Miami, FL—This June 22nd, South Florida PBS’ EMMY® Award winning original series, Changing Seas, returns with four brand-new and captivating episodes.
Season 14 kicks off with two fascinating back-to-back episodes on humpback whales.
“Vanishing Whales”takes a closer look at the humpback population that migrates between Hawaiʻi and Alaska. Its decades-long recovery from commercial whaling is considered a conservation success story. But when sightings of the animals suddenly dropped, people became concerned. Now, scientists in both locations are trying to understand what happened to the whales and why.
“Humpback Health”delves deeper into the many mysteries that remain about these ocean leviathans.When in their Hawaiian breeding grounds, the humpbacks fast for an extended period, while expending energy on mating and giving birth. Now, for the first time, a team of scientists is making remarkable discoveries about how the whales’ body size and overall health change across the animals’ migratory cycle.
Next,“Kelp: Hidden Treasure of the Salish Sea”will take audiences on an exciting journey to the Pacific Northwest.The kelp forests of the Puget Sound have long played an essential role in the local ecosystem as a habitat and food source. Today, this foundational species is in decline, but resource managers, scientists, tribal citizens, and advocates are working together to solve the mysteries of conserving and restoring kelp forests.
And finally,“Saving Florida’s Starving Manatees”examines why Florida’s iconic sea cows are dying in record numbers. Years of declining seagrass beds have eliminated one of the gentle giants’ primary food sources. Now wildlife managers have taken the unprecedented step of feeding the animals, while scientists are in a race against time to restore the lost seagrass.
“We are excited to share four very timely ocean science stories across such a variety of locales this season,” says Series Producer Alexa Elliott.
WHEN:
WPBT:
Wednesday, June 22: 8PM – 9PM
Vanishing Whales & Humpback Health
Wednesday, June 29: 8PM – 9PM
Kelp: Hidden Treasure of the Salish Sea & Saving Florida’s Starving Manatees
WXEL:
Sunday, June 26:8PM – 9PM
Vanishing Whales & Humpback Health
Sunday, July 3: 8PM – 9PM
Kelp: Hidden Treasure of the Salish Sea & Saving Florida’s Starving Manatees
Episodes will also be available for streaming anytime on changingseas.tv or on the “Changing Seas TV” YouTube channel.
Changing Seas is a public television series produced by South Florida PBS (WPBT2-WXEL) in Miami, Florida, and is narrated by announcers Craig Sechler and Peter Thomas. Changing Seas takes viewers on exciting adventures to the heart of our blue planet by giving audiences a first hand look at how oceanographers and other experts study earth’s last frontier. Changing Seas is distributed by American Public Television (hyperlink). Since its inception the series has aired in 100% of the nation’s Top 25 PBS markets and on 95% of all PBS stations. Internationally, the programs have been broadcast in more than 39 countries, ranging from the Middle East to Asia. In addition, Netflix has carried several seasons of the series.
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