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Let’s Talk about Saving Fish and Fishing Communities

Date: September 27, 2014

Time: 10 am to 5 pm

Location:
Let's Talk About Food Festival ~ Copley Square in Boston, MA

ORI tables at Let's Talk About Food Festival on September 27, 2014

ORI tables at Let’s Talk About Food Festival on September 27, 2014 in Copley Square, Boston

The Ocean River Institute was invited to educate the public about saving fish and fishing communities at the 3rd Annual “Let’s Talk About Food” Festival. It was a beautiful day to be outside talking and educating folks about what they can do to save both the fish and fishermen. We asked people to take four actions –

  1. Switch to fish from meat – It slows climate change
  2. Eat local fish – It supports our fishermen
  3. Buy cheap fish – It’s a more abundant fish
  4. Stay informed – Join the Ocean River Institute

Rob, Harper, and Ryan talked to many people who wanted to do their part to save fish and fishing communities. As part of the larger festival, Rob also participated in a lively round table discussion about food justice and seafood. He learned that “sustainable” means different things to different people when talking about seafood. We plan to use what we learned broaden our coalition in support of a stronger fisheries bill that includes more funding for fisheries science. We’d like to thank all the people that filled out our fish cards to bring to Washington and signed up for action emails. Description of the Festival Let’s Talk About Food Festival is a free, public, annual event, designed to encourage public dialogue and greater understanding of all things food. It’s the only festival of its kind in America. There are fun, hands on activities for kids, food demonstrations, talks about food related issues, and educational tables run by local nonprofits. This year’s festival was also chosen for the public launch of a brand new civic initiative, Food Policy Action, creators of a national scorecard to track how our legislators vote on food issues. Louisa Kasdon, a locally based food and health writer and passionate advocate for education around food and health, founded the festival. The Boston Globe and Whole Foods Market sponsored this year’s festival.

Harper and Ryan at the ORI tent talking with festival attendees

Harper and Ryan at the ORI tent talking with festival attendees

Rob talks with students about saving fish as a passerby reads our four actions poster.

Rob talks with two students about saving fish and fishing communities