Naked Oceans from the Naked Scientists

How do marine animals sense the world around them? This month on Naked Oceans we explore the many ways aquatic critters see, sniff, and hear in their watery realm. We discover how tiny fish and lobsters find their way back home, we chat with a scientist who sends out underwater robots to listen for whales - even in the middle of a raging storm. And in Critter of the Month a legendary ichthyologist tells us a fantastic story about a shark on a plane.

Art meets science this month on Naked Oceans as we meet artists who bust myths about the dark, scary, monster-filled depths. We find out from sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor about how his work transforms into artificial reefs. We chat with National Geographic photographer Brian Skerry who blends the beauty of the oceans with the problems they face today. And we hear about a man who brought the beauty of the underwater realm to the masses before the invention of underwater cameras. Plus, our critter of the month is a curious beastie that can't see light, but can see heat.

From precious coral and slimey sea cucumbers to luxury fish lips and beautiful seahorses, this month Naked Oceans explores the many ways we trade the oceans. We sift through some of the highest price-tags in the sea and find out what impact this all has on ocean life. Helen pays a visit to an aquarium that breeds seahorses and finds out how to mail them around the world. And we ask, Is Blue Carbon the new green? Will converting marine life into carbon credits help fend off climate change? And in Critter of the Month we meet a very rare animal, with a very big appetite.

Valentines Day is here and this month on Naked Oceans we reveal some of the unusual mating habits of ocean animals. How do they track down a mate in the enormous oceans? What happens if they are stuck firmly in place on the sea floor? And what does all this mean for our efforts to protect ocean life? We find out what happens when the animals that build coral reefs take part in a huge, synchronised love-in. We call in on the Cayman Islands to discover how the spawning habits of many fish put them in grave danger of being overfished. And we find out how jellyfish make more jellyfish and whether these prolific beasties really are going to take over the oceans. Plus, we find out from a gender-bending Critter of the Month what life is like being both a male then female.

Join us as we venture beneath the waves to uncover alternatives to overfishing. We find out what lies behind the Marine Stewardship Council's blue eco-label for sustainable seafood and talk manta ray ecotourism with Andrea Marshall, Queen of Mantas. Continuing our look at protecting the oceans, we catch up with Coral Cay Conservation in the Philippines to find out how they've been working with coastal communities to help them protect their local piece of sea and set up fish sanctuaries. And in Critter of the Month we meet a bird that lives above, on, and even in the ocean.

In a special festive edition of Naked Oceans we count down the 12 critters of Christmas. Packed into our seasonal critter fest are sea angels and Christmas tree worms, cuddly marine mammals and less-cuddly deep sea fish. We'll meet an ocean migrant that could lend Father Christmas a helping hand and we'll venture into the deep sea to track down a fish that glows as brightly as Rudolf's nose.

We venture out into the big blue to check out the latest developments in Marine Protected Areas - or MPAs - those areas of the ocean set aside to let wildlife recover and thrive. Hot off the press, a new report launched in Nagoya tells us how many MPAs there are globally, where they are, and how much of the ocean they cover. Have we reached the 10% target yet? Plus we find out about a new generation of MPAs soon to appear around the UK coast and track down bottlenose dolphins and a gaggle of sea birds in a marine reserve off the Welsh coast.

In a special edition of Naked Oceans we celebrate the world's first Census of Marine Life as it draws to a climax this month after ten years of amazing ocean discoveries. Recorded at the Census conference at the Royal Institution in London on October 4th 2010, we meet many of the people behind the census, find out how the whole grand project got going, and pick out some of the census highlights. We also hear some musical inspiration from the census and chat with distinguished oceans explorer, Sylvia Earle.

This month we submerge ourselves in the science of tracking sharks. How do we follow them, where do they go, and what do they get up to when we're not watching? We catch up with Ecocean's Brad Norman to find out how he was inspired by the stars to help track the biggest fish in the seas. Mahmood Shivji from the Guy Harvey Research Institute tells us about how cutting edge genetic tools are helping to track the trade in sharks fins. And Boris Worm chooses our Critter of the Month.

Join us as we dive into the science of climate change in the oceans. What changes are we already seeing, what affects are they having on marine life, and what are the prospects for the future? We call in on the Arctic and the Antarctic to find out what's going on in some of the most vulnerable parts of the oceans, and we meet some extraordinary critters from the bottom of the sea at the bottom of the world.

To launch this brand new podcast series, Naked Oceans ventures beneath the waves to investigate the impacts of oil spills on the marine environment. We hunt down the hidden world of microbes in Louisiana wetlands, trace the fingerprint of oil in the open oceans, and discuss the likely fallout from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. And 14 years on, we meet some of the survivors of the Sea Empress Oil Spill in the Welsh coast. And we invite Carl Safina to choose our first Critter of the Month.