His first visits to the beach:
When I was growing up in Arizona, we'd go to Southern
California each summer and rent a cottage in Laguna Beach or San
Clemente. The beach was a dream come true for me.
Becoming an ocean advocate:
During my
Cheers days, I started making money. And I realized money is
a responsibility. What do you do with it? You can get things
done.
The environmental group Oceana:
I'm on the board. We have 90 people working full time on
ocean issues, with offices around the globe. The world's fisheries
are on the brink of collapse. One-third of the fish we catch are
just thrown overboard and lost. Bottom trawling destroys coral
reefs. We're attacking those problems.
On having fun in the waves:
I do a little kayaking. I love to bodysurf. When it comes to
actual surfing, I'm still an Arizona kid ― slightly
scared.
His most memorable ocean encounter:
We went whale-watching near Juneau and saw a pod of humpbacks
do this thing called bubble feeding. One whale swims in circles to
make a curtain of bubbles that panic the fish. Six other whales
dive down deep to get them. Then the whales all rise up and breach
through the ring of bubbles.
The best things people can do to protect the sea:
Find a group to work with. There's Oceana, the Surfrider
Foundation, Heal the Bay here in L.A., lots of local groups. Don't
get discouraged. But do get active.
Emmy-winning actor Ted Danson lives in Malibu, CA. He plays Dr. Bill Hoffman in ABC's Help Me Help You. For information on Oceana, visit www.oceana.org.
