Skaana 2024 and welcome to 2025

Thank you for fighting for orcas, oceans and justice for Paul Watson in 2024

Jan 01, 2025

Fireworks over the BC legislature - Photo: Mark Leiren-Young

Instead of Spotify Wrapped - here's a look back at Skaana for 2024.

I haven't checked in here as often as usual this year in part because... wow... things have been busy. And you're responsible for that!

Here's what your support helped make happen in Skaana-Land in 2024.

A dozen new episodes released. The most we’ve pulled off since 2020. A quick behind the scenes look here... A big part of this is producer Bug Lewis and switching to a new podcasting platform - Riverside - which made it easier to record and edit episodes.
22 Substack posts! https://substack.com/@skaanapod/posts
The fight to free Paul Watson. Yes, we were more political than usual because the world was more political than usual. Paul Watson was arrested in Iceland on trumped up charges and was released in December. So we covered that. A lot.
And concerned scientist Andrew Rosenberg joined us to warn about a Trumped up planet.
We kicked off 2024 Jawing with shark expert David Shiffman. How did I miss that pun for the title or intro!? Then Australian author Melody Horrill shared the stories of her friendship with a Port River dolphin that helped spearhead the fight to save the Port River dolphins.
From February to May we went dark because of nightmare tech issues with our website. When we came back we started splitting up some of our longer interviews because - regardless of the guests - listeners tend to stick with them for about 30 minutes. And when we split them into two you listen to both halves of the interviews! Weird, yeah. But Bug figured that out and I trust 'em.
We also continued to cover the world of octopuses - interviewing Sy Montgomery (author of Soul of an Octopus) and Warren Carlyle, founder of Octonation.
We had a great conversation with teenaged Hawaiian whirlwind Rylee Brooke about how young people can have a positive impact politics and the planet.
NOAA caught us up on the latest in orca science and species.
And podcaster Andrew Lewin talked about making science accessible and shared highlights from his epic show, How to Protect the Oceans.

But wait, there's more... Here's what else Skaana made it possible for host, Mark Leiren-Young (aka me), to do.

Octopus Nation: Geniuses of the Deep. Skaana made it soooo much easier for me to interview octopus geniuses - Warren Carylye, Sy Montgomery, Dana Staaf, James Cosgrove & Jennifer Mather. The book hits stores Feb. 11, 2025 and you can pre-order now!
Skaana helped connect me with several young eco-heroes, including Rylee Brooke (and others you'll meet on Skaana in 2025), to work on my next book for young readers about how young people can help save the oceans and the animals who live there.
I'm also writing TWO new plays spinning out of my ocean/eco-work - a new play for young audiences about endangered species for the legendary young people's theatre company Green Thumb in Vancouver and a new play about life in the oceans for one of Canada's most internationally acclaimed theatre companies, Boca Del Lupo.
Also... recording the audiobook for Octopus Ocean - also set to be released Feb. 11, 2025
And stand by for an an awesome 2025...

We are aiming for AT LEAST 24 episodes in 2025, kicking off with Hereditary Chief of the Tsawout of the W̱SÁNEĆ Nation, Eric Pelkey, talking about the need for a moratorium on herring fisheries in the Salish Sea. We've also got a two-part interview with sperm whale expert, Shane Gero.

We'll keep following Paul Watson's legal battles.

And I'm planning to keep pushing for naming young southern resident orcas.

And we ARE finishing the feature documentary about the past and future of the southern resident orcas inspired by my book, The Killer Whale Who Changed the World.

Thank you for helping to make this happen.

I hope you'll keep supporting Skaana.

Please keep listening and keep sharing our episodes and newsletters.

Wishing you a whale of a year in 2025!

Mark, Rayne & Bug