I am an outdoorsman, podcaster and speaker. I talk and write about the natural environment, biodiversity, conservation, hunting and fishing, rewilding and more. I am particularly interested in wildlife and human-wildlife interactions. I enjoy reading scientific papers on those subjects as much as being outdoors weathering the elements and getting first-hand experiences.
Share
⛵️🌊 Solo Sailing and Ocean Science
Published 10 days ago • 3 min read
Conservation and Science
Episode 200 is approaching fast, and I have something special coming to mark the occasion. But even if I didn't, this one would do as well for that milestone, as it's a special episode with a special guest in its own right. Bert is one of those individuals that when you look at their achievements and what they did and are still doing, you can't help but wonder how they find time for all of it! You know such people are just cut from a different cloth. As expected, our discussion was very interesting, starting with Bert's adventures and finishing with a discussion about AI and how to turn multibillion corporations' interests and practices to be more environmentally friendly.
In other news related specifically to the podcast, it was featured in a Podcast Delivery newsletter. It’s a newsletter for podcast fans and podcasters alike. You can subscribe to get podcast recommendations straight to your inbox if you want to discover new shows.
Staying in the realm of podcasting, I published another article on Medium, sharing my thoughts about video podcasting. This is sort of a sidebar to what I normally do (talk about nature conservation and environmental science), but I thought that some of you might be interested in podcasts as a medium more broadly. I will keep publishing articles on Medium that are not related to environmental topics, so if you're interested in my musings outside of Tommy's Outdoors: Conservation and Science, feel free to follow me there
And now, enjoy this week’s episode!
Circumnavigating the Globe for Science with Bert terHart
Can one person sailing solo around the world contribute to scientific knowledge? What happens when you encounter illegal fishing vessels in the middle of the ocean? How can we address the growing crisis of plastic pollution in our seas? In this episode, we dive into these questions with Bert terHart, a scientist, explorer and entrepreneur who circumnavigated the globe alone on his sailing yacht, conducting citizen science along the way.
During our conversation, Bert shares his first-hand observations of environmental challenges facing our oceans, from illegal fishing fleets operating with impunity to the stark reality of plastic pollution. We discuss how he worked with researchers to track ocean currents, monitor microplastics and count endangered albatross populations during his journey. Bert offers a shocking statistic: for some commercially exploited species of fish, approximately 80% of the commercial catches are illegal or unregulated, highlighting how enforcement remains one of our biggest environmental challenges.
Beyond observations, we explore how individuals and businesses can engage positively with environmental issues. Bert emphasises the importance of persistence in creating meaningful change and discusses how new technologies, including AI, might help solve complex environmental problems. Despite the challenges, he remains optimistic about our future, believing that human ingenuity and our ability to adapt will ultimately outpace our capacity for environmental destruction – if we can combine good science with effective policy and consistent action.
Bert terHart, self-described as 'soldier, sailor, scientist, adventurer, serial entrepreneur and author', just seems to have a knack for knocking off the impossible. A Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, Explorer in Residence for the BC Historical Society, Founder of the Canadian Interactive Waterways Initiative, CEO of LeadBrain.ai, and author of, among others, the children's book 'Sir Salty Goes to Sea', Bert has sailed solo, non-stop around the world, into the Bering Sea, and out to the Aleutian Islands all in an effort to follow in the wake of some of the world's greatest explorers and cartographers. In the same vein, he paddled solo, across Canada from the Pacific to Atlantic Oceans covering more than 7800kms by foot and canoe. What's coming next is even more extreme. Or crazy.
Bert terHart has had a life-long passion for the oceans and oceanography. With advanced degrees in math, physics and physical oceanography, he has studied the role the world's oceans and coastal seas play in moderating and regulating climate, nutrient productivity and pollution distributions, and salmon migration.
A career in academics, however, was not to be. Software engineering and business drew him away from the formal world of academia. Bert went on to create software and technical tools used by health care professionals in Canada, Great Britain, the United States, and Australia ultimately helping in the diagnosis and treatment of tens of thousands of patients.
His passion for the oceans has translated into more than 50,000 miles of blue-water sailing, almost all of it solo, and a keen advocacy for the citizen scientist in all of us. His programming and business skills have been sought out by the universities, professionals, and environmentally responsible businesses and corporations in Canada and the US.
His exploits have been featured both nationally and internationally on TV and in print. He's a frequent speaker to local business groups, libraries, museums, schools, and adventurers of every ilk.
Creating quality content about nature takes time and resources. Support my work, buy me a coffee!
I am an outdoorsman, podcaster and speaker. I talk and write about the natural environment, biodiversity, conservation, hunting and fishing, rewilding and more. I am particularly interested in wildlife and human-wildlife interactions. I enjoy reading scientific papers on those subjects as much as being outdoors weathering the elements and getting first-hand experiences.
Read more from Tommy's Outdoors: Conservation and Science
Conservation and Science Hello, dear subscribers. Good morning, afternoon, or evening, whenever you're reading this. There is quite a lot in this newsletter as I've been busy over the last few weeks, and I'm bringing you three episodes today. The first is my previously announced conversation with environmental anthropologist Thorsten Gieser. Thorsten was our guest on the episode "195: Can Hunting Foster Environmental Stewardship?" and that one received quite a lot of positive feedback from...
Conservation and Science The upcoming weeks will be quite intense at Conservation and Science as we're switching to a weekly schedule for the next three weeks. We are starting with an excellent book about coexistence with carnivores from a friend of the podcast, Dr Jonny Hanson. Jonny is well known to all who are interested in this topic. With his social sciences experience from across the globe and farming background at home, Jonny brings a unique perspective to the discussion, pointing out...
Conservation and Science The topic we are taking on today is another hotly contested one - offshore renewables. It’s a somewhat codified name for massive wind farms built at sea. They are of course a part of our effort to urgently needed transition from using fossil fuels. Some argue that offshore wind farms are the best thing ever, sparing land (for wildlife, agriculture or otherwise) while taking advantage of strong and unimpeded winds at sea. Others lament them for, both known and unknown,...