Tales of the Sea

Today’s topic is an aquatic creature that has been on the planet since the Cretaceous Period – that’s about 145 million years ago. Indigenous tribes in the state of Maine were catching and consuming this tasty fin fish in the local rivers and streams for thousands of years – using handmade traps that pre-date the pyramids at Giza. Yup, we’re talking about the creature commonly known as the Eel. And today we'll take a look at this fascinating and mysterious creature that has baffled philosophers, scientists, and fisherman alike for thousands of years. The book is called Slippery Beast: A True Crime Natural History, with Eels. Its author and my guest today is Ellen Ruppel Shell.

A short time ago one of my sisters was looking through a box of correspondence – letters from my father to his sister in the days following World War II. That’s a lifetime ago – 83 years – the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor having pulled America into the war. John Winkworth, my father, had enlisted in the Navy and reported for training in the winter of 1943. My dad was 24 when he enlisted – and he along with other young soldiers volunteered to face the growing escalation of the enemy offensive in Europe. After basic training, he was assigned as a Lieutenant Junior Grade aboard the Guadalcanal, a Casablanca Class Escort Carrier. Following the war, my dad was asked to give a talk, to tell the story of the carrier’s anti-submarine work in the Atlantic Ocean – including details of the remarkable capture of the German enemy submarine U-505.

The winter of 2023-24 saw a series of fierce storms that reshaped the main landscape. The storms battered landmarks and waterfront communities. Most of us hunkered inside, did not venture out to face the storms fury and impact. Unprecedented rains flooded Western and central Maine with sustained winds of 35 to 40 miles per hour gusting well beyond that, bringing additional damage to the state.My guest today is Sam Belknap. Sam is the current director of Maine Island Institute Center for Marine Economy, overseeing the work on several fronts, including protecting and sustaining Maine's working waterfronts.

My guest today is an ocean policy specialist. He didn’t start there… after college Michael Conathan worked as a journalist, a children’s book editor, and a Hollywood Screenwriter. But the ocean has always had a hold on him and now he’s got over15 years of experience working on making things happen on international, federal, and regional marine initiatives. Lately he has been focused on growing the sustainable “Blue Economy”. I’m pleased to welcome Michael Conathan – dad, surfer, and number one fan and supporter of his writer / comedienne wife – and a Senior Policy Fellow with the Ocean Foundation. Mike is also an independent consultant for a number of likeminded organizations including the Environmental Defense Fund, the World Bank, and the Sustainable Ocean Alliance. Yup, all of that. He believes, obviously in a well-rounded life, and that collaboration is fundamental to durable solutions that can help to sustain our oceans – in other words, the “Blue Economy”.