The WeWhale Pod – Details, episodes & analysis

This special panel episode of The WeWhale Pod focuses on the problem of ghost gear in our waters and ways to combat it. Our guests are:

• Harry Dennis and Gavin Parker, co-founders of Waterhaul, a social enterprise based in Cornwall in the UK that recycles abandoned marine nets into high quality products
• Sophie Lewis, Interim CEO of the World Cetacean Alliance
• Tom Mustill, biologist turned filmmaker and author of How to Speak Whale: A Voyage into the Future of Animal Communications. Tom is also an Ambassador for the World Cetacean Alliance.  

The panel chats about what ghost gear is and how it affects whales and other wildlife all over the planet. Every year, hundreds of thousands of cetaceans are trapped in ghost gear — lost or discarded fishing equipment that drifts through our oceans like a deadly web.
 
The guests also discuss the process of disentanglement and how changes in the fishing industry (namely a move to plastic gear in recent decades) have contributed to the global problem of ghost gear. 

In September 2023, a humpback whale became entangled in fishing gear in Algoa Bay, South Africa, and was fighting for his life. Thankfully, after a rescue operation, he was freed and able to swim away. The ghost gear was recovered and through collaborative links with the World Cetacean Alliance, made its way to Waterhaul, which saw an opportunity to create something unique from this near-tragedy.

A limited range of sunglasses, made from this recovered ghost gear, is available to purchase. You can check them out, along with more about the rescue operation, on the Waterhaul website. 

And learn more about the World Cetacean Alliance. 

Find out more about WeWhale at wewhale.co and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Our guest for this episode of The WeWhale Pod is Patrick Dykstra, wildlife filmmaker and TV presenter, who has for many years travelled the globe, diving with whales and learning more about their behaviours. 

He tells us how seeing an exhibit of a blue whale at the Smithsonian Museum at the age of 16 inspired his love of whales and the ocean. And how he transited from being a corporate lawyer to becoming a wildlife filmmaker and TV presenter.

Patrick also talks about his work as a cinematographer on Blue Planet 2, and how he almost got hit by a humpback whale while filming! And he explains how his film, Patrick and the Whale, was prompted by a close encounter with a sperm whale in Dominica.

You can find out more about Patrick's work on Instagram. 

Find out more about WeWhale at wewhale.co and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Our guest for this episode of The WeWhale Pod is Nadea Nabilla, Co-founder of Azura Indonesia. 

The initiative focuses on converting traditional Indonesian fishing boats to being 100% solar powered, which is more sustainable, environmentally friendly and cost effective than using combustible engines. 

Nadea, who first studied electronic engineering, is also a passionate advocate for our ocean, and has a huge love of scuba diving.

You can find out more about Nadea's work on Instagram. 

Find out more about WeWhale at wewhale.co and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Our guest for this episode of The WeWhale Pod is Jennifer Lonsdale.

Jennifer is a co-founder of the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), an international NGO that investigates and campaigns against environmental crime and abuse.

Jennifer has close to 40 years’ experience working in the field, particularly focused on and leading the organisation’s Ocean Campaign. In 2016, she was awarded an OBE for services to the environment, particularly the protection of whales and dolphins. 

Amongst the topics, Jennifer talks about how her early childhood in Uganda informed her love of wildlife, how she got involved in witnessing and documenting whale hunts in Norway and the Faroe Islands and how the investigative work of the EIA has helped to create public awareness and to effect change.

You can find out more about EIA's work on its website.

Find out more about WeWhale at wewhale.co and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Our guest for this episode of The WeWhale Pod is Alex Lewis. 

Alex is a co-founder of Fins and Fluke, a cetacean advocacy non-profit established in 2012 which particularly focuses attention on the plight of captive whales and dolphins. 

Amongst the topics, Alex talks about how watching the documentary The Cove moved her to become an anti captivity activist for whales and dolphins and how social media is a valuable tool to spread the word about the plight of captive cetaceans. 

She also chats about how marine parks in the U.S. are seeing their entry numbers drop, as public sentiment continues to change. And she says, "I cannot wait to see them close their doors forever!"

You can find out more about Fins and Fluke's work on its Facebook and Instagram pages:
https://www.facebook.com/FinsAndFluke
https://www.instagram.com/finsandfluke/

Find out more about WeWhale at wewhale.co and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Our guest for this episode of The WeWhale Pod is Femke den Haas, Indonesia Campaign Director for Ric O’Barry’s Dolphin Project.

Amongst the topics, Femke talks about being fascinated by dolphins and any creatures living in the ocean whilst growing up, her work with wildlife rescue groups around the world and the important rehabilitation and rescue work for dolphins taking place in Indonesia. 

You can find out more about Femke and her colleagues' work on the Dolphin Project website. 

Find out more about WeWhale at wewhale.co and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Our guest for this episode of The WeWhale Pod is Dr Mariano Sironi, Scientific Director of the Instituto de Conservación de Ballenas (ICB) and marine biologist. 

The Instituto is a non-profit organisation headquartered in Argentina with the purpose of protecting whales and their environment through research and education.  

Amongst the topics, Mariano talks about the Southern Right Whale research programme that began in the Peninsula Valdes in 1971, what drew him to working with whales and some of his memorable interactions with whales over the years.

You can find out more about Mariano and his colleagues' work on the Instituto de Conservación de Ballenas website.

Find out more about WeWhale at wewhale.co and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Marine biologist and science communicator Áine-lisa Shannon joins us for a chat in this episode of The WeWhale Pod. 

Amongst the topics, Áine-lisa talks about how she connected with the ocean growing up in the West of Ireland and how there has definitely been a lot more public awareness of ocean sustainability and cetaceans in the last few years. 

And why you'll always find her by the sea, whether that's scuba diving, kayaking, surfing (which she says she isn't great at but enjoys!) or just reading a book.

You can find out more about Áine-lisa's work on her Instagram page.

Find out more about WeWhale at wewhale.co and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Harry Eckman, CEO of the World Cetacean Alliance, joins us for a chat for the first episode of the WeWhale Pod. 

Harry is an international animal welfare specialist with more than 20 years' experience and has been CEO Of the World Cetacean Alliance (WCA) since May 2021. 

The WCA is a non-profit organisation whose vision is "a world where cetaceans are free, where oceans thrive, and where communities care." 

Amongst the topics, Harry talks to us about his path into working in animal welfare and protection, the varied work of the World Cetacean Alliance, the greatest threats to whales and how we can work together to ensure they are protected and free in our oceans.

You can find out more about the WCA's work at worldcetaceanalliance.org

Find out more about WeWhale at wewhale.co and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Our guest for this episode of The WeWhale Pod is Terry Wolkowicz, Co-Founder and Educational Director of non profit organisation Sound Explorations.

Terry, who is based in New Bedford, Massachusetts, talks about the educational mission of the organisation. She also dives into one project in particular, Whales in Motion: A Musical and Sculptural Experience for the Blind and Visually Impaired.

It combines tactile sculptures and live performance by musicians to facilitate blind and visually impaired people understanding and experiencing how whales move through the water and how they forage.

Terry also chats about the work going on in her local area to help Northern Atlantic right whales migrating off the coast of Massachusetts,  and the children's book she co-wrote with colleague David McKenzie called 'Right Whale, Wrong Letter'. 

She also describes having the opportunity to help researchers to tag humpback whales and how that experience deeply changed her.

You can find out more about the work of Sound Explorations on their website, www.soundexplorations.org. 

Find out more about WeWhale at wewhale.co and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.