Ocean Currents Radio Program

Guest John R Gillis, professor emeritus at Rutgers University, "bi-coastal" author discusses the many ways we have viewed the coast / shoreline in history. This significant feature on our planet has affected civilization and is in jeopardy.

Some speed interviews highlighting various topics: Seabird Die off on the West Coast of the US, the creation of the largest marine protected area in the world in the Pacific Ocean, and an update on seastar wasting disease. (Guests: Russ Bradley, Point Blue Conservation Science, Lance Morgan, Marine Conservation Institute, and Pete Raimondi, UC Santa Cruz)

Sonoma Coast resident and avid abalone diver talks about the history and pressures on abalone in CA.

Ocean Wonders Ocean Wellness is an installation at the Bolinas Museum in West Marin, CA. This show provides an overview of the exhibit and we talk with artists Chris Jordan and Isabella Kirkland who have works in the show.

The Whale Entanglement Team (W.E.T) is authorized by NOAA's National Marine Fisheries service to disentangle whales. Guest Pieter Folkens talks about how its done. 2nd half of show shares highlights from the July sanctuary research collaboration Applied California Current Ecosystem Studies effort in the Cordell Bank and Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuaries.

Learn about the fascinating science behind free diving and how divers can stay underwater for minutes at a time. Discover the benefits to free diving and varying levels of the recreational and competitive sport. Towards the end of the show we learn about the progression of El Nino for the later part of 2014 months.

The coast of California has one of the most spectacular coastlines in the world. The rocks and islands along the coast have a special designation and level of protection by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)'s California Coastal National Monument . This episode focuses on the history, ecology, value, and recent additions to the CA Coastal National Monument.

3 years after the tragic earthquake in Japan and following meltdown of the Fukushima Daiici Nuclear Power plant scientists and the public are curious as to how this is reaching the west coast of the United States. Kelpwatch 2014 is a campaign to determine the uptake of radiation in kelp up and down the west coast of the US.

3 topics: Amy Trainer of the Environmental Action Committee of West Marin talks about the efforts to monitor the usage/compliance with the state marine protected areas that went into place. Dr. Pete Raimondi talks about the sea star wasting event happening on the entire western seaboard, and 2014's San Francisco International Ocean Film Festival highlights

Tune in to hear about the Bay Area Underwater Explorers as they planned and executed a successful technical diving mission on Cordell Bank in October 2013. Cordell Bank is a rocky reef about 20 miles west of Point Reyes and its shallowest peak at 115 feet. Surrounded by strong currents and deep depths, Cordell Bank is typically not a SCUBA diving destination, but for this strong group of technical divers, it was truly an accomplishment with the thrill of witnessing unmatched beauty and abundance elsewhere.

The arts influence us in a multitude of ways. The arts have certainly expanded our understanding, appreciation, and awareness and knowledge about the ocean. I talk with 4 artists who have helped advance our understanding of the ocean through their work. Guests: Jim Toomey, Larry Graff, Cleo Vilett, Jodi Lomask

Jonathan Kathrein was just 16 at the time he endured a white shark attack at Stinson Beach, CA in 1998. The experience changed his life forever and he has become a passionate shark conservation spokesperson.

Scot Anderson, shark researcher and Ron Elliot, former urchin diver/recreational shark watcher talk about the white sharks around Point Reyes and the Farallon Islands. What are the researchers looking at and hear Ron's amazing stories of diving regularly with white sharks.

Hear passages and an overview of author Liz Cunningham's upcoming book Ocean Country. Liz travels to Indonesia, the Mediterranean, the CA Coast, the Turks and Caicos and more to discover how ocean conservation challenges are affecting real people and places right now. At the end of the show, we get an ocean update from Jaime Jahnke, Point Blue Conservation Science about the highlights from the latest Applied CA Current Ecosystem Studies (ACCESS) cruise.

When a whale dies and falls to the seafloor a fascinating community of animals take over in the deep sea. Shannon Johnson, a research technician at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute describes the process and how scientists are studying these unique opportunistic communities.

Students from OceanShore School in Pacifica, CA have been getting ready for an in depth study of the ocean for Oceans Week. Listen to students from grades K-8 ask their questions about the ocean and listen to experts' answers as we all learn something new and ponder the incredible amount of knowledge we've gained about the ocean by asking questions!

Rachel Binah, environmental, community, political activist who led the fight against oil rigs on the north coast of CA in 1988 with Lease Sale 91 and won in the short term. Hear the story and how to stay involved on this issue

Hear about the 10th annual San Francisco International Ocean Film Festival and hear from filmmakers with films showing at the festival

Listen to the introductory presentations at the Cordell Bank and Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary Expansion Scoping meeting. Presentations were given by sanctuary superintendents Dan Howard, Maria Brown, former Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey, Tom Roth, and Sonoma County Supervisor Efren Carrillo. The 2nd half of the show interviews Dr. Sarah Allen about the 2012/2013 Elephant Seal breeding season at the Point Reyes National Seashore

Guests: Lauren Wenzel-National Marine Protected Areas Center, Dan Howard, Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary, Shannon Lyday, Hawaii Pacific University We cover some terminology used frequently in talking about marine protected areas, and discuss the recent announcement of the expansion process for Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries, and finally we remember Rich Stallcup who gave countless hours of time, knowledge, and dedication to the Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell Bank sanctuaries.