a marine mammal observer to explain why independent fisheries observers matter, the risks they face, and how electronic monitoring is changing the job. This episode is part of a week on sustainable seafood. Pre-order Dr. David Shiffman's book Why Sustainable Seafood Matters using the link in the show notes.
Takeaways
Turtle excluder devices must prove 97% effective at excluding sea turtles in testing, with little loss of shrimp
A loophole for small skimmer trawl boats let turtles keep drowning; a 2019 rule requires TEDs on boats 40 feet and longer, and the Fifth Circuit upheld it in 2026
Rope running from traps to surface buoys is the main entanglement risk for North Atlantic right whales, estimated at about 384 animals
Weak rope and on-demand (ropeless) gear are the two leading fixes for lobster and crab fisheries
Dolphin-safe means no nets were set on dolphins and none were killed or seriously injured in that set
Pole-and-line, troll, and handline tuna carry the least bycatch
When you choose the gear, you choose the bycatch
Pre-Order Dr. David Shiffman's book "Why Sustainable Seafood Matters"

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
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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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
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

Connect with Speak Up For Blue
Website: https://bit.ly/3fOF3Wf
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