The Junior Chefs Rockfish Cook-Off is a highlight of the expo.
Photo by Lisa Tossey
A series of educational seminars and activities for kids hosted by the mid-Atlantic Sea Grant programs will take place Saturday, Jan. 29, at the 37th annual East Coast Waterman’s Trade Show Expo. The event will be held at the Ocean City Convention Center in Ocean City, Md.
• Hands-On Workshop “Safety At Sea — Know It Before You Need It” — 11 a.m. outside along the waterfront, behind the convention center.
For those who work on the water as a commercial fisherman or charter boat captain or crew member, or just enjoy sport fishing and boating, safety should always be a primary concern. Boaters often don’t get the chance to learn how to handle a piece of marine safety equipment until it’s time to use it during an emergency situation. This program will feature demonstrations of various types of flares, fire extinguisher use, in-water survival suit demonstrations, life raft deployment, EPIRB updates, and other safety gear practices. The Safety at Sea workshop will be held in coordination with the U.S. Coast Guard, the Maryland Natural Resources Police, and Vane Brothers Marine Safety and Services.
• Commercial Fisheries and Aquaculture Sessions — Concurrently 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.
Fisheries topics will include stock assessment updates on Maryland and Virginia blue crabs and rockfish and Chesapeake Bay oyster restoration efforts. The subject of catch shares as a management option for the Chesapeake Bay and Mid-Atlantic region will also be discussed. The aquaculture session will focus on the recent shellfish aquaculture initiative in Maryland and will include presentations on culture methods, permits and licenses, business planning, and an opportunity to interact with manufacturers and suppliers of shellfish culture systems. The seminars will include speakers from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, Maryland Department of Agriculture, University of Maryland Extension and Delaware Sea Grant program.
• Junior Waterman’s Program — 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Children move at their own pace through this interactive, hands-on program highlighting fishing, aquaculture, and the aquatic environment. Designed to be a trade-show of their own, junior watermen will get up close and personal with the wet and wild, paint a fish, harvest oysters, cast out their best lines, and much, much more. Those interested in taking a bigger bite out of our program are encouraged to taste the culinary creations of our Junior Chefs Rockfish Cook-off finalists. At 2:30 p.m. a special presentation called “Under the Sea” will discuss the critters that call the water their home. The session is organized by the University of Maryland Extension Program, Virginia and Delaware Sea Grant programs, and the Maryland Department of Agriculture.
Visit https://marylandwatermen.com/Trade_Expo.html for more about the 37th annual East Coast Waterman’s Trade Show Expo. For more on Delaware Sea Grant, visit www.deseagrant.org.