09/03/2024
Fish Tales: The Ta’ape Project & Creating Innovations from Head to Tail
Jhana Young was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, and is the Sustainable Seafood Senior Manager at Conservation Internationalʻs Hawaiʻi Program. She works in partnership with Chef Hui and a network of fishers, seafood businesses, chefs, educators, and the media to create sustainable market-based solutions. She enjoys surfing, hunting, fishing, and cooking all kinds of invasive species--whether it be wild pigs and deer, or taʻape.
In 2020, we launched a campaign to increase the supply and demand for sustainable, local seafood, focusing on the invasive bluestripe snapper, known locally as taʻape. Now, we are focusing on reducing seafood waste, a significant challenge locally and globally. Along with Chef Hui, we collaborate with chefs to design experiences utilizing the entire fish, including lesser-known and often discarded parts, to promote zero-waste practices and enable participants to reduce their environmental footprint while enjoying one-of-a-kind experiences. We’re also tackling seafood waste by creating fish leather using typically discarded fish skins from the seafood industry.
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Reel Drama: Ciguatera Poisoning in American Samoa
Talofa J. Fe’a is from American Samoa. She was born and raised on the island of Tutuila, in the
villages of Faleniu and Iliili. Talofa is a Natural Resources and Environmental Management
major at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, an EPP/MSI Undergraduate Scholar at NOAA, and
an Undergraduate Research Assistant with Sea Grant and PacIOOS.
This summer, Talofa had the opportunity to collaborate with the National Marine Sanctuary of
American Samoa (NMSAS) and the University of Hawaiʻi Sea Grant’s Pacific Ciguatera
Network on a study focused on ciguatera poisoning in American Samoa. In her talk, Talofa will
provide insights into the impacts of ciguatera poisoning, detailing her research efforts, which
include community surveys, in-depth interviews, and initial algae sampling. She will share her
findings on the challenges and progress in understanding and addressing this significant issue
affecting local fishing communities. Get ready to be hooked by this reel drama!
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One fish, two fish, dead fish, new fish: a bedtime story in population modeling
Sophia Rahnke and Annie Innes-Gold are PhD candidates at the Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology and are NOAA NMFS-Sea Grant Population and Ecosystem Dynamics Fellows. They both spend a lot of time thinking about fish, math, and fish math!
Dive into the whimsical world of fish population dynamics modeling! Guaranteed to be a lively time filled with plenty of rhymes and colorful characters, promising fun and excitement for all ages. Join us and discover that math can be an integral part of a thrilling adventure!
