Ideas worth spreading

Are we interrupting the kinky sex lives of fish?

2,016,706 views |

Marah J. Hardt |

TEDxMileHigh

• November 2019

The ocean plays host to a peculiar party of wild, marine sex life that's perhaps quirkier (and kinkier) than you can fathom. But is human behavior interrupting these raunchy reproductive acts? Take a deep dive with marine biologist Marah J. Hardt to discover what exactly goes down under the sea -- and why your own wellness depends on the healthy sex lives of fish.

The ocean plays host to a peculiar party of wild, marine sex life that's perhaps quirkier (and kinkier) than you can fathom. But is human behavior interrupting these raunchy reproductive acts? Take a deep dive with marine biologist Marah J. Hardt to discover what exactly goes down under the sea -- and why your own wellness depends on the healthy sex lives of fish.

This talk was presented to a local audience at TEDxMileHigh, an independent event. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

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Find out the many ways we can help make the oceans more sex-friendly.

About the speaker

Marah J. Hardt

Marine scientist and storyteller

See speaker profile

Marah J. Hardt keeps one foot wet in the field while the other wanders the crossroads of science, storytelling and strategy.

Marah J. Hardt | St Martin's Press, 2016 | Book

Sex in the Sea: Our Intimate Connection with Sex-Changing Fish, Romantic Lobsters, Kinky Squid, and Other Salty Erotica of the Deep

Here it is. Your complete and comprehensive guide to even more wild and wondrous stories of sex in the sea, and the often surprising ways we are influencing these salty love affairs ... for better and for worse.

Jeff Goodell | Rolling Stone, 2020 | Article

"Rising Tides, Troubled Waters: The Future of Our Ocean"

This article in Rolling Stones provides a sobering snapshot of the threats facing our oceans, and the chance we still have to turn the tide.

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"Sex and Sustainability in the Sea"

Marah J. Hardt | Scientific American, 2014 | Article

"Getting to Know Whale Vaginas in Seven Steps"

A story about the surprisingly complex, maze-like vaginas of whales, and what that can tell us about their love lives.

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Science and Conservation of Fish Aggregations (SCRFA)

A great resource for the latest science on those fish that get it on in groups, and ways we can better manage these orgy-loving species.

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This talk was presented to a local audience at TEDxMileHigh, an independent event. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

Read more about TEDx.

Find out the many ways we can help make the oceans more sex-friendly.