Podcasthon: IWDG and IWT

The image shows a promotional banner for "Podcasthon," a global charity event featuring thousands of podcasts over 7 days from March 15-21, 2025. Two podcast hosts wearing headphones are smiling and recording, with one person having curly hair and wearing an orange and blue striped shirt, and another with a shaved head. The banner has a purple and blue gradient design with the Podcasthon logo in the top left. There's a call-to-action button saying "Sign up my podcast!" and the website podcasthon.org is listed at the bottom. The banner also shows logos for sponsors or partners including "POSITIVE" and "tgs."

https://open.spotify.com/episode/429ZzIcs28IofOAqOeQSfl Irish Whale and Dolphin Group and Irish Wildlife Trust.This episode is part of the global Podcasthon initiative, in which podcasters worldwide dedicate one episode to their chosen charity. To maximise impact, all episodes are published in a single week. I’m showcasing two of the most influential Irish environmental charities: the Irish Whale and Dolphin … Continue reading Podcasthon: IWDG and IWT

196: Offshore Wind and Marine Mammals with Stephen Comerford

The image shows an offshore wind farm with multiple white wind turbines arranged in a line across the horizon. The turbines are installed in the sea, with their bases partially submerged in the grey-blue water. The sky above is overcast with a light grey cloud cover, creating a moody atmosphere. Each turbine has three blades and appears to be of significant size, standing tall above the water's surface. The turbines are evenly spaced and extend across the entire width of the frame, demonstrating the scale of the offshore wind energy installation. Image by Julia Schwab from Pixabay

https://open.spotify.com/episode/4w1wJAISQyArnmmUCCOMOX Are offshore wind farms detrimental to marine mammals? What happens when we industrialise our seas with massive turbines? Can we balance the urgent need for renewable energy with protecting marine life? These questions take centre stage in our conversation with marine ecologist Dr Stephen Comerford, who is the ORE Marine Biodiversity Officer at the … Continue reading 196: Offshore Wind and Marine Mammals with Stephen Comerford

155: Sixgill Sharks and Flapper Skates with Patrick Collins

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2UIa2oFpfoziARVPaq54Wb?si=ca5c25e2ef6c42e5 The sixgill shark (Hexanchus griseus) is the largest of the Hexanchiformes order of sharks, the most primitive living sharks, sometimes called “fossil sharks”. The sixgill, sometimes known as the blunt nose sixgill or cow shark, can grow to over 6 metres (20 feet) in length and weigh over a tonne. What’s interesting is that … Continue reading 155: Sixgill Sharks and Flapper Skates with Patrick Collins

Episode 123: MPA Management Plans with Amie Williams, David Stevenson and PJ Maguire

https://open.spotify.com/episode/3IXBYEWBF5V3sVjvhSE2LR?si=d8941ac625ae447f A Marine Protected Area (MPA) designation is one of the most potent tools for protecting a wide range of marine habitats. A layman interested in marine conservation might think that an MPA would be completely excluded from any activities, either commercial or recreational. The reality is much more complex and, depending on what any … Continue reading Episode 123: MPA Management Plans with Amie Williams, David Stevenson and PJ Maguire

Episode 120: Seabed Habitat Mapping with Alex Callaway, Chris McGonigle, Andy Wheeler and Ger Summers

https://open.spotify.com/episode/5vA5Mtc0xkT8lQY40mRCeq?si=mtK0a591R6aH11YHtHIXJw Once again I have the pleasure to host scientists from the MarPAMM project. This time we discuss the Seabed Habitat Mapping and Modelling work package. Our guests are Dr Alex Callaway from the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (who was our guest on episode 104), Dr Chris McGonigle from the School of Geography and Environmental … Continue reading Episode 120: Seabed Habitat Mapping with Alex Callaway, Chris McGonigle, Andy Wheeler and Ger Summers

Episode 113: Coastal Processes with Melanie ​​Biausque and Edoardo Grottoli

https://open.spotify.com/episode/5AsJV4IEuGwk8peKb5WDPe?si=fb75701895ea44ad If you are a sea angler or just like to walk your dog on the beach, you might have noticed how the coastline changes from year to year. Some of us who have frequented the same spots for years might even have noticed changes that have occurred over a greater time span. Sometimes up … Continue reading Episode 113: Coastal Processes with Melanie ​​Biausque and Edoardo Grottoli

Episode 104: Project MarPAMM with Naomi Wilson, Anuschka Miller and Alex Callaway

https://open.spotify.com/episode/27mvQDhubFAyekIPimTY7Q?si=0YOSz-ndQjmN1ZGi9a80FQ&dl_branch=1 Conservation of the marine environment is prominently featured in many episodes of my podcast. Regular listeners have heard on many occasions the opinion that marine protected areas, or MPAs for short, is where it’s at. But as always in these cases, if you start digging and asking questions everything is more difficult than it … Continue reading Episode 104: Project MarPAMM with Naomi Wilson, Anuschka Miller and Alex Callaway

Episode 84: Basking Sharks with Natasha Phillips and Amy Garbett

https://open.spotify.com/episode/6oZ1nb1zZW0XsI6hh2t8t4?si=FrMVWk9qQleyktw1DrudkA&dl_branch=1 In this episode, I had the pleasure to talk once again with scientists from SeaMonitor project. This time our guests were Dr Natasha Phillips and Dr Amy Garbett. Our conversation was focused on Basking Sharks but while at it we discussed a whole range of other subjects as well, like genetic connectivity, biotelemetry and … Continue reading Episode 84: Basking Sharks with Natasha Phillips and Amy Garbett

Episode 83: Tracking Seals with Sam L Cox

https://open.spotify.com/episode/64FAUWZlvfYGafuZtHffjC?si=L7w_wwAeRgK5LGEU6SpFmg&dl_branch=1 This is yet another episode of the podcast where we talk about seals. This time I hit you with a healthy dose of unbiased, evidence-based knowledge. Actually, that’s not me doing the hitting but our guest Dr Sam L Cox who is a quantitative ecologist and researcher for the SeaMonitor project. In our conversation, … Continue reading Episode 83: Tracking Seals with Sam L Cox

I Found a DEAD DOLPHIN | Here’s What to Do

https://youtu.be/fiE_JXnqzqE After the recent storms, I took a walk along the nearby beach and found a carcass of a dolphin beached by the stormy sea. Sadly in recent years, an unusually high number of common dolphins are being washed ashore in this part of the world. I might devote a separate video or podcast to … Continue reading I Found a DEAD DOLPHIN | Here’s What to Do