Sonic Sea

Founder, Center for Whale Research

Balcomb was a leading figure in the study and protection of orcas. He founded the Center for Whale Research, pioneered photo identification of cetaceans, and made the first known live observations of Longman’s beaked whales. In the aftermath of a mass stranding of beaked whales in the Bahamas in March 2000, he helped prove that naval sonar can kill whales. Balcomb’s meticulous research and tenacious advocacy expanded our understanding of whales and strengthened protections for them. Balcomb died in 2022.

McAdams is an actress and environmental advocate. She has starred in films such as Mean Girls, The Notebook, Wedding Crashers, Southpaw, Sherlock Holmes, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret., and the HBO TV series True Detective. McAdams ran the eco-friendly lifestyle website GreenIsSexy.org and gets around by bicycle and electric vehicle when possible.

Imogene Powers Johnson Senior Scientist at the Bioacoustics Research Program, Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Clark helped develop and apply advanced acoustic technology to record and analyze the sounds of wildlife around the globe. His work advances the understanding of animal communication and the health of wildlife populations. He has listened to and studied whales for more than 40 years, with a focus on endangered North Atlantic right whales.

Oceanographer, author, and National Geographic Explorer in Residence

Earle has led more than 100 ocean expeditions and logged over 7,000 hours underwater. Named a "living legend" by the Library of Congress, she earned a BS from Florida State University and a PhD from Duke University. Earle, who helped develop early SCUBA gear, authored more than 190 publications, including The World is Blue: How our Fate and the Ocean’s are One. In 1990, she was the first woman named chief scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Her goal is to “ignite public support for the protection of Hope Spots—special places that are vital to the health of the ocean, the blue heart of the planet.”

Director of marine mammals, NRDC

Jasny is a leading expert in the law and policy of ocean noise pollution. For more than a decade, he has directed high-profile litigation, lobbying efforts, science-based policy development, and public advocacy to improve the regulation of this emergent global problem. His work also focuses on securing protection for endangered marine mammals and their habitat, opposing development projects that threaten marine mammals off the U.S. and Canadian coastlines, and improving management of fisheries, whale-watching tourism, and other sectors that impact these vulnerable species. Jasny is the author or coauthor of numerous publications in legal, policy, and scientific journals. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Yale University and a JD from Harvard Law School. 

Musician; human rights & environmental activist

Sting (Gordon Sumner) is a musician, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and activist. He was the principal songwriter, lead singer, and bassist for The Police. He wrote the music and lyrics for the Broadway musical The Last Ship, inspired by his experiences growing up amid the shipbuilding industry in the north of England. He founded the Rainforest Foundation Fund to help save the Brazilian rainforests and protect Indigenous Peoples, and he has supported human rights campaigns for decades.

Ken Balcomb Senior Advocate for Quiet Seas, NRDC

A marine ecologist by training, Dr. Hatch’s work at NRDC aims to reduce the impacts of ocean noise pollution from industrial sources on marine animals, with a priority focus on quieting commercial shipping. She joined NRDC in 2025 after working at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for 16 years.

Founder and codirector, OrcaLab

Originally from New Zealand, Spong is a neuroscientist and cetologist who has immersed himself in orca research since the 1960s. Early in his career, he studied the captive orcas, Hyak and Skana, at the Vancouver Aquarium where he grew to appreciate their intellect and exceptional use of sound. He later advocated to keep whales out of captivity and in 1970 founded OrcaLab with the goal of studying marine mammals without interfering in their lives and habitat. Spong and his assistants share their research findings from the remote Hanson Island in British Columbia via live streams.

Program director, animal rescue, International Fund for Animal Welfare

As IFAW’s program director for Animal Rescue, Moore directs IFAW’s animal rescue team and collaborates with partner organizations around the globe to save animals in crisis, including disaster response, marine mammal rescue and research, and wildlife rescue, rehabilitation, and release. In Madagascar, Moore used techniques developed by IFAW's Marine Mammal Rescue & Research team in an attempt to save more than 100 melon headed whales—deep-water animals that had stranded themselves inside an estuary. She also provided guidance in gathering data to determine the cause of the incident.

Research assistant, OrcaLab

Patterson worked at OrcaLab as a research assistant. She joined other volunteers from around the world who visually and acoustically monitor the orcas 24 hours a day during the summer and fall months.

Senior scientist, Southall Environmental Associates, Inc.

Southall grew up in landlocked East Texas but developed a passion for the oceans. He is the former director of NOAA’s Ocean Acoustics Program, where he helped develop acoustic exposure criteria for marine mammals. Southall continues to study the behavioral responses of marine mammals to human-produced sounds.

Coastal fisherman, former secretary, Norwegian Fisherman Union

Nicolaisen is a Norwegian cod fisherman. When offshore oil exploration increased in the region, he noticed a 60 percent decrease in fish populations. Concerned for his livelihood, Nicolaisen became an outspoken voice against the use of “seismic shooting” as a tool for oil exploration.

Explorer, founder & president, Ocean Futures Society

Explorer, editor, environmentalist, and filmmaker Cousteau has dedicated his life to communicating the critical bond between humans and the sea. The son of Jacques Cousteau, he began exploring the ocean as a young boy. He’s produced more than 80 films and received the Emmy and Peabody awards among others. Cousteau organized efforts to care for Keiko, the captive whale of Free Willy fame. In 1999, he founded the Ocean Futures Society. Cousteau is an impassioned diplomat for the environment, traveling the world to meet with everyone from school children to global leaders, urging us all toward positive change.

Author, In Pursuit of Silence: Listening for Meaning in a World of Noise

Prochnik taught English and American Literature at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He now lives in New York City and is editor-at-large for Cabinet magazine. Prochnik's writing spans essays, poetry, and fiction.

Senior institutional strategist, senior attorney, Nature program, NRDC

Reynolds is a widely recognized environmental litigator who took on the U.S. Navy over its use of sonar, fighting all the way to the Supreme Court. He has led numerous successful campaigns, including those to protect the gray whale birthing lagoon and World Heritage Site at Laguna San Ignacio in Baja California to reduce ocean noise pollution, to protect the popular California State Park at San Onofre, and, most recently, to stop the Pebble Mine in southwestern Alaska. He has twice been selected California Lawyer of the Year in the environmental category.

President emeritus, Chamber of Shipping of America

Metcalf graduated with highest honors from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy with a BS in marine transportation and nautical sciences. She spent five years as a deck officer aboard crude oil and product tankers. She earned a JD in 1988 from the Delaware Law School of Widener University.

Former general counsel, U.S. Navy

Honigman served as the general counsel of the U.S. Navy and was a recipient of the Department of the Navy Distinguished Public Service Award. He was committed to supporting naval operations while protecting environmental resources. Honigman died in 2022.

Former commodore, U.S. Navy

Parker is a retired senior U.S. naval officer with multiple combat tours who commanded three ships and served as chief of staff for U.S. Naval Forces. He served as the president of the EastWest Institute.

Dougherty is a designer, director, creative director, and graduate of ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena. During her 21 years at the renowned creative studio Imaginary Forces, she directed global advertising campaigns and led projects spanning branding, television and film title sequences, feature film marketing, and experiential design. Her work has received multiple Emmy nominations for main title design and has been recognized by several institutions, including the Walker Art Center, Hammer Museum, and Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. She has spoken internationally about design and has also taught at ArtCenter College of Design. She currently works at Apple.

Hinerfeld is a two-time Emmy-winning filmmaker and award-winning journalist. He oversees NRDC’s Rewrite the Future, an initiative to help Hollywood tell stories about the climate crisis. He founded NRDC's documentary unit and created films, including Sonic Sea (narrated by Rachel McAdams), Acid Test (narrated by Sigourney Weaver), Stories from the Gulf (narrated by Robert Redford), and Wild Things. Hinerfeld previously worked at NPR as the senior editor of the Tavis Smiley Show. At KCRW, he produced Warren Olney's daily news discussion program, Which Way, L.A.?, and co-created the nationally syndicated political analysis show, Left, Right & Center.

Diamond Docs cofounder Monroe is a two-time Emmy winner, three-time Writers Guild Awards winner, and BAFTA nominee, whose credits include Icarus and The Cove, both of which won the Academy Award for Best Documentary. Other notable credits include Emmy winner Jim Henson: Idea Man with Ron Howard; Grammy winner The Beatles: Eight Days a Week with Ron Howard; Peabody nominee Lucy and Desi with Amy Poehler; The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart with Frank Marshall; Becoming Cousteau with Liz Garbus; Before the Flood with Leonardo DiCaprio; The Dissident with Bryan Fogel; Watch the Sound with Mark Ronson and Morgan Neville; and Tales from the Tour Bus with Mike Judge. Monroe recently directed the Emmy-nominated Charlie Hustle & the Matter of Pete Rose for HBO Max, as well as Titan: The Oceangate Disaster for Netflix.