Connect with us
background

Marine Life & Conservation

An Interview with Marine Biologist and TV Presenter Maya Plass

Published

on

MAYA PLASS – Marine Biologist – TV Presenter – Conservationist

Maya-Plass

Born Maya Plass in Kent in 1978, her early childhood was often spent in and around the Kentish rivers examining minnows and sticklebacks. As nature would have it, Maya’s world would follow the rivers out to sea when she was brought to live on the Wirral. Trips to Hilbre Island with her biology-teaching mother would enchant Maya as she explored the colourful rock pools and marvelled at the birds and seals. Inevitably, the long days spent absorbing the wonders of the coast – coupled with a passion for natural history and the great outdoors – led Maya to pursue a career in marine biology.

Her aquatic fate was set when Maya moved to Devon to study for a BSc Marine Biology and Coastal Ecology, later followed by an MSc Integrated Coastal Zone Management in Bournemouth. The incredible beauty of the underwater world – the life stories of the inhabitants, the amazing diversity of food provided by the sea and the coastal, historical, ecological and mythical stories which make the seas so very important to our society, never ceases to amaze her.

Professionally, Maya’s career began as project officer in coastal Argentina, and later on a European project on the Exe Estuary, as she developed sustainable coastal management projects. In 2007, Maya fulfilled her lifetime ambition of sharing her love for the sea when she set up her own marine education business – Learn to Sea.

Learn to Sea enabled her to share her passion and knowledge of the sea within workshops for both children and adults. This led to several trips and projects across the UK’s coasts and abroad – including a life-changing trip to the World Heritage Site Midway Atoll – which inspires much of Maya’s workshop content. In 2009, Maya was invited to work with the BBC Spring/Autumnwatch team as a contributor, and has returned as a regular guest presenter. The experience of filming highlighted a potential outlet for Maya to ‘use’ the magic of modern media to inspire, inform and educate. She has since been seen on BBC Coast and ITV’s Hungry Sailors.

In 2011 through the powers of twitter, Maya had the chance to follow her dreams of writing a seashore book – inspired by her collection of new and old seashore guides. The RSPB Handbook of the Seashore (published May 2013 by Bloomsbury) is full of incredible facts, stunning pictures, exquisite illustrations and the beloved creatures that Maya knows so well.

Maya’s passion for marine conservation and campaigning had led her to raise money for charity in long distance open water swims, rowing lengths of the Thames and even triathlons. This dedication to marine conservation includes her role as patron for three fantastic charities – Sea-changers, MARINElife and Mires Mor. (http://www.mayaplass.com/bio.html)

 

Jeff:

I asked Maya why she felt marine conservation was so important and why more people should take an interest or even care about what was happening in the world’s oceans?

 

Maya:

Sadly we have stopped recognising our natural world as something of value. We wonder why we need to encourage marine conversation and this is all, in my opinion, down to a lack of connection with our marine environment. The sea is, at times, seen as a separate entity to our terrestrial lives and we forget or are not taught that it is the lungs that keep our global system healthy. The sea provides us with atmospheric oxygen from plankton and absorbs (too much) carbon dioxide from our exorbitant and consumer based lifestyles. Our oceans play a part in our global weather systems, provide us with protein, and are a means of transporting goods, a living lab which has cures for medical conditions, a source of economy and a vast and wonderful playground for all manner of water sports including diving. Why wouldn’t we want to protect our seas and oceans? There are just a few reasons why we must protect our seas…apart from them being utterly beautiful!

 

Jeff:

Are there any aspects of marine conservation that are more important to you than others?

 

Maya:

As vast as the seas and oceans are so too are the issues which threaten our marine environment. There are many conservation drives that play a vital role in encouraging marine conservation. This might range from beach cleans to trying to change government policy on pollution from industry. Beyond all of these issues the foundation of change will always be from knowledge and understanding. If we are really to expect marine conservation to happen the very first thing we need to tackle is marine education. Why as an island nation do we learn so little about the role our seas have to play on our lives in land? Marine education has the potential for being the biggest catalyst for marine conservation. If you ask the vast majority of children where oxygen comes from they say the trees despite more than half of our oxygen coming from plankton in the sea. The teachers or children rarely know this fact and this is something that needs changing in order for us to promote an appreciation of the sea.

 

 

Jeff:

Do you feel that enough is being done by local authorities, conservation departments and even governments to protect the future of our marine environment?

 

Maya:

Simply put – no. There are some people trying very hard to improve our future which they recognise relies on coastal and ocean health. We are all responsible in helping achieve this goal.  We all have the power at our fingertips to make a difference. We don’t have to be government policymakers or work for conservation groups to make commitments to ensure the safety of our seas. If we all make a concerted effort we will be closer to that tipping point of change.

 

Jeff:

What more can be done?

 

Maya:

Where to begin? We need to consume less in all areas. The less we buy, the less fuel is used in transport and the less carbon dioxide in our atmosphere which will acidify our oceans and make them uninhabitable for species. I think we need to replace this lust for “stuff” with a pursuit of simple pleasures in the great outdoors. It could be sport or simply enjoying nature and the natural world. This needs to be encouraged from an early age. We need to be conscious of where we source our purchases and of the company’s codes of practise and question their environmental codes. This isn’t always easy and nobody is perfect but the more we try the closer we are to creating solutions to environmental degradation.

 

Jeff:

Do you think there is enough attention paid to conservation in our school education systems?

 

Maya:

Having seen recent discussions about curriculum removing terms like, “climate change” from the geography curriculum I think more concerted effort is needed to educate the next generation. This doesn’t have to be doom and gloom future scenarios but ensuring children get into good habits and practices through their lessons at school, outdoors education and how the school encourages ecological practise within its walls. This is easier said than done when schools and teachers are under huge pressure from financial cuts and growing pressure of reports and documentation. This isn’t just about Forest School but also encouraging marine education laid out within the curriculum.

 

Jeff:

If anybody was concerned about their local marine area or wanted to protect certain species, what advice would you give them on where to start?

 

Maya:

They could get involved in government consultation on marine planning which they could look up through their local council. Coastal counties will have an environment department that they could contact. The internet is always a great source of information to see what could be done and what is being done in a certain area. They could even approach local marine organisations and groups to see if they already have any projects which match your concerns. I think the key thing is to share your passion and dedication with others so they too might become enthusiastic to support your concerns. The more we talk about the sea the better!

Jeff is a multiple award winning, freelance TV cameraman/film maker and author. Having made both terrestrial and marine films, it is the world's oceans and their conservation that hold his passion with over 10.000 dives in his career. Having filmed for international television companies around the world and author of two books on underwater filming, Jeff is Author/Programme Specialist for the 'Underwater Action Camera' course for the RAID training agency. Jeff has experienced the rapid advances in technology for diving as well as camera equipment and has also experienced much of our planet’s marine life, witnessing, first hand, many of the changes that have occurred to the wildlife and environment during that time. Jeff runs bespoke underwater video and editing workshops for the complete beginner up to the budding professional.

Blogs

Evolution of Manatees in Florida

Published

on

manatee

Op-ed by Beth Brady, PhD, Senior Science and Conservation Associate, Save the Manatee® Club

Recent news articles and broadcasts have claimed that manatees are not native to Florida or only arrived on Florida’s west coast in the 1950s. These claims, based on limited anthropological records, point to where manatees were historically exploited by humans and assume that a lack of evidence means manatees were absent from certain areas. However, absence of evidence is not evidence of absence—it’s like looking for stars in the daytime; just because you can’t see them doesn’t mean they’re not there. Moreover, genetic and fossil evidence indicate manatees have been present in Florida for the last 12,000 years.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), which manages Florida manatee populations, has created a manatee timeline highlighting key dates and notable information about manatee presence in Florida (https://myfwc.com/education/wildlife/manatee/timeline/). Historical records suggest that manatees have been observed in Florida as far back as the 1500s, with some details presented by the Florida Fish and Wildlife timeline aligning with evidence presented in the publication.

manatee

Manatee species, such as the African manatee and the Antillean manatee, continue to be poached by humans (Marsh et al., 2022). As a result, these species are difficult to observe in the wild and may adapt by foraging at night to avoid human encounters (Rycyk et al., 2021). This behavior could help explain why historical Florida manatee populations that were hunted by humans are absent from middens and rarely mentioned in historical accounts.

Further, the publication only briefly touches on the paleontological record and genetic evidence, which indicate that manatees have existed in Florida for a much longer period. Fossil and genetic evidence reveal a rich history of manatees in Florida. Manatees belong to the order Sirenia, which includes the Amazonian, African, and West Indian manatee species. While Sirenian fossils have been found globally, only Florida and the Caribbean contain specimens from every epoch over the past 50 million years (Reep and Bonde, 2006). The modern manatee, as we know it, emerged in the Caribbean about 2 million years ago (Domning, 1982).

The evolution of manatees during the Pleistocene epoch provides valuable insights into how environmental changes shaped their distribution and genetic diversity. During the Pleistocene epoch (2.59 million to 11,700 years ago), there were roughly 20 cycles of long glacial periods (40,000–100,000 years) followed by shorter interglacial periods lasting around 20,000 years. At the start of these warmer periods, Caribbean manatees migrated northward with the warming waters (Reep and Bonde, 2006). Water currents and thermal barriers isolated these manatees from populations in Mexico and the Caribbean, leading to genetic divergence. Fossil evidence indicates that Trichechus manatus bakerorum lived in Florida and North Carolina about 125,000 years ago but did not survive the last glacial period, which began 100,000 to 85,000 years ago (Domning, 2005). This subspecies was eventually replaced by modern Florida manatees.

This evolutionary theory is further supported by genetic evidence. Research indicates that Florida manatees trace their evolutionary origins to Caribbean ancestors that migrated northward over the past 12,000 years (Garcia-Rodriguez et al., 1998). A 2012 study by Tucker et al. reinforces this theory, showing higher genetic diversity in manatees on Florida’s west coast compared to those on the east. Over time, core populations migrated northward, with some groups moving south and east along the Florida coastline before heading north along the Atlantic. This migration pattern left the west coast population with greater genetic diversity, while the east coast population retained only a smaller subset. These findings suggest that the founding population of Florida manatees—arriving approximately 12,000 years ago—originated along Florida’s southwestern coast, which became the center of the state’s manatee population (Reep and Bonde, 2006). The process of vicariance further supports this hypothesis; as geographic and ecological barriers emerged, they likely isolated the Florida manatee populations from their Caribbean ancestors. This isolation likely limited migration back and forth between regions, fostering the establishment of local populations in southwestern Florida.

manatee

Manatees are not only a cherished symbol of Florida’s natural heritage but also a species with deep evolutionary and historical ties to the region. In sum, despite recent claims questioning their nativity, extensive fossil and genetic evidence confirms that manatees have been present in Florida’s waters for thousands of years, with ancestors dating back over 12,000 years. We agree with the authors of the published article that protecting these iconic creatures and their habitats is essential to preserving Florida’s unique ecological identity for future generations

Beth Brady is the Senior Science and Conservation Associate at Save the Manatee Club whose work focuses on manatee biology and conservation. She has her PhD from Florida Atlantic University and her Master’s in Marine Science from Nova Southeastern University.

savethemanatee.org

Continue Reading

Marine Life & Conservation

Paul Watson Released as Denmark Blocks Japan’s Extradition Bid

Published

on

paul watson

Renowned anti-whaling activist Paul Watson has been released from custody in Greenland after spending five months in detention. Denmark’s Justice Ministry rejected Japan’s request for his extradition, citing insufficient guarantees that his time already served in custody would be credited against any potential sentence.

The 74-year-old Canadian-American was arrested on July 21 in Nuuk, Greenland’s capital, when his ship docked to refuel. His arrest was based on a 2012 Japanese warrant related to a 2010 encounter in Antarctic waters. Japan alleged Watson obstructed operations and caused damage to a whaling research ship during efforts to disrupt illegal whaling. Watson has consistently denied these claims, maintaining his commitment to marine conservation.

Denmark, which oversees extradition matters for Greenland, concluded that while the legal conditions for extradition were met, the lack of assurances from Japan regarding time-served credit made extradition untenable.

In a video shared by his foundation, Watson expressed gratitude and relief, saying, “After five months, it’s good to be out… and good to know they’re not sending me to Japan.” He added that the most difficult part of his time in custody was being separated from his two young sons.

Watson is a pioneering figure in marine conservation, known for founding the Captain Paul Watson Foundation in 2022 after decades of activism with the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. His bold efforts to defend marine life have earned him widespread support, including from celebrities and conservationists. His work has also been featured in the acclaimed reality TV series Whale Wars.

Watson’s lawyer, Jonas Christoffersen, praised the decision, stating, “We are happy and relieved that Paul Watson is now free.” He added that Watson is eager to reunite with his family and continue his vital work.

The arrest occurred while Watson’s vessel, the M/Y John Paul DeJoria, was en route to the North Pacific with a team of 26 volunteers to intercept a Japanese whaling ship. His foundation described the arrest as politically motivated and emphasized that Watson’s actions were focused on ending illegal whaling practices.

Japan resumed commercial whaling in 2019 after leaving the International Whaling Commission, asserting that whale meat is a cultural tradition. Conservationists, however, continue to challenge these practices, highlighting their impact on marine ecosystems.

Despite the challenges, Watson remains steadfast in his mission to protect marine life and bring attention to whaling practices. His dedication to ocean conservation has made him a globally respected advocate for the environment.

Continue Reading

E-Newsletter Sign up!

Instagram Feed

Shortcode field is empty!Shortcode field is empty!

Popular