Friday, September 14, 2012

Local Fishing Culture, Industry & Food Featured at 4th Annual Fishtival

 A child from last year’s Fishtival makes a T-shirt (courtesy photo)

New Hampshire Fish and Lobster Festival at Prescott Park to Celebrate 400 Years of Local Seafood


PORTSMOUTH –
The fun, informative and flavorful 4th annual NH Fish and Lobster Festival, aka “Fishtival,” returns on Saturday, September 22, in Prescott Park, Portsmouth, from 12 noon to 4 p.m. Admission and all activities at Fishtival are free, thanks to the support of festival sponsor Smuttynose Brewing Company and grant funding from UNH Sea Grant. Tastings are pay-as-you-eat, at $4 each or $8 for whole lobsters.
The largest festival focused on local food in New Hampshire comes together once again in Prescott Park along the working waterfront where residents of all ages will have the opportunity to learn, explore and celebrate a community-based local fishing fleet and its fresh, healthy harvest. Attendees are encouraged to visit with numerous environmental, heritage and cultural non-profits along with working fishermen, restaurants and markets for a treat of the senses and to learn about local seafood resources. This is a great opportunity to support and honor our local fishing community by bringing fun and fish together.
To highlight the diversity and quality of the local fishing industry, visitors are invited to board a local fishing boat, taste freshly-landed local seafood prepared by Seacoast chefs, learn to identify and prepare local fish, watch a live celebrity chef cook-off competition, investigate the Gulf of Maine ecosystem, enjoy local musical performances, and meet local fishermen. Participants can event create one of a kind fish print t-shirts with a real fish!
Chefs from local restaurants, markets and culinary programs across the region will prepare creative, delicious samplings fresh from local boats. Each participating chef will be assigned, by lottery, a different locally-caught seafood species to prepare and serve.
Tastings will be prepared by chefs from The Blue Mermaid, Bonta, The Common Man, The District, Jumpin' Jay's Fish Cafe, The Old Salt, The Portsmouth Brewery, Portsmouth Lobster Co., Seaport Fish, Portsmouth High School Culinary Arts, and The Stone Church, among others. Attendees can taste each of the diverse, uniquely prepared arrays of seafood selections.
Activities will be hosted by the Blue Ocean Society, Seacoast Science Center, Gundalow Company, NH Department of Environmental Services Coastal Program, New Hampshire Children's Museum, Portsmouth Historic House Associates, Strawbery Banke Museum, UNH Marine Docents, and the Yankee Fisherman's Co-op, among others.
Also during the afternoon, there will be opportunities to meet a lobster, interact with two touch tanks worth of sea animals and paint with a fish. Aboard fishing vessels, captains will show how they bring in their haul; on land, listen to different talks about the aspects of the fishing industry, including innovations and sustainability in the industry, and watch first-hand the art of net building. Local fishmongers will show how to process several species of whole fresh fish, and share fish selection and preparation tips.
And for the third year, the festival features an exciting celebrity chef Seafood Cook-off where the defending champ, Susan Tuveson, will MC the challenge between two chefs selected from participating restaurants.
Smuttynose Brewing Company, the Seacoast's uniquely local and award-winning craft brewery, is the festival sponsor. Grant funding is provided by UNH Sea Grant. Generous in-kind support is provided by Seaport Fish Market, participating restaurants, educational non-profits, and Seacoast Growers' Association.
The NH Fish and Lobster Festival is produced by a variety of community organizations and businesses collaborating to support the local fishing industry. Seacoast Local and Prescott Park Arts Festival co-host the event in collaboration with local fishermen through NH Sectors, NH Commercial Fishermen's Association and Granite State FISH, as well as local food advocates including Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance, NH Seafood Fresh and Local (www.NHSeafood.com) and UNH Slow Food and their Get REAL campaign.
Fishtival takes place amid a week of events promoting the local food and maritime heritage on the Seacoast. Events include the Heirloom Harvest Barn Dinner in Stratham on Sunday, September 23, featuring traditional food from local fields and fisheries, and the Maritime Music Festival in Portsmouth on Saturday, September 29, celebrating the local and national heritage of seafaring and maritime trades by taking nautical songs and music to the pubs, cafés, churches, and streets of Portsmouth. These singers and musicians will present a sampler of their lively songs on the stage at Fishtival.
More information is available at www.fishtival.org. To find out more information about the movement to support New Hampshire's local fishing industry, visit www.nhseafood.com.