Aubrey Church, policy director at Fishermen’s Alliance, was one of the speakers at Capitol Hill Ocean Week in June.
By Doreen Leggett
Capitol Hill Ocean Week in Washington DC, held earlier this month, focused on leadership, and when it comes to addressing challenges posed by climate change the right kind of leaders matter.
“Climate action (should be) led by people in boots, not people in suits,” offered Sarah Schumann, who fishes in Rhode Island and Alaska.
Schumann, part of the ‘Leaders at the Helm of Climate-Ready Fisheries,’ said environmentalism has changed from a cause to a career: Decisions on how to address the existential threat are too often made by people who aren’t made “uncomfortable” by climate change, rather than those who experience impacts every day.
“We derive our paychecks directly from Mother Nature,” said Schumann, the director of the Fishery Friendly Climate Action Campaign.
Aubrey Church, policy director at Fishermen’s Alliance, also spoke of the importance of elevating fishermen in decision-making.
“Fishermen are stewards of their marine resource and care deeply about protecting it,” Church said. “In many ways they are scientists, witnessing changes on the water daily. They rise to the challenge to tackle climate change.”
Church, invited to give closing remarks at the panel, spoke about rising to the challenges of the future and embracing an ecosystem approach to fisheries management.
“We must empower fishing communities to weather the storms of climate change, providing them with the tools and resources they need to thrive in the face of uncertainty,” Church said. “This means investing in collaborative research, innovative technologies, sustainable fishing practices, and resilient working waterfront infrastructure.”
The three-day event was organized by the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation and has been held every June since 2001.
Organizers highlighted leaders in local communities with historic relationships to the ocean, noting they would be the ones turning policy into action.
In addition to Church and Schumann, Rob Martin, a Sandwich lobsterman testing on-demand gear, Herb Lee Jr. of Pacific American Foundation and Kerry Marhefka of Abundant Seafood were on the panel, moderated by Janet Coit of NOAA Fisheries. Other events and presentations featured a wide range of speakers, including Cape and Islands Senator Julian Cyr talking about how rapidly Gulf of Maine water is warming. Finn Yemini, a Cohasset High School student, spoke about eel grass restoration. TV Host Jeff Corwin told attendees about commercial fishing for striped bass off Cape Cod and a new ABC series about National Marine Sanctuaries.
Speakers on the ‘Sustainable Seafood for All: Leading the Way to Equitable Access’ panel voiced many concerns and explored initiatives comparable to those playing out across the Cape.
Brianna Shaugnessy, of NOAA Fisheries, said American seafood is good for the environment, good for the economy, good for overall health. But, she added, many Americans aren’t eating enough of it because of obstacles including cost, accessibility, misinformation and questions about how to cook at home.
Linda Cornish, president of Seafood Nutrition Partnership, Amalia Almada, fisheries policy specialist with South Central Los Angeles Seafood Hub, and Kristin Gerbrino, of Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Fisheries Team, were on the sustainable seafood panel and talked about what their organizations were doing to remove some of those obstacles.
Gerbino has been working to dispel the myths of seafood being expensive and difficult to cook.
Educating people about the wealth of affordable, local fish is step one, she said. Talking about health benefits and how the catch is sustainable are also important. But cooking demonstrations and tasting events “really seal the deal,” Gerbino said. “It’s the clincher.”
Almada agreed that hands-on learning and sending people home to try a recipe with free fish and an instructional video provide important connections. Before that happens, her team researches seafood habits in the area and what information consumers like to have before they put seafood on plates.
“People are motivated by different things,” Almada said.
Cornish said trying different fish without risk is important for families on a budget; with 1,500 types of seafood available there is something for everyone.
Seafood Nutrition Partnership also uses videos as an educational vehicle, and along with a chef they have a health educator who talks about the benefits of fish for mental health, those aging and mothers with young children. She said young children who eat fish at least once a week have an IQ that is four points higher on average. To get that word out, Cornish said they have partnered with the White House on an Eating for Brain Health program.
Gerbino said connecting fishermen with the community is a big part of their mission.
“What fishermen really needed was the marketing and promotion of their local seafood,” she said.
Living on Long Island, people think it’s easy to find local fish on menus or in schools.
“That is not the case,” Gerbino said, voicing challenges often heard on Cape Cod; seasonality of local fish and chefs not being familiar with filleting or cooking whole fish.
Again like the Cape, Long Island has lost most of its fish processing facilities so local fish has to be sold to New York’s Fulton Fish Market, processed and sent back.
Panelists said there is room for growth as 90 percent of Americans don’t eat fish twice a week as recommended by United States Department of Agriculture dietary guidelines.
Herb Lee Jr., on the climate-ready fisheries panel, said similar to other communities, Hawaii used to feed itself. But now approximately 80 percent of the food there doesn’t come from Hawaii, he said.
“We are at a precipice,” Lee told the audience.
Decades ago, Lee began restoring the island’s fish ponds, an ancient form of aquaculture first built 800 years ago. When he began there were two working alongside him, now there are 40.
“We are beginning to inspire our communities again,” Lee said.
Marhefka, of Abundant Seafood, also spoke about the power of community. She and her husband created one of the first community-supported fishery programs in the country.
“Don’t underestimate consumer pressure,” she said. “Ask questions, buy local.”