0:00:00.774,0:00:02.275
Right now,

0:00:02.275,0:00:05.469
beneath a shimmering blue sea,

0:00:05.469,0:00:08.488
millions of fish are having sex.

0:00:09.105,0:00:12.147
(Cheers)

0:00:12.709,0:00:16.101
And the way they're doing it[br]and strategies they're using

0:00:16.101,0:00:18.570
looks nothing like what we see on land.

0:00:19.936,0:00:21.570
Take parrotfish.

0:00:21.570,0:00:25.006
In this species, all fish are born female,

0:00:25.624,0:00:28.033
and they look like this.

0:00:28.033,0:00:29.268
Then later in life,

0:00:29.268,0:00:32.720
she can transition into a male[br]and she'll look like this.

0:00:33.421,0:00:37.748
But it's not just[br]a spectacular wardrobe change.

0:00:37.748,0:00:41.952
Her body can reabsorb her ovaries[br]and grow testes in their place.

0:00:42.836,0:00:44.705
In just a few weeks,

0:00:44.705,0:00:48.015
she'll go from making eggs[br]to producing sperm.

0:00:48.215,0:00:50.534
It's pretty impressive,

0:00:50.534,0:00:52.852
and in the ocean it's also pretty common.

0:00:53.053,0:00:56.927
In fact, I'll bet nearly all of you[br]have at some point had a seafood dish

0:00:57.264,0:01:00.416
made up of an individual[br]that started life as one sex

0:01:00.416,0:01:02.100
and transitioned to another.

0:01:02.368,0:01:03.769
Oysters?

0:01:04.069,0:01:05.687
Grouper?

0:01:05.687,0:01:07.463
Shrimp?

0:01:07.646,0:01:09.981
Seeing some heads nodding, yeah.

0:01:09.981,0:01:13.926
But not all fish that change sex[br]start as females.

0:01:14.302,0:01:17.176
Those clownfish we know[br]from "Finding Nemo"?

0:01:17.680,0:01:19.596
They're all born male.

0:01:20.264,0:01:23.585
So in the real world,

0:01:23.585,0:01:25.853
when Nemo's mother died,

0:01:26.237,0:01:30.647
Nemo's dad Marlin would[br]have transitioned into Marlene

0:01:30.998,0:01:32.098
(Laughter)

0:01:32.098,0:01:35.686
and Nemo would have likely mated[br]with his father turned mother.

0:01:35.686,0:01:36.769
(Laughter)

0:01:36.769,0:01:39.528
You can see -- (Laughter)

0:01:39.829,0:01:41.330
Yeah.

0:01:43.299,0:01:44.835
You can see why Pixar

0:01:44.835,0:01:47.793
took a little creative license[br]with the plot line, right?

0:01:47.793,0:01:48.929
(Laughter)

0:01:48.929,0:01:52.330
So sex change in the ocean[br]can happen in either direction

0:01:52.330,0:01:54.183
and sometimes even back and forth,

0:01:54.183,0:01:58.010
and that's just one of the many[br]amazing strategies animals use

0:01:58.010,0:02:00.195
to reproduce in the ocean.

0:02:00.361,0:02:02.079
And trust me when I say

0:02:02.079,0:02:04.248
it's one of the least surprising.

0:02:04.565,0:02:07.574
Sex in the sea is fascinating,

0:02:07.574,0:02:10.127
and it's also really important,

0:02:10.127,0:02:12.946
and not just to nerdy[br]marine biologists like me

0:02:12.946,0:02:16.533
who are obsessed with understanding[br]these salty affairs.

0:02:17.000,0:02:20.210
It matters for all of us.

0:02:20.210,0:02:23.096
Today, we depend on wild caught fish

0:02:23.096,0:02:25.916
to help feed over two billion people

0:02:25.916,0:02:27.483
on the planet.

0:02:27.483,0:02:31.977
We need millions of oysters and corals[br]to build the giant reefs

0:02:31.977,0:02:35.180
that protect our shorelines[br]from rising seas and storms.

0:02:35.588,0:02:39.525
We depend on medicines that are found[br]in marine animals to fight cancer

0:02:39.525,0:02:41.557
and other diseases.

0:02:41.557,0:02:43.243
And for many of us,

0:02:43.243,0:02:47.486
the diversity and beauty of the oceans[br]is where we turn for recreation

0:02:47.486,0:02:50.606
and relaxation and our cultural heritage.

0:02:51.173,0:02:54.199
In order for us to continue[br]to benefit from the abundance

0:02:54.199,0:02:55.783
that ocean life provides,

0:02:55.783,0:02:58.603
the fish and coral and shrimp of today

0:02:58.603,0:03:01.973
have to be able to make fish[br]and shrimp and coral for tomorrow.

0:03:01.973,0:03:05.599
To do that, they have to have[br]lots and lots of sex.

0:03:07.018,0:03:08.468
And until recently,

0:03:08.468,0:03:11.638
we really didn't know how sex[br]happened in the sea.

0:03:11.638,0:03:13.381
It's pretty hard to study.

0:03:13.381,0:03:16.583
But thanks to new science and technology,

0:03:16.583,0:03:20.221
we now know so much more[br]than even just a few years ago,

0:03:20.221,0:03:23.022
and these new discoveries[br]are showing two things.

0:03:23.529,0:03:27.316
First, sex in the sea is really funky.

0:03:27.718,0:03:32.905
Second, our actions are wreaking havoc[br]on the sex lives of everything

0:03:32.905,0:03:35.330
from shrimp to salmon.

0:03:35.497,0:03:37.866
I know. It can be hard to believe.

0:03:37.866,0:03:42.537
So today, I'm going to share a few details[br]about how animals do it in the deep,

0:03:42.537,0:03:46.547
how we may be interrupting[br]these intimate affairs,

0:03:46.547,0:03:49.416
and what we can do to change that.

0:03:49.416,0:03:52.487
So, remember those sex-changing fish?

0:03:52.487,0:03:54.395
In many places in the world,

0:03:54.395,0:03:57.631
we have fishing rules that set[br]a minimum catch size.

0:03:57.631,0:04:00.501
Fishers are not allowed[br]to target tiny fish.

0:04:00.501,0:04:04.463
This allows baby fish to grow[br]and reproduce before they're caught.

0:04:04.463,0:04:06.145
That's a good thing.

0:04:06.145,0:04:08.631
So fishers go after the biggest fish.

0:04:08.631,0:04:11.868
But in parrotfish, for example,[br]or any sex changer,

0:04:11.868,0:04:17.879
targeting the biggest fish means[br]that they're taking out all the males.

0:04:17.879,0:04:20.749
That makes it hard for a female fish

0:04:20.749,0:04:22.000
to find a mate

0:04:22.000,0:04:24.944
or it forces her to change sex sooner

0:04:24.944,0:04:26.727
at a smaller size.

0:04:26.727,0:04:30.114
Both of these things can result[br]in fewer fish babies in the future.

0:04:30.114,0:04:34.275
In order for us to properly care[br]for these species,

0:04:34.275,0:04:36.627
we have to know if they change sex,

0:04:36.627,0:04:38.464
how, and when.

0:04:38.646,0:04:42.499
Only then can we create rules[br]that can support these sexual strategies,

0:04:42.499,0:04:46.476
such as setting a maximum size limit[br]in addition to a minimum one.

0:04:46.811,0:04:50.370
The challenge isn't that we can't think[br]of these sex-friendly solutions.

0:04:50.370,0:04:54.973
The challenge is knowing[br]which solutions to apply to which species,

0:04:54.973,0:04:58.260
because even animals we know really well

0:04:58.260,0:05:00.468
surprise us when it comes[br]to their sex lives.

0:05:00.468,0:05:02.770
Take Maine lobster.

0:05:02.770,0:05:05.206
They don't look that romantic,

0:05:05.206,0:05:06.958
or that kinky.

0:05:07.475,0:05:08.860
They are both.

0:05:08.860,0:05:10.918
(Laughter)

0:05:10.918,0:05:12.870
During mating season,

0:05:12.870,0:05:16.973
female lobsters want to mate[br]with the biggest, baddest males,

0:05:16.973,0:05:18.698
but these guys are really aggressive,

0:05:18.698,0:05:22.368
and they'll attack any lobster[br]that approaches, male or female.

0:05:22.719,0:05:26.729
Meanwhile, the best time[br]for her to mate with the male

0:05:26.729,0:05:28.631
is right after she's molted,

0:05:28.631,0:05:30.599
when she's lost her hard shell.

0:05:30.599,0:05:35.387
So she has to approach this aggressive guy[br]in her most vulnerable state.

0:05:35.777,0:05:38.180
What's a girl to do?

0:05:38.180,0:05:39.998
Her answer?

0:05:39.998,0:05:44.785
Spray him in the face[br]repeatedly with her urine.

0:05:44.785,0:05:46.877
(Laughter)

0:05:47.862,0:05:51.933
Under the sea, pee[br]is a very powerful love potion.

0:05:51.933,0:05:57.929
Conveniently, lobsters' bladders[br]sit just above their brains,

0:05:57.929,0:06:01.064
and they have two nozzles[br]under their eye stalks

0:06:01.064,0:06:04.183
with which they can shoot[br]their urine forward.

0:06:04.183,0:06:07.077
So the female approaches the male's den

0:06:07.077,0:06:10.046
and as he charges out[br]she lets loose a stream of urine

0:06:10.046,0:06:12.648
and then gets the hell out of there.

0:06:12.648,0:06:16.108
Only a few days of this daily dosing[br]is all it takes for her scent

0:06:16.108,0:06:21.980
to have a transformative effect.

0:06:21.980,0:06:25.032
The male turns from an aggressive[br]to a gentle lover.

0:06:25.032,0:06:30.612
By the week's end,[br]he invites her into his den.

0:06:30.612,0:06:32.847
After that, the sex is easy.

0:06:33.697,0:06:38.442
So how are interrupting[br]this kind of kinky courtship?

0:06:38.808,0:06:43.813
Well, the female's urine carries[br]a critical chemical signal

0:06:43.813,0:06:47.174
that works because[br]it can pass through seawater

0:06:47.174,0:06:48.737
and lobsters have a smell receptor

0:06:48.737,0:06:51.088
that can detect and receive the message.

0:06:51.088,0:06:55.116
Climate change is making[br]our oceans more acidic.

0:06:55.116,0:06:59.051
It's the result of too much[br]carbon dioxide entering seawater.

0:06:59.051,0:07:02.546
This changing chemistry[br]could scramble that message,

0:07:02.546,0:07:06.816
or it could damage[br]the lobsters' smell receptors.

0:07:06.816,0:07:09.286
Pollution from land[br]can have similar impacts.

0:07:09.286,0:07:11.978
Just imagine the consequence[br]for that female

0:07:11.978,0:07:13.963
if her love potion should fail.

0:07:13.963,0:07:18.200
These are the kinds of subtle[br]but significant impacts we're having

0:07:18.200,0:07:21.710
on the love lives of these marine life.

0:07:21.710,0:07:23.294
And this is a species we know well:

0:07:23.294,0:07:25.096
lobsters live near shore in the shallows.

0:07:25.096,0:07:29.449
Dive deeper, and sex gets even stranger.

0:07:29.734,0:07:35.597
Fanfin anglerfish live at about[br]3,000 feet below the surface

0:07:35.597,0:07:38.115
in the pitch-black waters,

0:07:38.115,0:07:41.419
and the males are born[br]without the ability to feed themselves.

0:07:41.419,0:07:46.182
To survive, he has to find a female fast.

0:07:46.182,0:07:49.599
Meanwhile, the female,

0:07:49.599,0:07:52.303
who is 10 times bigger than the male,

0:07:52.303,0:07:53.233
10 times,

0:07:53.233,0:07:57.605
she lets out a very strong pheromone[br]with which to attract mates to her.

0:07:58.206,0:08:01.341
So this tiny male is swimming[br]through the black waters

0:08:01.341,0:08:04.011
smelling his way to a female,

0:08:04.011,0:08:07.621
and when he finds her,

0:08:07.621,0:08:08.704
he gives her a love bite.

0:08:08.704,0:08:10.474
And this is when things get really weird.

0:08:10.474,0:08:13.444
That love bite triggers[br]a chemical reaction

0:08:13.444,0:08:16.837
whereby his jawbone[br]starts to disintegrate.

0:08:16.837,0:08:20.323
His face melts into her flesh,

0:08:20.323,0:08:23.275
and their two bodies start to fuse.

0:08:23.275,0:08:27.086
Their circulatory systems intwine,

0:08:27.086,0:08:31.205
and all his internal organs[br]start to dissolve

0:08:31.205,0:08:35.461
except for his testes.

0:08:37.368,0:08:39.154
(Laughter)

0:08:39.154,0:08:42.156
His testes mature just fine[br]and start producing sperm.

0:08:42.156,0:08:45.310
In the end, he's basically[br]a permanently attached

0:08:45.310,0:08:47.818
on-demand sperm factory for the female.

0:08:47.818,0:08:49.970
(Laughter)

0:08:50.187,0:08:52.122
It's a very efficient system,

0:08:53.874,0:08:56.683
but this is not the kind[br]of mating strategy

0:08:56.683,0:08:58.218
that we see on a farm, right?

0:08:58.218,0:08:59.604
I mean, this is weird.

0:08:59.604,0:09:01.103
It's really strange.

0:09:01.103,0:09:04.206
But if we don't know that[br]these kinds of strategies exist

0:09:04.206,0:09:05.374
or how they work,

0:09:05.374,0:09:08.600
we can't know what kind of impacts[br]we may be having, even in the deep sea.

0:09:08.600,0:09:10.619
Just three years ago,

0:09:10.619,0:09:14.889
we discovered a new species[br]of deep sea octopus

0:09:14.889,0:09:18.901
where the females lay their eggs[br]on sponges attached to rocks

0:09:18.901,0:09:21.486
that are over two and a half miles deep.

0:09:21.970,0:09:24.605
These rocks contain rare earth minerals,

0:09:24.605,0:09:27.666
and right now there are companies[br]that are building bulldozers

0:09:27.666,0:09:31.502
that would be capable of mining[br]the deep sea floor for those rocks.

0:09:32.369,0:09:35.807
But the bulldozers[br]would scrape up all the sponges

0:09:35.807,0:09:37.915
and all the eggs with them.

0:09:37.915,0:09:42.303
Knowingly, and in many cases unknowingly,

0:09:42.303,0:09:46.799
we are preventing successful sex[br]and reproduction in the deep.

0:09:46.799,0:09:49.515
And let's be honest,

0:09:49.515,0:09:51.116
dating and mating is hard enough[br]without somebody coming in

0:09:51.116,0:09:52.951
and interrupting all the time, right?

0:09:52.951,0:09:55.594
I mean, we know this.

0:09:55.594,0:10:01.317
So today, while I hope you will leave here[br]with some excellent bar trivia on fish sex

0:10:01.317,0:10:03.600
(Laughter)

0:10:03.600,0:10:06.141
I also ask that you remember this:

0:10:06.141,0:10:12.611
we are all far more intimately connected[br]with the oceans than we realize,

0:10:12.801,0:10:15.670
no matter where we live.

0:10:15.670,0:10:18.607
And this level of intimacy

0:10:18.607,0:10:21.743
requires a new kind[br]of relationship with the ocean,

0:10:21.743,0:10:26.871
one that recognizes and respects[br]the enormous diversity of life

0:10:26.871,0:10:29.741
and its limitations.

0:10:29.741,0:10:32.093
We can no longer think of the oceans

0:10:32.093,0:10:33.694
as just something out there,

0:10:33.694,0:10:37.671
because every day we depend on them[br]for our food security,

0:10:37.671,0:10:39.340
our own health and wellness,

0:10:39.340,0:10:42.459
and every other breath we take.

0:10:43.027,0:10:45.935
But it is a two-way relationship,

0:10:45.935,0:10:48.888
and the oceans can only continue[br]to provide for us

0:10:48.888,0:10:53.360
if we in turn safeguard[br]that fundamental force of life in the sea:

0:10:53.360,0:10:56.186
sex and reproduction.

0:10:56.186,0:11:00.455
So, like any relationship,[br]we have to embrace some change

0:11:00.455,0:11:02.925
for the partnership to work.

0:11:02.925,0:11:05.620
The next time you're thinking[br]about having seafood,

0:11:05.620,0:11:09.055
look for sustainable caught[br]or farmed species

0:11:09.055,0:11:11.948
that are local and low on the food chain.

0:11:11.948,0:11:14.967
These are animals[br]like oysters, clams, mussels,

0:11:14.967,0:11:17.206
small fish like mackerel.

0:11:17.206,0:11:20.472
These all reproduce like crazy,[br]and with good management

0:11:20.472,0:11:23.048
they can handle a bit of fishing pressure.

0:11:23.048,0:11:26.851
We can also rethink what we use[br]to wash our bodies,

0:11:26.851,0:11:27.802
clean our homes,

0:11:27.802,0:11:29.788
and care for our lawns.

0:11:29.788,0:11:33.363
All of those chemicals[br]eventually wash out to sea

0:11:33.363,0:11:34.637
and disrupt the natural chemistry

0:11:34.637,0:11:35.938
of the ocean.

0:11:35.938,0:11:38.592
Industry also has to play its part

0:11:38.592,0:11:40.626
and take a precautionary approach,

0:11:40.626,0:11:43.887
protecting sexual activity[br]where we know it exists

0:11:43.887,0:11:47.807
and preventing harm in the cases[br]where we just don't yet know enough,

0:11:47.807,0:11:50.010
like the deep sea.

0:11:50.010,0:11:52.844
And in the communities where we live,

0:11:52.844,0:11:54.653
the places we work,

0:11:54.653,0:11:56.973
and the country in which we vote,

0:11:56.973,0:12:02.728
we must take bold action[br]on climate change now.

0:12:02.927,0:12:06.449
(Applause)

0:12:06.449,0:12:07.521
Thank you.

0:12:07.521,0:12:08.924
(Applause)