{"podcast":{"title":"How To Protect The Ocean","slug":"how-to-protect-the-ocean-2010","podcast_index_feed_id":2010,"rss_url":"https://rss.libsyn.com/shows/59591/destinations/228444.xml","website_url":"https://www.speakupforblue.com/show/speak-up-for-the-ocean-blue/","image_url":"https://static.libsyn.com/p/assets/0/1/7/2/0172a388259a35a95f2e77a3093c12a1/HowToProtectTheOcean_CoverArt.jpg","author":"Andrew Lewin - Marine Biologist and Ocean Conservationist","episode_count":1990,"summary":"Dive into the Depths: Join Andrew Lewin on 'How to Protect the Ocean' – Your Gateway to Exclusive Ocean Insights! Explore the latest, uncharted realms of ocean science and conservation that you won't find anywhere else. Andrew takes you on an inspiring journey to uncover the hidden gems of oceanic discovery and initiatives. Tune in to discover how you can transform your life for a better ocean, one episode at a time. The How To Protect The Ocean is your resource to keep you informed on the latest ocean news; teach you how to speak up for the ocean; and, how you can take action to live for a better ocean. There is so much information on the ocean and the issues that are affecting it that it can be difficult to find optimism in the future of the ocean. Climate change, overfishing, plastic pollution, water pollution, and coastal development have altered the ocean in ways that have negatively changed the way we use it. The repercussions of climate change, including the ominous specter of rising sea levels, the relentless march of warming ocean temperatures, and the ominous shadow of ocean acidification, have not only altered the very fabric of our coastlines but have also conjured fie…","last_synced_at":"2026-09-26T08:23:21.814007+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/how-to-protect-the-ocean-2010"},"episode":{"title":"The Blob Hit California's Kelp. Protected Kelp Came Back Faster.","slug":"the-blob-hit-california-s-kelp-protected-kelp-came-back-faster","published_at":"2026-09-23T13:29:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/how-to-protect-the-ocean-2010/the-blob-hit-california-s-kelp-protected-kelp-came-back-faster","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/how-to-protect-the-ocean-2010","url":"https://www.speakupforblue.com/podcast","audio_url":"https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/scicon/HTPTO_-_2029_-_10_years_assessment.mp3?dest-id=228444","summary":"In 2014, just two years after California finished its statewide network of marine protected areas, a marine heatwave known as The Blob settled over the Pacific coast and stayed for two years. Kelp forests collapsed up and down the state, and sea star wasting disease wiped out sea stars on a scale few scientists had seen. For a network built partly to protect kelp habitat, it was the worst possible first test. Andrew Lewin walks through what the state learned when it checked. California's first Decadal Management Review pulled together long-term monitoring across kelp forests, rocky reefs, the intertidal, sandy beaches, and more, producing seven technical reports plus an independent synthesis from the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis so the state wasn't grading its own work. A UCLA-led study in the Journal of Applied Ecology then used nearly four decades of satellite imagery to show that kelp inside MPAs recovered better after the heatwave than similar unprotected coastline, most clearly in Southern California. The reason comes down to predators. Inside MPAs, California sheephead and spiny lobster were protected from fishing and kept urchins in check, so recovering kelp beds weren't mowed down into urchin barrens. Andrew covers the 2023 recommendations that came out of the review, how the Ocean Protection Council is folding them into California's 30x30 commitment, and why he'd like to see these assessments happen every five years instead of every ten. Thursday, the series turns to who gets heard in what happens next. Takeaways: The 2014 to 2016 marine heatwave (The Blob) and El Niño hit two years after California completed its MPA network, collapsing kelp forests statewide. California's first MPA Decadal Management Review, released by CDFW in Januar…","meta_description":"In 2014, just two years after California finished its statewide network of marine protected areas, a marine heatwave known as The Blob settled over the Pa…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":616,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/how-to-protect-the-ocean-2010/episodes/the-blob-hit-california-s-kelp-protected-kelp-came-back-faster/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/how-to-protect-the-ocean-2010/the-blob-hit-california-s-kelp-protected-kelp-came-back-faster.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}