All About Eating Like A Fish



Eat Like A Fish!

In March I received an email from a marine science related listserv that I am subscribed to regarding a study being conducted by a Rhode Island based non-profit called Eating with the Ecosystem. This organization was looking to enlist participants as citizen scientists for the second phase of a study called "The Other EBFM: Designing Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Marketing Strategies to Complement Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management." The overall goal of the study is to help make our local seafood markets more closely resemble our local ecosystems.

Seeing the words 'citizen science' combined with 'local seafood' my immediate response was
"WHERE DO I SIGN UP?!?"

After filling out an online survey and patiently waiting, I was ecstatic to find out that I was chosen as a participant for this part of the study. Phase II will be utilizing 92 participants from all six New England states as market researchers. A small training session was required, either in person or online, to familiarize all the participants with the protocol for the study and after that, we are off. The way the study work is as follows (many of the finer details are left out here).


1) Every participant has received a "Participant Number" for the study.

2) Each Monday, every participant receives four random local species to look for at their seafood retailers of preference.

3) Record any or all of the species present by visiting at least three seafood retailers (or until at least one of the assigned species is found)

4) Purchase at least one of your assigned species. (If none of your four species can be located at the first three seafood retailers you visit, then your job is done for the week)

5) Bring your seafood home, cook it, and eat it.

6) Fill out your weekly "Fish Diary" and all its questions

So this will be a weekly task for me for the next 26 weeks, of which I am required to make an attempt to locate my species for a minimum of 20 of those. I cannot explain how perfectly in line this study is with just about everything that I love; science, CITIZEN science, marine species, marine conservation, sustainable seafood, cooking, and eating. It seems unlikely that at any point during the next half a year will my assignments feel anything like homework. I am so looking forward to finding this species, cooking them, eating them, and hopefully reporting back to everyone using this and other social media platforms to keep you up to speed with my progress.

I will be trying to document my progress as best as possible here as well as on 
and Twitter 
where my handles are all @csdodge
Also keep a close lookout for the other 91 participants by following along using #EatLikeAFish on all of our posts about the study.



See you out there!

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