Advertise on podcast: The Blue Fish Radio Show

Ventusky is a new personal weather data app designed for anglers to access realtime weather data, accurate forecasts, and time-specific data relevant to prior fishing adventures. Ventusky draws from the Canadian Meteorological Centre GEM model, alongside other global models such as ECMWF, GFS and ICON. Pavel Rehulekfrom Ventuskyspeaks with Blue Fish Radio Show host Lawrence Gunther on the episode “Knowing the past, present and future weather when Fishing.” Enter the code “BLUEFISHRADIO”to try Ventusky Premium free for six months:https://my.ventusky.com/guide/howto/how-to-redeem-a-ventusky-voucher-40/

Bruce Hyer on the loss of Wabakimi Lodge to Fire / BFRIn August 2026 the Wabakimi Outfitters Lodge on Mattice Lake, camp on Clearwater Lake, as well as the remote outposts on Shawanabis Lake, Burntrock Lake, and Redman Lake were all destroyed by Ontario’s largest forest fire on record. The owner and founder of the Lodge, Bruce Hyer, believes the fire is the result of climate change and forest mismanagement in the logged portion of the boreal forest where all fires are extinguished at any cost to safeguard standing timber. Listen to Bruce in conversation with Lawrence Gunther on the Blue Fish Radio Show episode “Bruce Hyer on the loss of Wabakimi Lodge to Fire.”

Save The River, home of the Upper St. Lawrence Riverkeeper is doing their part to recruit community stewards. For well over a decade their river steward training initiative has informed and empowered hundreds of volunteer river stewards. Listen to Lawrence Gunther in conversation with Save The River’s Education Manager Daniel Bellinger as he walks us through various on-water educational experiences and opportunities on The Blue Fish Radio show called “Save The St. Lawrence River Stewardship Training”. The St. Lawrence River is approaching it’s 40th anniversary of the “Slick of '76,” a 300,000-gallon oil spill in the heart of the Thousand Islands.

In 2003, the Wallaceburg Advisory Team for a Cleaner Habitat (WATCH) began as a committee under the direction of the Wallaceburg Chamber of Commerce, in response to several chemical company spills into the St. Clair River which shut down the water intakes of both Wallaceburg and Walpole Island. The spills came to light when toxic blobs were discovered on the river bottom. Listen to Kris Lee, Director, WATCH Citizen Science in conversation with host Lawrence Gunther as the two discuss the work of WATCH with area fishing clubs to safeguard the St Clair River on “WATCH Citizen Science and the St Clair River “ on The Blue Fish Radio Show.

Helen Forsey and Barry Darby are the driving force behind “Changing Course”, a “blue justice” initiative designed to restore Atlantic Canada’s fair and equitable commercial fisheries. The two discuss with host Lawrence Gunther why the current system of quotas is insufficient to breath new life into Canada’s coastal communities, and why the catch share initiative is further concentrating control of these fisheries into ever-fewer hands. Changing course returns the focus to who, how, when and where fisheries occur, instead of focussing on maximising efficiencies with the goal of those with the deepest pockets securing the greatest portion of a quota. Listen to Hellen and Barry on the Blue Fish Radio Show and discover how the focus of indigenous, recreational and commercial fisheries might once again share the common goal of ensuring the future of fishing.

Dr. Steven Cooke from Carleton University was recently appointed as one of four Canadian Commissioners on the Great Lakes Fishery Commission. His fish health and fishery expertise is highly regarded around the world, and brings a strong recreational fishery perspective and expertise to the Commission. Dr. Cooke and GLFC Executive Director Mark Gardon are Lawrence gunther’s guests on The Blue Fish Radio Show. The three  discuss the importance of protecting and promoting the world’s greatest freshwater fishery, the need to utilize strong science-based evidence and indigenous and local knowledge  to safeguard the Great Lake’s fishes, and the need to do more to celebrate our ability to safely and sustainably connect with nature by catching and responsibly harvesting Great Lakes fishes.

Part II of the Public Fishery Alliance Trip to OttawaThe seven representatives of the Public Fishery Alliance have returned home to B.C. after a 4-day visit to Parliament Hill where they met with MPs to explain why closing the marine recreational fishery in southern B.C. and reallocating their assigned salmon to the commercial fishery is a bad idea. In Part I of this 2-part series we heard from the seven volunteer local champions shortly after arriving in Ottawa. Now let’s here how things went, what was accomplished, and what still needs to happen if the fishery is to be saved. Joining host Lawrence Gunther on The Blue fish radio show podcast are Chris Boss, Dave Brown and Peter Krahn.

In the first of this two part Blue Fish Radio Show series host Lawrence Gunther speaks with members of the Public Fishery Alliance delegation that just arrived in Ottawa. Their goal is to provide a balanced perspective on proposed changes to the Salmon Allocation Policy and Southern Resident Killer Whale fishing for Chinook closures. The proposed changes pose an immediate threat to the public’s access to Chinook and Coho salmon, and risk destabilizing a more than $1 billion angling tourism sector that sustains more than 9,000 jobs and underpins the economic vitality of small and large coastal communities across the province. The seven delegates will speak with Lawrence Gunther again prior to returning to B.C. in Part II of this special Blue Fish Radio show coverage.

In the final installment of Dr. Chris Harvey-Clark’s conversation with Blue fish Radio show host Lawrence Gunther, the two exchange stories concerning their respective times spent in Canada’s Arctic, and how foraging remains a central part of food security in the north. At 5:45 the topic of commercial fishing being introduced into the Arctic by Inuit fishers due to longer summers was discussed. At 8:03 the two explored whether growing support for whale rescue in eastern and western Canada might shift support away from Inuit hunting, similar to how public support has turned against the seal hunt. At 11:38 Lawrence asks Chris what will it take to find solutions that all B.C. Marine Recreational Fishery stakeholders can support? The conversation ends with Chris and Lawrence sharing humorous stories about David Suzuki’s love of fishing.

In part II of Blue fish Radio show Host Lawrence Gunther’s conversation with Dr. Chris Harvey-Clark, the two speak about the need to engage all B.C. salmon stakeholders in meaningful consultations including the sharing of relevant research. At 3:55 Chris sheds light on the impact of pollution on chinook and killer whales, and at 6:05 how pacific grey whales are being impacted by insufficient access to food in Canada’s arctic. At 7:23 the conversation shifts to northern resident killer whales, and then at 9:19 the two discuss what can be done  to save southern resident killer whales and how their situation is similar to north Atlantic right whales on Canada’s east coast. At 13:03 discussion switches back to environmental hazards  facing southern resident killer whales, and how political will is shifting as made evident with growing support for building more oil pipelines. At 17:02 the threat to remove B.C.’s marine recreational anglers from the water are discussed, including the need for greater transparency. The two conclude Part II of the podcast series with Chris sharing details of the growing lethal threat of military sonar on whales and other marine life.

In the first of this new Blue fish Radio Show 3-part series featuring Dr. Chris Harvey-Clark we begin with Chris sharing the story of how an 18-metre skeleton of a blue whale became the centrepiece of the new Beaty Centre for Marine Biodiversity  at Dalhousie University. Then, at minute 17:47 Chris summarises his presentation to the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association on fish as sentient beings. At 43:29  discussions turn to the proposed  whale sanctuary on  Nova Scotia’s east coast, alternatives discussed, and how such services are going to become increasingly necessary as marine parks around the world continue to move away from housing cetaceans like belugas and killer whales.

Lee Willbanks is the President and co-founder of the new water-rights NGO called Talking Rivers. Their mission is to find ways to extend legal status to water bodies with the goal of giving stakeholders legal standing upon which to defend their lakes and rivers. Lee and host Lawrence Gunther discuss the Magpie River recognition in Quebec, the Rice Lake recognition in Ontario, efforts underway in the U.S. and their collective work to protect American Eel and their habitat. Listen to this episode of The Blue Fish Radio Show and discover why it’s important to give voice to these largely silent ecosystems, and to provide a platform for water body stakeholders to protect their lakes and rivers from others who believe they have the right to destroy nature as part of their economic agenda.

Sean Simmons, founder of Angler Atlas and the My Catch angler app has been making significant strides with engaging anglers and students to use their fishing rods to gather vital data about fish health. His efforts across Canada have earned him strong recognition among his peers at the American Fishery Society, and has made Angler Atlas the top source for fish health data across Canada. Sean speaks with host Lawrence Gunther about the challenges of recruiting and retaining volunteers, and the collection of consistent quality data. The two also discuss the shortcomings of databases and how large language modelling and artificial intelligence might someday resolve the issue of cross-database compatibility. Listen to this episode of The Blue fish Radio Show and find out what it will take to break down barriers between water quality and fish health experts, and how to adopt a more holistic approach to assessing watershed health.

Weaving Waters Expedition and Captain Allen CurryThe Weaving Waters Expedition is a journey by Canadian natural historian, Captain Allen Curry aboard the Water Weaver. Allen sets off on a largely solo one-year voyage around the Great Loop” to gather local stories from people who live by the Great Lakes, along the Mississippi and St. Lawrence Rivers, and the coasts of southeastern USA and Canada’s Maritimes.  The stories will inspire greater respect for water and the fishes that live there-in. Join Host Lawrence Gunther and Dr. Allen Curry as they explore how far we have drifted from our watery history, and why more than ever we need to restore our connection with fish on The Blue Fish Radio Show.

Aaron Hill, Executive Director of Watershed Watch Salmon Society, joins Lawrence Gunther on The Blue Fish Radio Show to discuss why B.C. needs its creekwalkers more than ever. More than providing crucial information about when and how many salmon are returning to B.C.’s rivers, the data collected and reported is vital to managing fisheries, assessing climate change impacts, evaluating restoration initiatives, assessing watershed health, responding to fish health emergencies, and more. Aaron and other advocates are therefore questioning why the number of creekwalkers hired each year has been falling over the past decade.