Unveiling History's Secrets: Conservation and Discovery in the Mediterranean Sea with Mario Arena & Pascal Van Erp

07/28/23 • 27 min

What do you get when you combine environmental and historical conservation? The latest Healthy Seas project!
In this episode, Pascal Van Erp from Healthy Seas and Ghost Diving, and Mario Arena from the Society for the Documentation of Submerged Sites (SDSS), share about their recent, exciting, eight-day expedition off Italy's Lampedusa Island.
The area was the site of World War II's Battle of the Convoys which saw hundreds of ships, submarines, and planes brought down over a three-year period. With the help of volunteer divers who removed large fishing nets that covered one particular shipwreck, they were able to identify and document the ill-fated vessel. They discuss the unique conditions they experienced, the advanced equipment they used, and the historical discoveries that will be shared in an upcoming museum exhibition.
This collaborative effort was generously funded by Hyundai.

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Healthy Seas is a marine conservation organization whose mission is to tackle the ghost fishing phenomenon and turn this waste into an opportunity for a more circular economy. They do this through clean-ups, prevention, education, and working with partners who recycle and repurpose this material. The podcast is hosted by Crystal DiMiceli.

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Previous Episode

Changing the Perception About Sharks with Cristina Zenato

Sharks have survived five global mass extinctions yet, now, many of their species are endangered due to human activities and myths. Cristina Zenato works to reverse this. She is an ocean and cave explorer, shark behaviorist and expert, dive instructor, speaker, writer, and conservationist. She has helped to change the perception of sharks through the close encounters she has with these animals. They often allow her to pet them and even remove hooks from their mouths! Cristina was a vital player in helping to declare the Bahamas as a shark sanctuary when external fisheries were looking to come in and take them from Bahamian waters. She also works all over the world advocating for these often maligned creatures and for the conservation of the waters they live in.

We talk about what it's like to, literally, have a shark in your lap, how it's crucial that we know that not all sharks are the same, the dangers sharks are facing, and what would happen to us if they are removed from the ecosystem.

Resources

Her website
Her nonprofit, People of the Water

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Next Episode

Racing for KGs: From Flawed Metrics to Impact Measurements with Pascal Van Erp & Kelsey Richardson

When it comes to supporting ocean clean-up efforts, oftentimes organizations are asked to report on the weight of everything they pulled out of the water. Seemingly, the higher the number, the more valuable the effort was. However, this is a flawed, and potentially dangerous, practice. For example, an almost weightless gill net could entangle and kill countless more animals than a heavy trawler net. It's also more likely to get wrapped up in boat propellers, posing a hazard and liability for people out at sea. Today's guests, Kelsey Richardson, a marine consultant for the Food and Agriculture Organization, and Pascal Van Erp of Healthy Seas and GhostDiving, help to clear up why we need to move away from the "race for kgs" and, instead, toward more meaningful metrics.