Next weekend I will be attending a dinner in Brooklyn, NY- the dinner has the title Fish Tails and Tall Tales, hosted by NY Communal Table. There I will talk about my experience harvesting and answer questions. Other fishermen and fish mongers will talk about their trades. Working with seaweeds has really enriched my connection to the ocean. I remember working in the garden at school in NC, longing for the ocean, I would taste saltiness in plants, particularly nettles. We were asked to choose a few plants to read up on- I choose Avena sativa (oats) and nettles. I was inspired by the mythology of Avena representing the collision of the land and sea. Little did I know… Years later I would be working so closely with the tides and out in the surf.

Growing up with a fisherman for a dad, I developed an appreciation for seafood early on. A really adorable photo of me exists, two years old, holding lobster antennae above my head looking completely wiped out. The project of cracking into a lobster is quite involved! I’ve enjoyed clam boils and crab feasts many. Card tables lined our cape cottage’s front lawn- covered in newspaper, bowls, crackers, miniature forks and of course plenty of butter. This weekend I will experience a seafood feast NYC style.

I am really interested in learning more about the health of the oceans and the foods that it provides. If anyone has links to viable information of overfishing, health of ocean species, ocean acidification and related subjects please email me!

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