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This week I feel extremely grateful to sit down with Kristin Hoel, a project manager in the East Coast Whale Entanglement Mitigation Program for Ocean Watch Australia AND one of my closest friends. Kristin works to balance both fishers livelihoods and humpback whale conservation outcomes, describing the constant jigsaw puzzle of human-wildlife conflicts.

She shares with us about her work with a cohort of fishers to advance sustainable fishing gear and the unique opportunities for Australian commercial fishers. We discuss a range of topics regarding her work including the bias that fishers face, working with whale conservationists, fishery certification schemes, and stakeholder engagement.

In the second half of the episode we shift towards Kristin herself and her journey to her present role that she values deeply. She reflects on switching from pre-med to marine biology (in Wisconsin), roadtripping around the USA to figure out why she couldn’t land an internship, her experience in Australia during COVID at James Cook University, and now working as a marine biologist. I really loved our discussion on dealing with burnout and balancing life and purpose-driven career towards the end of this episode.

RESOURCES:

Seaspiracy critique
Marine Stewardship Council Certification

Connect with Kristin:
@ofwildseas

HIGHLIGHTS:

6:48 - How the growing humpback whale population poses challenges for the set gear fishing industries

13:27 - “They are on the water every day, they are the ones who are out there way more frequently than researchers, whale watching boats, a lot of conservationists.”

18:44 - “Finding these ways to facilitate conservations with them because at the end of the day they dont want to be entangling whales just as much as anyone else doesnt want to see an entangled whale

23:28 - The differing issue between fisheries and humpback whale entanglement in Australia versus in the North American lobster fishery and right whales

30:00 - What are some of the good and bad aspects of fishery certification schemes?

37:24 - We’re really promoting whale conservation but at the same time we’re also promoting conserving these fisheries and trying to say okay well what are ways that we can look towards coexistence”

38:10 - “I really value having like good conversations and discussions with people who dont necessarily agree with me.

41:00 how Kristin got her start in marine biology

46:28 “we’re in a terrible time in our history that people just dont get back to you if they dont want you”

58:30 “Wow…I think i’ver really found what excited me in this field”

1:05:38 “How do you stay grounded, how do oyu prevent burn out, what boundaries have you learned from your work?”

1:12:20 “What are you most proud of from the work you’ve done over the last few years?”

?? “I’m really proud of recognizing when I was so burnout that I needed to quit my job, even though I was two months away from my contract… No job is worth your mental health. At the end of the day you don’t really owe them your soul.”

1:21:38 - Rapid Fire Questions

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Dr. Asia Haines fondly calls manta rays "the gateway drug to marine conservation." Have you ever wanted to know why manta rays aggregate in large numbers in places like the Maldives? Why they are so big? What they feed on? And did you know there’s a pink manta ray?!

This week's dive into the marine world interviews Dr. Asia Haines for a peek into the lives of the manta rays along the east coast of Australia. Studying these charismatic megafauna for over a decade, Asia has focused her research on their spatial ecology and movement patterns. She is a research fellow for Project Manta, based out of the University of the Sunshine Coast, as well as for Leaf to Reef - a research group focused on the biodiversity of Lady Elliot Island on the Great Barrier Reef. The island I use to work on is known as "the home of the manta ray." Her research contributions are critical to the Important Shark and Ray Area project for the International Union of Conservation's (IUCN) Shark Specialist Group.

Get in touch with Dr. Asia Haines below:
Research profile
Project Manta
Upload your manta ray pictures (Australia only)
Leaf to Reef

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6:40 - Who is Leaf to Reef and why are they studying Lady Elliot Island?

9:10 - The truth about the pink manta ray

11:30 - The evolution of manta rays

> Dr. Misty Page-Tran article on filter feeding of manta rays

18:00 - Some of manta rays biggest threats

28:00 - Did a manta ray kill Steve Irwin?

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If there’s any scientific focus right now that feels like a constant uphill battle, it's climate change. But for dive instructor and social scientist Dr. Yolanda Lee Waters, she saw an opportunity to investigate how we can inspire climate action with the deep connection that people already have with the Great Barrier Reef. Since completing her PhD, she is now focused on communicating her research with the tourism industry, government stakeholders, and the public. This led her to found her own non-profit Divers for Climate, as a way to alleviate her own climate anxiety, and collaborate with other divers and ocean-lovers to push for collective action on climate change. A leading voice on climate action in the Great Barrier Reef, Yolanda shares her stories, lessons, and aspirations with this work on local, national, and global levels.

Cover Photo by the Undertow Media

Connect with Yolanda:

https://yolandaleewaters.wixsite.com/yolanda-lee-waters

https://www.diversforclimate.com/
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Episode Highlights:

6:47 “We have just witnessed the 5th mass bleaching event on the GBR in 8 years…how are you feeling?”

23:14 Yolanda’s journey to the reef, scuba diving, and her PhD work

37:14 The creation of Yolanda’s own climate action group: Divers for Climate

49:36 “Do you think there was a huge contrast between what youve started to created with divers for climate versus whats going on on the global policy level?”

57:05: “Whats it like being a woman, being young, being not white…when you go into those places where you feel like an imposter? How does that affect you?”

1:08:30 Sharing experiences out on the reef!

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Links and Resources:

Outlook Report: https://outlookreport.gbrmpa.gov.au/

Reef Snapshot: https://elibrary.gbrmpa.gov.au/jspui/handle/11017/4043

Guardian article: https://amp.theguardian.com/environment/2024/mar/23/great-barrier-reef-coral-bleaching-tourism-impact

Climate action groups: https://www.cana.net.au/

Girls that Scuba video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LT_-r7SFe3Y

The Undertow Media: https://www.theundertow.com.au/

Black in Marine Science: https://www.blackinmarinescience.org/

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