In the Company of Humpbacks S1:4
Humpback whale in the depths of the sea. Photo by Emmali.
In this Patreon exclusive fourth episode of In The Company of Humpbacks, we return to the field in continued conversation with Dr. Fred Sharpe and his collaborators. This episode widens its lens, tracing the seasonal patterns of humpback behavior, communication, and migration as they intersect with rapidly shifting ocean conditions. Moving between observation and reflection, Fred and Ayana speak to the importance of long-term listening: how knowledge is built not only through data, but through sustained relationships with place, species, and season.
As the series unfolds, this episode leans into the complexity of conservation in a changing world, holding both uncertainty and devotion. It asks what it means to stay attentive to lives that move beyond our immediate perception, and how care can emerge from that attention.
This episode is available exclusively on Patreon. We invite you to join our community there to listen and support this work.
Publish date: April 16, 2026
Credits
We gratefully acknowledge the contributions of our partners Five Fingers Lighthouse and Puget Sound Chapter of the American Cetacean Society. For The Wild is created by Ayana Young, Victoria Pham, Erica Ekrem, Julia Jackson, and Aurie Bittle. Sounds and images collected under NOAA/NMFS Research Permit 26663.
Biographies
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Fred has been studying the foraging ecology of humpback whales in SE Alaska since 1987. He received his Ph.D. from Simon Fraser University and is currently collaborating with the Cetacean Institute on the study of the humpback’s aerial sounds. Fred’s interest in conservation biology has led him to follow the whales south to their Hawaiian wintering to document their historical ecology and legacy impacts from commercial whaling. He has been awarded the Fairfield Award for Innovative Marine Mammal Research and the Society for Marine Mammology’s Award for Excellence in Scientific Communication. Fred volunteers with NOAA as a large whale entanglement responder. He is a naturalist in the classical tradition and enjoys botanizing and preserving native oaks grasslands. During his botany undergraduate days (University of Washington) he co-authored and illustrated Wild Plants of the San Juan Islands. After graduation, he continued his work in the archipelago and co-authored and illustrated Birding in the San Juan Islands.
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Ayana and her daughter spend their days exploring the wilderness of Coastal Alaska (US) while strategizing ways to halt large-scale industrial projects within wild salmon habitat. She is the co-founder and host of For The Wild, an independent slow media project and podcast devoted to land-based protection, co-liberation, and the tender work of remembering our place within the living world. Through over a decade of intimate dialogue with visionaries, knowledge keepers, and artists, Ayana brings forth stories that awaken reverence, ignite resistance, and dream toward a future shaped by reciprocity and collective care. Her work is rooted in devotion; to the Earth, to truth telling, and to the quiet transformation that comes from listening deeply.
Learn More
Learn more and support this work at thrums.org.
Fred and colleagues will be presenting on baleen whale aerial sounds at the AstroBioloy Science Conference in Madison, WI in May 2026.
Publication: Sharpe, Frediani et al 2025. “Humpback Whales Blow Toroidal Vortex Bubble Rings.”
Behind-the-Scenes Extras
By joining us on Patreon, you get early access to episodes, reflection prompts, a bonus episode, and behind the scenes content. Patreon membership also gives you access to our zines, archives of extended episodes, and more. Join us at patreon.com/forthewild.
SLOW MEDIA ZINE
Launching in April
Water and Whales: Thrums of Understanding
Listen to the series…
