Nautica Fish School - by Oceana/Jon Frank

Most of New York’s shows strive to be on Broadway, but it was Nautica’s show room at 40 W. 57^th that was buzzing yesterday as actor and Oceana board member Ted Danson stopped by to talk fish, chat about his new book, and reveal details about his yet-to-be-released movie Everybody Loves Whales. This was Ted’s second appearance at Nautica’s HQ in a series of talks – known as Fish School – that have also included actor and board member Sam Waterston, chief executive Andy Sharpless, and author and O magazine editor-in-chief Susan Casey.

This was the first time I’ve attended Nautica Fish School, and I found it interesting how at ease the Nautica staff was with the language of ocean conservation. Words like “bycatch” and “acidification” and concepts like a “no take zone” aren’t often heard in the business of apparel, so it’s a credit to Nautica for not only supporting the Oceana mission as a company, but also embedding a passion for ocean conservation within their culture.

Ted, for his part, never claims to be an expert when he discusses ocean issues – at least not a scientific expert – but he’s spent three decades as an activist for the oceans and is as familiar with the issues as any “expert” in the world.  Plus, he relishes the role of being the oceans’ chief barker – minus the funny clothes and hat – he’s the guy grabbing people’s attention and directing it towards the inequities in ocean conservation funding (less than 1 percent of all environmental giving), the health implications of eating swordfish (way too much mercury) and the resilience of the oceans (by doing right by the oceans, they can rebound to full health and abundance).

After talking for twenty minutes and taking questions for another twenty or so, Ted left the group with a reminder – that while the solutions for what ails our oceans seem grand in scope and scale, everyone has a role to play, be it spreading information, learning about the issues, or just clicking their mouse.