Fish Talk Paul Greenberg & Nic Mink

Shrimp is by far the most consumed seafood in America, but how it gets to our plates is a pretty strange tale. In this pilot episode we’ll look at the rise of the shrimp. We’ll see how alternatives to traditionally wild-caught shrimp have flooded the market and make some bets on the future.

The Great Lakes once supported some of the most abundant fisheries in the United States. Today, because of habitat destruction, pollution, overfishing, and invasive species, these fisheries are remnants of their former selves. This episode investigates the last remaining Great Lakes commercial fishermen and shows the challenges they face to continue their livelihoods.

Lobsters are America’s most valuable seafood. But climate change has the species in its crosshairs. In this episode we’ll look at the many challenges confronting lobstermen and try to track a course through warming waters now filled with whales and windmills.

This episode will look at the ways in which Native communities are continuing their fishing traditions in contemporary America and revitalizing their connection with local fisheries.

American striped bass have a price on their head. Highly desired by sportfishermen they are also prized as table fare. This dual nature of striped bass has set off a decades-long war between anglers and commercial fishermen. Sport anglers claim that their favorite fish is being ruthlessly hunted. Commercial folks meanwhile point to the fact that today more than 80% of striped bass mortality is actually coming from the angling community. What’s worse, catch-and-release fishing, long thought of as “good” sport fishing, turns out to have a much higher kill rate than previously thought. In this episode we’ll look at all the angles.

Management panacea or fishing in troubled waters? This episode explores how policy makers and fishermen implemented a vast network of marine reserves off the coasts of Oregon and California. It looks at the creation of these reserves and the consequences (both intended and unintended) to fish populations and local fishermen.