Exploring sea jellies on Connecticut's coastline and beyond

Jellyfish or simply “jellies” have been around for more than 500 million years. That means, jellies were here before dinosaurs! This resilient species has a simple, but astounding makeup. Jellies don’t have a brain or a heart. They have a single cavity for eating and expelling waste. This hour, we…

Endangered sturgeon stage return to the Connecticut River

Sturgeon have existed for millions of years. These prehistoric fish, often described as "hardy" and "charismatic," are largely endangered. Atlantic sturgeon were thought to have disappeared from the Connecticut River. In 2014, local researchers with the state discovered a hatchling Atlantic sturge…

Chef Reneé Touponce’s innovative approach to seafood, local clam shacks, and fish hunter Valentine Thomas

We’ve wanted to hook chef Reneé Touponce for an interview for a long time! She’s the executive chef at Oyster Club and The Port of Call, a nautical-themed cocktail lounge and restaurant in Mystic. She’s also the Connecticut Restaurant Association’s “Best Chef” of 2022 and a James Beard Award-nomine…

Shiver me timbers! A show about sea chanteys

Today, the sea chantey is something people listen to while having a good time in bars or at festivals, but its roots are more complex, stretching into the hard labor performed by sailors on 19th century merchant vessels and having ties to Black work songs. During the first year of the pandemic, the…

What the ocean is telling us about our impact on the planet

This hour, we listen back to a panel discussion that Khalilah hosted for The Nature Conservancy in Connecticut’s annual Nature Talks series. The discussion was called “Oceans: Our Global Watchdog.” It was recorded in front of a live audience at Grace Farms in New Canaan, CT. The panelists talked ab…

Horseshoe crabs and shellfish make waves at the State Capitol

All week long, Connecticut Public’s talk shows are celebrating all things nautical with its first-ever NautiWeek. So, on The Wheelhouse, we’re going big on some sea creatures getting attention at the State Capitol. In recent years, state lawmakers have put in place a number of protections for both…

Beneath the surface: A deep dive into Connecticut shipwrecks

Searching for sunken treasure? Long Island Sound is hardly the place to look. But what can be found in its murky waters are ample remains of Connecticut’s once prominent shipping industry, and perhaps evidence of early Native American villages from around 20,000 years ago when the Sound was a glac…

Below the surface: The stories behind underwater world records

As part of NautiWeek, you’ll meet two people who broke world records while underwater on this episode of Audacious. Budimir Šobat won a world record for holding his breath underwater for almost 25 minutes! What advice on breathing does he have for the rest of us? Then, we connect with Dr. Joe Dit…

Diamondback Terrapins are the gem of all turtles

Diamondback terrapins, a species of small turtle along the coastline and marsh of Long Island Sound were once near extinction, but they’ve made a great comeback in our state. This special species was once hunted to make turtle soup, to the point that there were no terrapins left in Sound. Now that…

Connecticut coral could play a key role in climate resilience

Just off the coast, in Long Island Sound and Narragansett Bay, northern star coral flourishes. Scientists where we live hope this could be good news for its tropical relatives, increasingly threatened by warming waters. Clusters of this native coral, also known as Astrangia poculata, are being stu…