By Julia Robins, Staff Writer
Early in September, the 32nd annual Hampton Bay Days festival attracted an estimated 200,000 people seeking to learn more about the Chesapeake Bay. Among the weekend’s popular attractions was a booth operated on Saturday by the Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture Ambassadors (SFAAs).
“We could hardly set up and break down our tents without a visitor inquiring about our display,” says George Wenn, a Hampton University senior and SFAA.
All day long, children ran to the SFAA booth to look at the many tanks containing eels, cobia, and black sea bass, among others. People of all ages lined up from start to finish of the day to hear about sustainable seafood and bay species.
Since last year, Hampton University and Virginia Tech have collaborated on the SFAA program to train four Hampton University students in the ins and outs of sustainable fisheries and aquaculture and how to communicate that knowledge to the public.
The ambassadors spoke to Hampton locals about the sustainability of Chesapeake Bay seafood and handed out Sensible Seafood pamphlets provided by the Virginia Aquarium.
Says Wenn, “Most stopping by our tent wanted to touch and play with our live display, but there were several who couldn’t get enough information about sustainable seafood and the red crab’s current and future availability. A few even asked where we were from, and if could we do this display at a different location for them in the future.”
“Our goal was to try to get as many people as possible informed about sustainable seafood so that we could try to help prevent things like overfishing,” says Valin Booker, a Hampton University sophomore and SFAA.
One type of seafood the ambassadors discussed with visitors was deep-sea red crab. Often harvested in waters 1,200 to 2,400 feet deep, the crab is a new product. It was certified as sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council in 2010 and first landed for commercial sale in Hampton in 2013.
Booker says he was surprised to see how many people had never heard of red crab. “People would first see the blue crab, which is a very common seafood down here, and then be fascinated or shocked to see red crab,” he says.
While locals have grown accustomed to the blue crab, blue crabs are only available seasonally. The Chesapeake Bay’s blue crab stock is also currently depleted, according to the 2014 Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab Advisory Report and Figures. Deep-sea red crab, however, is sustainable, and its year-round availability makes it a good alternative for crab lovers.
“Bay Days is huge for our Hampton brothers and sisters,” says Wenn. “It was an awesome feeling teaching children, young adults, and others about our bountiful Chesapeake Bay seafood.”
