Stories From

Bozeman & Beyond

Marah Hardt

author of Sex in the Sea

Marah Hardt is both a scientist and a storyteller, focused on our oceans. In this interview, we dive into some of her research on the global impacts of COVID on seafood. We also talk about her book Sex in the Sea and explore topics like how human activities- including those leading to climate change- are wrecking havoc on how fish mate in the sea.

A scientist and storyteller, Marah works at the crossroads of research, strategy, and communication to build a sustainable future for people and the sea. As founder of OceanInk LLC, Marah has worked to develop solutions to advance coral reef health, reduce overfishing, and address climate change impacts on marine life. At the time of this interview (March 1, 2022), she was Director of Discovery at the non-profit Future of Fish, working with innovators to build a more sustainable and equitable seafood industry. When not thinking about how to redesign seafood supply chains, Marah enjoys talking and writing about the wonderful and weird wildlife of the sea, and why oceans are so important to the well-being of our planet. This includes her book, Sex In The Sea (St. Martin’s Press, 2016), which connects the timeless topic of sex with the timely issue of sustainable oceans. She received her PhD in marine science from Scripps Institution of Oceanography and her undergraduate degree in History of Science from Harvard University. She lives on the Big Island in Hawaii, where she spends as much time in the sea as possible.

Resources:
Future of Fish website
Knight et al, 2020 Effects of COVID-19 on Small-scale fisheries
Stoll et al. 2021. Alternative Seafood Networks during COVID
Love et al, 2020 (on building resilience in seafood sector)

Coastal Routes did a whole series: “Social FISHtancing” with great episodes focused on different ways COVID is impacting fisheries around the world

Resources | Future Of Fish
Marah J. Hardt: Are we interrupting the kinky sex lives of fish? | TED Talk

Marah’s book recommendations:
Thinking in Systems (Donella Meadows)
All We Can Save (edited by Ayana Johnson and Katharine Wilkinson)
Doughnut Economics (Kate Raworth)
Me  (Elton John)

Marah’s recommendations for parents/kids:
Shark Lady: The true Story of How Eugenie Clark became the Ocean’s most fearless scientist (Jess Keating and Marta Álvarez Miguéns)

They All Saw A Cat (Brendan Wenzel)

A scientist and storyteller, Marah works at the crossroads of research, strategy, and communication to build a sustainable future for people and the sea. As founder of OceanInk LLC, Marah has worked to develop solutions to advance coral reef health, reduce overfishing, and address climate change impacts on marine life. At the time of this interview (March 1, 2022), she was Director of Discovery at the non-profit Future of Fish, working with innovators to build a more sustainable and equitable seafood industry. When not thinking about how to redesign seafood supply chains, Marah enjoys talking and writing about the wonderful and weird wildlife of the sea, and why oceans are so important to the well-being of our planet. This includes her book, Sex In The Sea (St. Martin’s Press, 2016), which connects the timeless topic of sex with the timely issue of sustainable oceans. She received her PhD in marine science from Scripps Institution of Oceanography and her undergraduate degree in History of Science from Harvard University. She lives on the Big Island in Hawaii, where she spends as much time in the sea as possible.

Resources:
Future of Fish website
Knight et al, 2020 Effects of COVID-19 on Small-scale fisheries
Stoll et al. 2021. Alternative Seafood Networks during COVID
Love et al, 2020 (on building resilience in seafood sector)

Coastal Routes did a whole series: “Social FISHtancing” with great episodes focused on different ways COVID is impacting fisheries around the world

Resources | Future Of Fish
Marah J. Hardt: Are we interrupting the kinky sex lives of fish? | TED Talk

Marah’s book recommendations:
Thinking in Systems (Donella Meadows)
All We Can Save (edited by Ayana Johnson and Katharine Wilkinson)
Doughnut Economics (Kate Raworth)
Me  (Elton John)

Marah’s recommendations for parents/kids:
Shark Lady: The true Story of How Eugenie Clark became the Ocean’s most fearless scientist (Jess Keating and Marta Álvarez Miguéns)

They All Saw A Cat (Brendan Wenzel)

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John McPhee was born in Princeton, New Jersey, and was educated at Princeton University and Cambridge University. After seven years at Time magazine, he moved to The New Yorker, where he has been a staff writer since 1965. A Fellow of the Geological Society of America and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, he was awarded in 1999 the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction (Annals of the Former World).