January 5, 2016 — The following was released by the Resilient Fisheries RI project:
The Resilient Fisheries RI project is an effort to jump-start a learning and advocacy process among Rhode Island’s commercial fisheries to deal with adapting to environmental change and other uncertainties. The project will host four workshops in January for fishermen and shore-side seafood industry participants:
Fostering a new generation of RI fishermen
Mon, January 9, 2017
4:00 PM – 6:00 PM EST
The Contemporary Theater Company
327 Main Street, South Kingstown, RI 02879
A key ingredient in fishing industry resilience is the industry’s ability to replenish itself over time. But the average age of Rhode Island fishermen is going up, and access to licensing, training, and financing is more limited for today’s young fishermen than it was a generation ago. At this workshop, we’ll hear from several young fishermen in RI who have embraced fishing as a career: their personal experiences, barriers they’ve observed, and hopes and dreams for the future of the industry. Then we’ll listen to a panel of advocates from RI fisheries as well as other states and industries who are working to reduce barriers to young people: Dave Ghiglioti/Jeff Grant (RI Shellfishermen’s Association), Hannah Heimbuch (Alaska’s Next Generation of Fishermen project), and Tess Brown Lavoie (Young Farmer Network of Southeast New England and Land for Good). We’ll wrap up with a discussion of potential pathways for increasing participation and access for young people in commercial fisheries. Snacks will be served and a cash bar is available. Audience: fishermen, prospective fishermen, educators, policy makers, food system advocates. A complete agenda for the workshop can be found here.
Wednesday, January 18, 2017
4:00 PM – 6:00 PM EST
Rhode Island Natural History Survey
Bldg.14, URI East Farm, Rte. 108, South Kingstown
RI’s commercial fishermen have been noticing changes in the make-up and abundance of our local seaweed communities, with implications for fishing and fish stocks. These include periodic outbreaks of nuisance seaweed like Heterosiphonia japonica that clog fishing nets and decreases in estuarine populations of brown seaweeds like rockweed and kelp. At this workshop, fishermen will have a chance to exchange observations with seaweed reseracher Lindsay Green from the URI Department of Biology. We’ll talk about what research is available to shed light on these changes, and what sorts of monitoring could be done in the future to understand them better. Snacks will be served. Audience: commercial fishermen and shore-side businesses.
Measuring Fishing Industry Vulnerability and Resilience
Monday, January 23, 2017
4:00 PM – 6:00 PM EST
Bristol Maritime Center
127 Thames St. Bristol
The response of fishing communities to environmental change is conditioned on many social and economic factors. In this workshop, NOAA social scientist Lisa Colburn will present the results of a recent study to gauge the socio-economic vulnerability to climate change of Rhode Island and other East Coast fishing ports. Snacks will be served. Audience: commercial fishermen and shore-side businesses.
Monday, January 30, 2017
4:00 PM – 6:00 PM EST
Above Superior Trawl
55 State St. Narragansett
Squid is one of Rhode Island’s most important fisheries. This workshop will be led by Owen Nichols from the Center for Coastal Studies, based in Provincetown. Owen’s research along with Chatham weir fishermen focuses on the responses of squid to temperature, oxygen, wind, and other factors. At this workshop, Owen will reveal what he and the fishermen are finding, and how it relates to the science and management of squid in a changing climate. Snacks will be served. Audience: commercial fishermen and shore-side businesses.
More information about the project can be obtained by e-mailing Sarah Schumann (project coordinator) at schumannsarah@gmail.com or at www.resilientfisheriesRI.org