The Forest of the Sea: A Conversation with David Helvarg

WHAT: The Lowell Lecture Series at the New England Aquarium presents award-winning journalist and environmental champion David Helvarg for a talk focused on kelp, climate, and the future of the ocean. Drawing from his book, “The Forest of the Sea,” Helvarg will recount his memorable two-year journey beneath the waves tracking kelp’s natural and human history in stories that span the globe.

While they cover more space and generate more oxygen than the Amazon Rainforest, kelp forests are largely out of sight and mind, hidden beneath the water. Helvarg will highlight the people working to promote and protect kelp forests, and the more than 1,000 marine species from sea otters to salmon to seadragons that depend on these incredible ecosystems. He will also discuss the $500 billion worth of products and services that kelp contributes to the global economy and the human activities that threaten kelp’s survival.

WHEN: Wednesday, September 16, 2026 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. with a cash bar available.

HOW: Register here for in-person and virtual attendance to the event. Advance registration is required. This New England Aquarium Lowell Lecture Series event is free to the public and presented through the generosity of the Lowell Institute.

WHO: David Helvarg is an author and executive director of Blue Frontier, an ocean policy group, and co-host of “Rising Tide: The Ocean Podcast.” He has written seven books, with his latest, “Forest of the Sea,” published in 2026. Helvarg is co-founder of the Peter Benchley Ocean Awards and a senior fellow with the Center for the Blue Economy. An award-winning journalist, he has been a war correspondent in Northern Ireland and Central America and covered issues ranging from the military and health to climate and politics, reporting from every continent including Antarctica. Helvarg has produced documentaries for PBS, Discovery, and others. His print work has appeared widely, including in The New York Times and National Geographic. He has contributed radio commentaries and reporting for Marketplace, the Associated Press, and Pacifica, and hosted workshops for fellow journalists around the world. He is also a licensed private investigator, bodysurfer, and scuba diver.

MEDIA CONTACT: Pam Bechtold Snyder—psnyder@neaq.org