Fish & Us: Climate Stories from the Waterfront

Let’s talk about fishery science! Join me in my conversation with Mandy Karnauskas, a fishery biologist with NOAA Fisheries and long-time resident of Miami, Florida. We cover Mandy’s love for fish from a young age, the many interconnected components of a fishery ecosystem, climate impacts and red tide in the Gulf of Mexico, and how exactly science gets translated and used in managing fisheries.

Fishermen aren’t alone in their dedication to fish. This episode, I talk with Michele (Robinson) Conrad, a fishery manager from Washington State with years of experience under her belt working on marine fisheries and ecosystems. Michele shares with us about what it means, and the many partners it takes, to manage fish as a sustainable resource. We chat about how an interest in wildlife led Michele to fishery management, the foundational basics of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, and what climate-ready fisheries look like.

Join us for this season’s final episode! I speak with Mellisa Maktuayaq Johnson, who grew up with a subsistence way of life in Nome, Alaska and is now the government affairs and policy director at the Arctic-Yukon-Kuskokwim Tribal Consortium. Mellisa shares her story which includes the landscapes of the Bering Sea region, the seasonal cycles of following the fish, and her experiences incorporating traditional foods in Tribal health care. Mellisa highlights the importance of working together and involving Indigenous peoples in fishery management systems as climate change continues to impact Indigenous holistic ways of life.

How do you like your fish cooked? Listen along to hear more in my conversation with Feini Yin, a storyteller, fishmonger and community organizer from Philadelphia. Together we explore how fish can foster connections to community, culture and our local waters. Feini tells us about the community-supported fishery Fishadelphia and its mission to connect Philly’s diverse residents to local seafood. With climate change in the mix, we discuss changes on the water and the huge potential for people to adapt their long-standing fishing and cooking practices.

Come set sail with us for the first episode of season two! A crew from Ocean Conservancy partners with Rozalia Project to retrieve discarded lobster traps and other ghost gear in the islands of Maine. We hear many sides of the story: Ocean Conservancy’s very own Global Ghost Gear Initiative, Rozalia Project’s mission and world-famous vessel American Promise, all the way to the key moments of our expedition with the lobstering community in Corea, Maine. All aboard!