What We Don’t Know About the Ocean Could Cost Us Everything

0:01 Hello, hello, Michelle. All right. This is the last episode for the next week. And then Thursday, I'm hoping to get some episodes for the week after. I don't have an interview to do, but we'll probably do some ocean news ones that I'll prepare when I'm at the cottage and I'll do them when I got back on Wednesday. Actually, I have a day off on Wednesday. So we can do it on Wednesday so that you have them available to get them ready. Because I'm going to be away in Costa Rica from the 6th to the 10th, or from the 4th to the 11th, I should say. So that means I'm gonna have to record some episodes for the week after that as well. So I'm gonna have two sets of episodes for you by next week. Um so that you can do them as well.

0:43 I will have access to when I'm in Costa Rica, access to uh internet. So I'll be able to do those up. Okay, anyway, here go. What if I asked you to protect a forest you've never walked through? You don't know where the oldest trees are, you don't know where the endangered animals live, you don't even know where the rivers flow. You probably tell me you need a map first. The ocean is no different. This is the How to Protect the Ocean podcast, your weekday ocean news update. If you care about staying informed about the ocean every single weekday, Monday to Friday, hit that follow button right now on the favorite podcast app that you're listening to this episode right now so you don't miss tomorrow's story.

1:25 Welcome to part four of our series leading up to tomorrow's special interview with a DFO scientist and an educator from Ocean Networks Canada talking about one of Canada's most exciting deep sea exploration projects. It is a phenomenal interview. I want you to listen to it. And then we're preparing you to listen to it by preparing you with these solo episodes. And I can't wait to kind of recount that. So, like earlier this week, we we learned that we've explored only a small portion of the deep sea. And yesterday we looked at incredible technology helping scientists reach places humans can't. Today we're going to answer the question that that ties everything together. Why do ocean why does ocean exploration matter?

2:09 And the answer is simple, because we can't protect what we don't understand. And to be honest, we can't fall in love with what we don't know what's there. And we can't understand it if we don't know what's there. And of course, we can't protect it if we don't understand it. So it's all it's a whole thing. It's all a uh circle of life, right? Um, but whenever a new marine protected area is announced, most of us hear about the final decision. The area has been protected, fishery rules have changed, uh, certain activities are maybe limited. But what we rarely see is what's happening, but we rarely but what we rarely see is everything that happened before that announcement. Scientists spend years, if not decades, collecting information. They map the seafloor, they identify Gardens or something like that.

2:53 They locate sponge reefs, they document fish populations, they measure ocean currents, they collect water samples, they study how species use different habitats throughout their lives. Only after all of the work can and all and of course they also talk to local communities. Only all only after all of that work can the decision makers begin asking important questions. What are the most sensitive ecosystems? Which habitats are connected? Which areas support biodiversity that's found nowhere else? So endemic species. Where would protection have the greatest impact and how would it affect the local community community? How will it benefit the local community? Without those answers, conservation becomes guesswork.

3:35 With them, it becomes science. And we love science. History has taught us that waiting too long to understand an ecosystem can come with consequences. Around the world, scientists have discovered deep sea coral communities only after some had Already been damaged by fishing gear or other human activities. The challenge wasn't that people wanted to destroy these ecosystems. The challenge was that many didn't even know they existed. That's changing. Countries, including Canada, my country, are investing in ocean science because they recognize that exploration isn't just about discovery. It's about making better decisions. Canada is committed to protecting 30% by Canada has committed to protecting 30% of the ocean by 2030.

4:24 That's a pretty ambitious goal, and whether we get there or not, I don't know. But we've already hit 15%, which is great. But drawing the lines on a map isn't enough. Those protected areas need to include the habitats that matter most. Otherwise, we risk protecting the moat, otherwise, we risk protecting the wrong places while leaving vulnerable ecosystems exposed. That's why exploration and conservation are partners. One doesn't work well without the other. Think about a family, think about your family doctor. Before recommending treatment, they gather information. They run tests, they ask questions, they build a diagnosis.

5:04 Ocean conservation works pretty much the same way. Exploration is the diagnosis, protection is the treatment, and good treatment always begins with understanding the problem. Now, if you and speaking of understanding the problem, if you listen to this podcast and you want to support us by doing all the work that we do, and you want to support us for doing all the work that we do, you can go to speakupforblue.com forward slash Patreon, join one of our tiers, and you can take part of being part of the community of people who have like minds, right? We love to protect the ocean, we love to protect the environment, and we love discussing it. You can go to speakupforblue.com. forward slash Patreon to support the show and be part of a community that you have never found before.

5:48 So it is always great. All right, let's get back to the show. Cause like maybe you're thinking like I don't live near the deep ocean, right? Nobody really does. Why should I care about underwater canyons off British Columbia? Like why should I care about hydrothermal vents? Because healthy oceans benefit us all. Deep sea ecosystems help regulate the Earth's climate. They support biodiversity. They influence They influence fisheries that feed communities. They contribute to the health, they contribute to the health of marine, they contribute to the health of marine food webs that connect oceans across the globe. And perhaps most importantly, they remind us how much there still is to learn about our planet.

6:29 One of my favorite things about ocean science is that every expedition begins with uncertainty. Scientists, head down, scientists don't, scientists don't Scientists head down, not expecting to confirm what they already know. They are hoping to find something new. Sometimes they discover species. Sometimes they discover an ecosystem nobody expected. Sometimes they realize their assumptions were completely wrong. That's how science moves forward. Not by pretending to all not by pretend not by pretending to have all the answers, but by asking better questions. Tomorrow, you're gonna hear from people doing exactly that. Scientists, educators, and explorers working together to better understand Canada's deep sea Pacific Ocean.

7:15 They'll talk about technology, the discoveries, the partnerships, the excitement of exploring places few people have ever seen. And I hope this week's series has done one thing. I hope that instead of hearing about tomorrow's interview as conversation about robot ships or maps, you'll hear it as a conversation about understanding our planet well enough to protect it. Because that's what exploration is really about. Not just discovering new places, helping us make better decisions about the places we already depend on. Ocean exploration isn't separate from conservation. It's the foundation that allows us to protect the right places for the right reasons before they're lost.

7:59 I want to thank you for joining me on today's episode. And don't forget, tomorrow, don't miss our special invitation. And tomorrow, don't And tomorrow don't miss our special invit and tomorrow don't miss our special interview with the team behind one of Canada's most exciting deep sea exploration initiatives. That's it for today's episode. If you want to support the podcast, you go to speakupforblue.com forward slash Patreon. Don't forget to follow the podcast and tune in tomorrow for the interview talking about more about the deep sea. We've been preparing you for the f this these last four episodes. I hope you enjoyed it. I'm your host, Angela. Have a great day. We'll talk to you next time and happy conservation.

8:41 Okay, Michelle, that is it. Thank you so much. And uh we'll talk to you soon. So just to go over it, Monday and Tuesday's episode, I'm gonna have the show notes already done. Um, I may have, if I can get the other ones done, I'll I'll do all four. Uh and then so all you have to do is just look for it on Libsyn and just add that, uh add that um, whatchall it? Oh, shoot. Add that The MP three file. Yeah. Just add this MP three file right in there. Okay. All right. Cool. Thanks a lot. Talk to there. Bye.