Ocean Calls

Imagine if policymakers, businesses, and society had access to a virtual twin copy of our oceans to explore? This AI tool could be used to simulate realistic what-if scenarios based on scientific knowledge.Would that help protect and restore our oceans by enabling better decision-making? And what kinds of questions could it help us to answer?In this episode of Ocean Calls, we will discuss the EU's Digital Twin of the Ocean, known as the DTO. This European initiative aims to create an artificial intelligence-fueled representation of the seas. It’s expected to be accessible to the public in 2024.We’ll explore what the DTO is and examine how it can aid in combating plastic pollution, saving endangered species like marine turtles, and protecting our harbours from meteotsunamis.At the end of the episode, you’ll hear from Sex Education and Karen Pirie star Chris Jenks about his adventures growing up on an island in Scotland. Follow these links to read more about our guests:Joanna Staneva, Head of Hydrodynamics and Data Assimilation at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon research centreSimon Van Gennip, oceanographer at Mercator Ocean InternationalPhilippe Gaspar, senior scientist at Mercator Ocean InternationalJoaquin Tintore, head of Balearic Islands Coastal Observing and Forecasting System Vincent Pieriborne, co-CEO of OceanXOcean Tale from Chris Jenks, British actor and producerHosted by Euronews science reporter Jeremy Wiks. Produced by Naira Davlashyan and Natalia Oelsner.The production coordinator is Carolyne Llabe.  The sound editing is by Jean-Christophe Marcaud and the sound mixing is by Matthieu Duchaine. Our editor-in-chief is Sophie Claudet.In this episode, we include extracts from Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola commercials, as well as a scene from Star Trek (Season 1, Episode 1).Ocean Calls is produced in partnership with the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries.

Called "ticking time bombs," millions of tonnes of unexploded munitions and other relics of WWII lie at the bottom of all our European seas. In an attempt to demilitarise Europe, around 40,000 tonnes of chemical weapons were dumped into the Baltic Sea alone, according to HELCOM.Today, the war in Ukraine is threatening the Black Sea once again, exacerbating an already complicated situation.In this episode of Ocean Calls, Euronews science reporter Jeremy Wilks and his guests will discuss the complicated legacy of WWII and explore whether we can help save the Black Sea or at least make future clean-up efforts a bit easier to manage.At the end of the episode, you’ll hear a mysterious tale of the oldest and best-preserved shipwreck ever found, thanks to the unique properties of the Black Sea.Follow these links to read more about our guests:Jens Greinert, head of the Deep Sea Monitoring Research Unit at the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research in KielMarkus Helavuori, professional secretary at the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission (HELCOM)Mikhail Son, deputy director of the Institute of Marine Biology of the National Academy of Sciences of UkraineViktor Komorin, head of the Ukrainian Scientific Centre for Marine EcologyRodrigo Pacheco-Ruiz, marine archaeologist at The National Museum of the Royal Navy and The Black Sea MAP projectOcean Calls is produced in partnership with the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries.

On April 4, Ocean Calls is back for another season. This time, we’ll talk about the environmental catastrophe in the Black Sea, help you trace where your seafood comes from, and explore how AI can offer insights into everything from the pathways of plastic pollution to the lives of teenage turtles.We also have some touching, personal tales from ocean lovers like Sex Education star Chris Jenks and fresh-fish-obsessed Dutch chef Bart Van Olphen. Stay with us as we debate with experts, break down the science, and explain EU policies and action.Created in partnership with the European Commission's Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries and hosted by Euronews science reporter Jeremy Wilks.

How should the sea sound? And how does it sound if you're a fish, a dolphin or a shrimp? What are the noises made by marine animals? What are the impacts of sounds made by humans travelling across the oceans, diving deep to mine for resources, or even waging war across the water? In this episode, we hear what a happy coral reef sounds like, how Russia's war in Ukraine is hurting dolphin ears, and why slowing down ships could change everything for underwater acoustics.  And at the end, we've put together an ocean sounds quiz. Guests of this episode are: Nicolas Entrup, Director for International Relations at Ocean Care. Pavel Goldin, Leading Researcher at the Department of Evolutionary Morphology, Schmalhausen Institute of Zoology in Kyiv, Ukraine. Kirsten Thompson, population biologist at the University of Exeter in the UK. Timothy Lamont, marine biologist at Lancaster Environment Centre in the UK.Special thank you to Reef Pulse, the Laboratory of Applied Bioacoustics, Tim Lamont and his colleagues Ben Williams from University College London, Eric Parmentier from the University of Liege and Steve Simpson from the University of Bristol for letting us use their underwater recordings in this episode.Hosted by Euronews science reporter Jeremy Wilks. Produced by Naira Davlashyan and Natalia Oelsner.Sound design and mixing are by Jean-Christophe Marcaud and Matthieu Duchaine.  The theme music is by Gabriel Dalmasso. Our production coordinator is Carolyne Labbe and our editor-in-chief is Sophie Claudet. The Ocean Calls podcast is made possible by the European Commission's Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries.

Fishing is believed to be one of the oldest professions in the world, with evidence of this activity dating back to prehistoric times.According to the European Commission, in 2018 more than 150,000 people worked in the fishing industry in the European Union, but this number is declining. An ageing workforce, lack of investment, safety concerns, and sustainability challenges are just some of the difficulties that this sector is facing. In this episode, Euronews science reporter, Jeremy Wilks, discusses the future of European fishing communities with Anna Carlson, Fishery Officer for Socio-economic Issues at the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN and the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean. Our second guest is Esben Sverdrup-Jensen, President of the European Association of Fish Producers Organisations.And at the end of the episode, Captain Peter Hammarstedt, the Director of Campaigns for Sea Shepherd, shares a personal and moving story of saving a pilot whale. Thanks to Melvin van der Niet and Ton van Duijn from the STC scheepvaart en transport college, in Katwijk aan Zee in the Netherlands, and to Vicente Alfonso, from Gandia in Valencia, Spain, for talking to us about their experience as fishermen. Hosted by Euronews science reporter Jeremy Wilks. Produced by Naira Davlashyan and Natalia Oelsner.Sound design and mixing are by Jean-Christophe Marcaud and Matthieu Duchaine.  The theme music is by Gabriel Dalmasso. Our production coordinator is Carolyne Labbe and our editor-in-chief is Sophie Claudet. The Ocean Calls podcast is made possible by the European Commission's Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries.

Most of our internet traffic – our WhatsApp chats, Netflix, TikToks, Zoom calls, and this podcast, are recorded through a handful of undersea cables that are only 25 mm in diameter. The media loves telling stories about how one country could steal data from their adversary or cut their web connection altogether by attacking undersea cables. But how true are these claims? How safe are the undersea cables? Can our internet access be severed and what happens then? In this episode, Jeremy Wilks is joined by Nicole Starosielski, associate professor of Media, Culture and Communication at New York University Steinhardt, author of the book, The Undersea Network, and Jonas Franken, a researcher in the field of Critical Infrastructure Protection & Maritime and Information Security at the Technical University Darmstadt in Germany. At the end of the episode, you’ll hear about an incredible North Pole experience from a Spanish adventurer Nacho Dean, the first man to have walked around the world and swam between 5 continents.Hosted by Euronews science reporter Jeremy Wilks. Produced by Naira Davlashyan and Natalia Oelsner.Sound design and mixing are by Jean-Christophe Marcaud and Matthieu Duchaine.  The theme music is by Gabriel Dalmasso. Our production coordinator is Carolyne Labbe and our editor-in-chief is Sophie Claudet. The Ocean Calls podcast is made possible by the European Commission's Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries.

The Med is getting heatstroke. From May to August last year, nearly the entire surface of the Mediterranean was hit by marine heatwaves. Why are the heatwaves happening, what's the impact on corals and fish, and can we do anything about it? To discuss this troubling rise in temperatures, Euronews science reporter Jeremy Wilks is joined by Joachim Garrabou, Senior Researcher from the Spanish National Research Council and Emma Cebrian, a researcher at the Centre of Advanced Studies of Blanes in Spain.  And at the end of the episode renowned Swiss explorer and innovator, Bertrand Piccard, the first man to fly around the world in solar powered aircraft tells us a moving tale of his family's ocean exploits.Hosted by Euronews science reporter Jeremy Wilks. Produced by Naira Davlashyan and Natalia Oelsner.Sound design and mixing are by Jean-Christophe Marcaud and Matthieu Duchaine.  The theme music is by Gabriel Dalmasso. Our production coordinator is Carolyne Labbe and our editor-in-chief is Sophie Claudet. The Ocean Calls podcast is made possible by the European Commission's Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries.

In theory, Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) allow us to protect the ocean from human activity, conserve nature, and support the local economy - a real win-win for everyone.But many of them are criticised for being so-called 'paper parks' - meaning although they exist on government maps, in practice, there's little policing and destructive activities like trawling - which involves the use of huge net to collect everything in the water - are still allowed. So, are Marine Protected Areas working, and what can we do to improve them? Jeremy Wilks discusses this question with Joachim Claudet, a Senior Researcher and Ocean Advisor at French research organisation CNRS and Dr Purificació Canals, President of MedPAN, which is the network of Marine Protected Area managers in the Mediterranean. At the end of the episode you’ll hear from Ingrid Newkirk, the founder of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals about a special ocean creature. Hosted by Euronews Science Reporter, Jeremy Wilks. Produced by Naira Davlashyan and Natalia Oelsner.Sound design and mixing are done by Jean-Christophe Marcaud and Matthieu Duchaine.  The theme music is by Gabriel Dalmasso. Our Production Coordinator is Carolyne Labbe and our Editor-in-Chief is Sophie Claudet. To learn more about Joachim Claudet’s work follow this link. For more on Puri Canals’ work follow MedPAN. Check out Ingrid Newkirk’s Twitter account. This episode features sounds recorded at a nest of a male corkwing wrasse as part of the master thesis of Karen Bussmann, Anne Christine Utne-Palm & Karen de Jong: https://doi.org/10.1080/09524622.2020.1838324 A video of the recording set-up can be found here. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDA86zeQFnYFj05-OoeVG4A. The Ocean Calls podcast is made possible by the European Commission's Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries.

Salmon is a wonderfish – not only is it delicious, but it’s also packed with nutrients. But the Atlantic salmon that we can find here in Europe is also an endangered species. So for us, as consumers, what is a more sustainable choice: wild or farmed salmon?To explore these questions, Euronews science reporter Jeremy Wilks is joined by Åsa Maria Espmark, a senior scientist specialising in fish welfare at Norwegian food research institute Nofima, and Ken Whelan, a senior advisor at the Atlantic Salmon Trust.At the end of the episode you’ll hear from the Dutch DJ Armin van Buuren about his favourite ocean experience.  In this episode we used "Turn The World Into A Dancefloor”. Performed by Armin van Buuren. Courtesy of Armada Music B.V.Hosted by Euronews science reporter Jeremy Wilks. Produced by Naira Davlashyan and Natalia Oelsner.Sound design and mixing are by Jean-Christophe Marcaud and Matthieu Duchaine.  The theme music is by Gabriel Dalmasso. Our production coordinator is Carolyne Labbe and our editor-in-chief is Sophie Claudet. The Ocean Calls podcast is made possible by the European Commission's Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries.