• Learn about how research on little-known “marine animal forests” in Guadeloupe could shine a light on ocean hope spots — and why they need protecting
• Discover how our Photographer-in-Residence Michelle Valberg initially got into the field of wildlife photography
• Best-selling author and award-winning investigative journalist Karen Pinchin discusses her new book exploring the world's insatiable appetite for bluefin tuna
• The 2023 RCGS Silent Auction is open! Take a look at some of the incredible items up for bidding

How research on little-known “marine animal forests” could shine a light on ocean hope spots — and why they need protecting

The sky is a hot, cloudless blue as a boat belonging to underwater science and exploration program Under the Pole speeds down the western coast of Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe. Clad in navy wetsuits, leaning into the wind and spray, the scientists and technical divers on board look like superheroes racing to save the ocean — and in a way, they are. 

Driver Nicolas Mollon cuts the engine at a faded orange buoy off the island’s southwestern tip and divers Ghislain Bardout and Erwan Marivint shrug on harnesses heavy with scuba gear. They are about to descend into another world, 120 metres below the surface, where the strong Caribbean sun is diffused into a permanent dusk. Just as the steep slopes of this volcanic island are covered with lush forests, so too is the surrounding seafloor home to a forest-like ecosystem, where corals and sponges stand in for trees and shrubs. Bardout and Marivint will spend about 20 minutes gathering as much information as possible about this alien place, capturing images, recording sound, taking coral samples and measuring the light, temperature, current and sediment content of the water. They will do this again at each decompression stop on their slow ascent, taking about three hours in total to return to the surface. 

The Canadian Geographic Photographer-in-Residence shares her experience getting into the field of wildlife photography, where she finds inspiration and more 

Growing up, Michelle Valberg thought she was going to be a professional golfer — until she was handed a camera by her father at the age of 17. Many years later, she is now regarded as one of Canada’s top wildlife photographers, showcasing her work around the world. She was appointed to the Order of Canada for her photography and philanthropy in 2022 and has received numerous awards, including the Louis Kamookak Medal from the Royal Canadian Geographical Society. Her work has been featured in National Geographic and Lens Magazine, on Canada Post stamps, and as a Royal Canadian Mint coin, among others. She is also a frequent contributor to Canadian Geographic as a Photographer-in-Residence. Here, Valberg discusses how she got started as a photographer and what she hopes to capture in the future.

Best-selling author Karen Pinchin is our guest on this episode of Explore. Her new book, Kings of their Own Ocean, is the phenomenal tale of an incredible fish, the bluefin tuna, which has gone from being the cornerstone of the Roman Empire to the much sought-after catch brought to near extinction in the past century in our own boom-bust, globalized economy. Ultimately, this is a heartening wildlife story, filled with an incredible cast of characters, a globetrotting look into the history of bluefin tuna and how regular people, along with industry, scientists and governments, banded together and brought this magnificent fish back from the brink of being completely wiped out. Karen Pinchin is an award-winning investigative journalist whose work has appeared in Canadian Geographic along with Scientific American, Vox, The Globe and Mail, The Walrus, National Geographic, the Canadian Press and Maclean’s Magazine. Originally from Toronto, she teaches narrative non-fiction writing in the Masters of Fine Arts program at the University of King’s College in Halifax.