Ocean Science Radio

Save Ocean Sensors: The Fight Over the Ocean Observatories Initiative

A $386 million network of nearly 900 ocean sensors stretching across five sites from Oregon to Alaska to Greenland was being quietly dismantled, with no warning to Congress and no explanation to the public. In this episode, we trace the fight to save the Ocean Observatories Initiative: what this network actually does, why it matters far more than most people realize, and how a Democrat from Oregon and a Republican from Alaska teamed up to pass a bill stopping it in the span of a day and a half.

We talk with Craig McLean, who spent more than 40 years at NOAA, including two stints as NOAA's Chief Scientist, about what's really at stake when ocean monitoring infrastructure disappears, and why this fight is part of a much bigger pattern. We also revisit a warning from a past guest, marine ecologist Dr. Andrew Thaler, that's looking less hypothetical by the day, and lay out exactly what you can do to help make sure this win sticks.

In This Episode

What the Ocean Observatories Initiative actually measures, and why it matters for your weather forecast, your insurance rates, and what farmers plant each season

The Coastal Endurance Array off Oregon and Washington, and why pulling it out right as an El Nino forms is especially bad timing, per OSU oceanographer Jack Barth

How Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) found out sensors were already being removed, and how they got the Saving the OOI Act passed unanimously in under two days

Craig McLean's read on why this kept happening, from the role of the Office of Management and Budget to the broader pattern of cuts to federal science

A look back at a warning from marine ecologist Dr. Andrew Thaler about Project 2025's plans for NOAA, and how that warning is playing out in real time

What happens next: the NSF's review process, and how you can track it and find out where your own senators stand

Featured Voices

Craig McLean spent over 40 years at NOAA, where he founded the Ocean Exploration Program and served as NOAA's Chief Scientist, including being reinstated after being removed from the role for defending scientific integrity. He is now a senior fellow at the Ocean Foundation.

Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) led the bipartisan push for the Saving the OOI Act, featured here via Senate floor remarks.

Dr. Andrew Thaler, marine ecologist and conservation technologist, returns in spirit from a past episode where he broke down Project 2025's plans to dismantle NOAA.

Jack Barth, oceanography professor at Oregon State University, provided background on the Coastal Endurance Array via KATU News.

The Bill

The Saving the OOI Act passed the Senate unanimously, pausing NSF's decommissioning of the Ocean Observatories Initiative pending a full review with stakeholder input. It was led by Senators Merkley and Murkowski and cosponsored by Senators Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Jack Reed (D-RI), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Patty Murray (D-WA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD).

Resources & Links

Saving the OOI Act, full text and cosponsor list: Congress.gov

NSF Ocean Observatories Initiative updates: oceanobservatories.org

Senator Merkley's press release on the Saving the OOI Act: merkley.senate.gov

"Scientists warn Oregon could lose critical ocean data under federal cuts," KATU News

Take Action

If your senator is one of the twelve who championed or cosponsored the Saving the OOI Act, send them a thank you.

If they didn't, let them know this issue matters to you.

Watch for the NSF's Dear Colleague Letter and expert panel process, your chance to weigh in on what happens to OOI long-term.

Featuring Alex Rose, Science Editor, Ocean Geographic Magazine & Co-Founder, Sea Americas

Alex Rose has been part of the Ocean Science Radio family for nearly a decade — you may remember her reporting live from MACNA, the Marine Aquarium Conference of North America, back in 2016. Today she's back, this time in the guest chair, with something considerably bigger on the horizon.

Alex is the Science Editor of Ocean Geographic Magazine, founder of ocean conservation company Blue Ring, an Explorers Club Fellow, a professional violinist, and now co-host and producer of Sea Americas — a cinematic expedition documentary series following the world's largest all-female dive team as they document the most threatened marine sanctuaries across the Americas.

In this conversation, Andrew and Dr. Frances Farabaugh sit down with Alex to talk about what it means to dive with purpose in a moment of accelerating loss — from the functionally extinct reef-building corals of the Florida Keys, to the surprisingly intact reefs of Cuba, to the political headwinds threatening the protected waters these stories depend on. They also dig into the Sea Americas Seed & Spark crowdfunding campaign, the conservation model behind Blue Ring, and what it actually feels like to cry underwater while trying to document a dying reef.

Hope, Alex reminds us, needs to be a verb. Let's actively hope.

Links:

Sea Americas: seaamericas.com
Blue Ring: bluering.blue
Ocean Geographic: ogsociety.org
Mission Blue (Netflix)
Last episode featuring Alex Rose - https://oceanscienceradio.simplecast.com/episodes/macna

Guest: Oliver Gunasekara, CEO & Co-Founder, Impossible Metals

Website: impossiblemetals.com

Eureka Collection System animation: https://impossiblemetals.com/blog/next-generation-eureka-collection-system-animation-now-available/

Context & Further Reading:

ISA (International Seabed Authority): isa.int

DISCOL experiment — long-term seafloor disturbance study: https://www.discol.de/index.html

IEA Critical Minerals Report (recycling projections): https://www.iea.org/reports/global-critical-minerals-outlook-2025

Our previous episode: Trump Administration Ocean Policy Forum with Dr. Andrew Thaler, Dr. Diva Amon, and Angelo Villagomez

Key Terms:

Polymetallic nodules: Mineral-rich concretions found on the deep seafloor, taking millions of years to form

UNCLOS: United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea

Common Heritage of Mankind: Legal principle that certain global resources belong to all of humanity

ISA: International Seabed Authority — the UN body governing deep seabed mining in international waters

AUV: Autonomous Underwater Vehicle

BGR: German Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (Bundesanstalt für Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe)

Episode Description

Making babies is expensive. For pretty much every species on the planet, reproduction is supposed to be the ultimate metabolic investment—a massive energy drain that can make organisms vulnerable to stress, predators, and environmental change. Except there's a small shark walking around the Great Barrier Reef that apparently didn't get the memo.

In this episode of our Ocean Lovin' series, we explore groundbreaking research from James Cook University that's forcing scientists to completely rethink what they know about the costs of reproduction. Epaulette sharks—those amazing little "walking sharks" that can literally stroll across reef flats on their fins—can produce complex egg cases with developing embryos inside without any measurable increase in energy use. Zero. Zilch. Nada. It's like building a house without buying any extra lumber.

Join hosts Andrew Kornblatt and Dr. Frances Farabaugh, along with returning guest co-host Dr. Skylar Bayer, as we dive into this surprising discovery with Professor Jodie Rummer from James Cook University. We'll explore how her team measured something no one had measured before—the metabolic cost of egg-laying in sharks—and what they found challenges fundamental assumptions about reproduction in the ocean.

We'll learn about the "pay as you go" hypothesis, discover why a tiny organ might be working overtime without changing the whole shark's energy budget, and explore what this means for sharks facing climate change. From the controlled environment of the lab to wild populations scattered across the Great Barrier Reef, this research reveals that evolution has equipped some species with surprising tools for survival that we're only beginning to understand.

Content Advisory: This Ocean Lovin' episode deals with mature subjects related to marine reproduction. Please listen to the full episode before sharing with younger audiences.

Featured Guest

Professor Jodie Rummer

Professor of Marine Biology, James Cook University, Australia

Conservation physiologist specializing in sharks and coral reef fishes

Leads shark physiology research team at JCU's Marine and Aquaculture Research Facility

Maintains a breeding colony of epaulette sharks for multi-generational research

Expert in how marine organisms cope with climate change stressors (temperature, ocean acidification, low oxygen)

Key Topics Covered

The Discovery

First direct measurement of metabolic costs of egg-laying in sharks

Completely flat metabolic rate across reproductive cycle—no energy spike

37 trials, nearly 200 eggs, almost 100 reproductive cycles

The Science

How scientists measure metabolic rate through oxygen uptake

The "pay as you go" hypothesis: income breeding vs. stored energy

The nidamental gland paradox: tiny organ, massive output

Blood chemistry and hormone stability during reproduction

Epaulette Shark Biology

One of nine "walking shark" species with modified pectoral fins

Can survive zero oxygen conditions for several hours

Endemic to Great Barrier Reef, living in extreme reef flat environments

Produce two eggs every ~19 days during breeding season

Four-month embryonic development period

Climate Change Implications

Challenging the assumption that "reproduction will be the first thing to go" under stress

Potential resilience in warming oceans—but limits unknown

Effects of elevated temperatures on embryo development and hatchling size

Importance of protecting critical habitats where adaptations can function

Future Research Directions

Testing upper limits of reproductive efficiency under warming

Local adaptation across Great Barrier Reef populations

Immune function in mothers and hatchlings under stress

Applications to other shark species and conservation strategies

Featured Research

Primary Study: Wheeler, C.R., Awruch, C.A., Mandelman, J.W., & Rummer, J.L. (2025). "Assessing the metabolic and physiological costs of oviparity in the epaulette shark (Hemiscyllium ocellatum)." Biology Open, 14(11). DOI: 10.1242/bio.062076

Lead Author: Dr. Carolyn Wheeler (recent JCU PhD graduate)

Resources & Links

Research Institution:

James Cook University Marine and Aquaculture Research Facility, Townsville, Australia

JCU Marine Biology

Conservation Organizations:

Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority

IUCN Shark Specialist Group

Press Coverage:

JCU News Release

ScienceDaily Article

Episode Credits

Hosts:

Andrew Kornblatt - Climate and Ocean Communications Specialist, Producer

Dr. Frances Farabaugh - Shark Ecologist, Aquanaut

Guest Co-Host:

Dr. Skylar Bayer - Marine Ecologist (Shellfish Population Dynamics, Fertilization Ecology, Science Communication)

Featured Guest:

Professor Jodie Rummer - James Cook University

90% of seafood consumed on the Oregon coast is imported, while most Oregon-caught seafood gets exported. This week, we explore how that's changing.

We talk with Suzie O'Neill, Kaitlyn Rich, and Jon Bonkoski from Ecotrust, who just launched "Tending the Tides," a podcast about mariculture on the Oregon coast. Learn how oyster farmers became climate sentinels in 2007 when ocean acidification killed their larvae. Discover urchin divers using rock climbing techniques underwater in 50 pounds of lead, and how their catch feeds innovative closed-loop aquaculture systems growing seaweed and sea cucumbers.

From selective breeding programs creating climate-resilient oysters to kelp forests buffering acidification, this episode reveals how Oregon is building regenerative ocean farming that honors Indigenous stewardship, avoids parachute science, and redefines what sustainable food systems look like.

Featuring the Oregon Coastal Mariculture Collaborative's community-led approach to expanding "unfed aquaculture"—oysters and seaweed that grow without any inputs beyond what the ocean provides.