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The Ocean AgeAuthor: Fed DeGobbi
This podcast is for ocean entrepreneurs and innovators who want to grow and succeed in the blue economy. Through interviews with industry leaders, founders, and subject matter experts, I will share their stories, unpack their most important lessons, and extract actionable insights and best practices. Language: en Genres: Business, Earth Sciences, Entrepreneurship, Science Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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#41: Emily Charry Tissier (Whale Seeker) – AI to Track Whales and Why Ocean Tech is Stuck at the Pilot Stage
Monday, 13 April, 2026
Send us Fan MailWe’re pleased to bring you, over the next few weeks, a series of in-person interviews we recorded at the World Ocean Summit in Montreal at the beginning of March. This first episode is with Emily Charry Tissier, Founder and CEO of Whale Seeker, a company that uses AI to detect and monitor marine mammals from visual data such as drone or satellite images. The data feeds into everything from shipping routes to marine protected area management. Emily also poses a question: ocean technological solutions already exist, they work, and regulators have approved them. So why aren't they scaling? She has a clear view on why. We sat down in a quiet corner of the conference venue, with a view of the city in the background and a full-size whale model hanging from the ceiling, which also explains the occasional whale noises you’ll hear in the background. It was an inspiring conversation in a special setting, and we hope you can catch a glimpse of that atmosphere and energy.Emily's Bio:Emily Charry Tissier is a marine ecologist and the CEO and co-founder of Whale Seeker, a company that uses AI to detect marine mammals from drone, aircraft and satellite imagery. With 20 years of experience in coastal and arctic ecosystems, she has built Whale Seeker into a tool used across environmental impact assessment, shipping route management and marine protected area monitoring. She has engaged with international bodies including the IMO and IHO, and works at the intersection of ocean technology and maritime governance. She was named one of the top 100 Brilliant Women in AI Ethics.Timestamps:00:00:10 - Introduction: Emily Charry Tissier and Whale Seeker00:02:24 - What Whale Seeker does and why ocean data matters00:05:10 - Who pays for ocean data?00:06:00 - Government and industry mandates00:08:37 - Dynamic shipping routes and marine life protection00:09:03 - Working with regulators from day one00:10:37 - Misconceptions about AI and why they matter00:13:07 - Are we in an AI bubble?00:15:05 - Hype cycles in ocean solutions: seaweed, carbon capture and beyond00:17:19 - Why ocean tech isn't scaling: technology isn't the problem00:20:44 - The psychology of change00:22:47 - Ego as a barrier to adoption00:24:45 - Certified routes: building a community around sustainable shipping00:26:01 - The economics of whale-safe shipping routes00:28:54 - Emily’s “Why”Useful Links & Resources: Emily Charry Tissier on Linkedin.Whale Seeker: Website and LinkedIn. Emily’s piece on The Journal of Ocean Technology: Innovation without Adoption: The Ocean Tech BottleneckGet in touch with The Ocean Age's host Fed DeGobbi on LinkedIn, X or by emailing directly at fed@oceanage.coThe Ocean Age Podcast is produced by Charlotte Raffo and edited by Nebojsa Lešević. Sarah Carpenter and Giulia Leanza are our research assistants. Please send in your feedback: what do you want to hear more or less of? Any suggestions? Would love to hear what you think!
