This Saturday, February 20th, our winter lecture will focus on ocean fisheries. This topic is of interest for myriad reasons, the strongest being that I’ve always enjoyed going fishing, especially on the ocean. I also enjoy eating fish. Naturally, then, I am curious about where the fish I eat comes from and how their stocks are managed. My husband always says, “We call it fishing, not catching, for a reason.” and he’s right. With poor management, there will be no catching.
Most people nowadays don’t know their local fish monger, even if they are lucky enough to have one (I am, and I love talking with him about fish). They purchase their seafood at a grocery store, usually at a counter somewhere between the deli and the butcher, or in the frozen food section. If you look carefully at the display you’ll see the country of origin (you’d be surprised at how far these fillets travel) and whether it was wild caught or farm-raised. You can take that information to heart and dig a little deeper to find out if what you are purchasing is sustainable, or if you are contributing to the problem.
[lightbox link=”http://norcrosswildlife.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/AN-e1455647493617.jpg” thumb=”http://norcrosswildlife.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/AN-300×225.jpg” width=”300″ align=”left” title=”Our presenter with her subject of study: Sturgeon” frame=”true” icon=”image” caption=”Our presenter with her subject of study: Sturgeon”]This weekend’s presenter, Ashleigh Novak, grew up in nearby Monson. She attended Monson High School and was part of the Monson Environmental Action Team, earning a silver-medal at the Massachusetts Envirothon five years ago. Ashleigh’s Dad, Mickey, was the manager at the Cronin Salmon Station (now closed) in Sunderland for many years so we know where her passion for fish comes from; it’s in her genes. Ashley is currently a grad student at UMass and, you guessed it, she’s studying fisheries.Early settlers noted that the waters off of the Cape were so rich with codfish you could walk across the surface of the ocean on them. What happened? Join us Saturday at 1:30 to learn about what is going on under the sea. You don’t have to be booking an ocean charter to fish anytime soon. You could be having fish-n-chips this Friday or sharing a can of tuna with the cat. Maybe you’re just curious about what’s in your market.
More information can be found here. Please call 413-267-9654 or email to reserve a spot.
