Passionfish Contact: Patti Parisi, INTERNATIONALLY RENOWNED MARINE
BIOLOGIST JOHN MCCOSKER, PH.D. ANSWERS Oakland, CA - June 6, 2003 As part of its “Get the Dish on Fish” community education celebrations of sustainable seafood, Passionfish is proud to host renowned marine scientist and Passionfish advisor John McCosker as he provides guests with an engaging lecture on the status of wild salmon and what people can do to help recover these threatened fishes. The invitation-only dinner event occurs June 9, 6-9 p.m. at Vanni’s Innovative Cuisine at 1096 Dwight Way in Berkeley. In his slide-illustrated lecture, Dr. McCosker will explain the history and status of salmon and solutions to their recovery. “For salmon, the king of fishes in the North Pacific, these are the best and the worst of times,” explains McCosker. “Best, you might think, because salmon are on every restaurant menu, it hasn’t been so cheap for years, and eating it is good for your health. Right? Not exactly.” In fact, he explains, these are the worst of times. Wild salmon are disappearing across the Pacific, along with plants and animals that depend on them. Thankfully, organizations, foundations, and the government are aware of the problem and efforts are underway to save wild salmon. McCosker will explain the biology and politics of salmon, and the conundrum consumers face when asked to choose between wild versus farmed fish. McCosker is the Chair of Aquatic Biology at the California Academy of Sciences (www.calacademy.org). Prior to his current position, he was the director of the Academy’s Steinhart Aquarium for 22 years. He is also a sought-after consultant on the conservation of salmon, white sharks, and the fishes of the Galapagos Islands. McCosker’s presentation benefits Passionfish, a non-profit project that raises awareness of sustainable fishery and seafood issues through community education events, public forums, and children’s education projects throughout the West Coast of North America. McCosker’s lecture will be accompanied by a dinner of sustainable seafood prepared by Vanni Patchara of Vanni’s Innovative Cuisine. Patchara, with his Thai-inspired flavors, “has a gentle and deeply creative touch with his food,” says the San Francisco Chronicle. Organic Vintners (www.organicvintners.com) of Boulder, Colorado will pour tastes of wine. The company works with boutique organic wineries around the globe. Passionfish is an innovative non-profit project that promotes sustainable fisheries and aquaculture through public education and stakeholder collaboration. Founded in 2000, Passionfish helps business and the public grasp the complex issues of fisheries sustainability. Its programs include exhibitions, community education “Get the Dish on Fish” dinners, live public forums, consumer and children’s education. Passionfish believes that everyone shares the same need for a healthy global fish population, and endeavors to bring diverse stakeholders together to troubleshoot and overcome obstacles to ocean sustainability. The organization promotes unique business-conservation partnerships, builds solutions through productive dialogue, and inspires children through experiential learning. “Our ultimate goal is stewardship of our ocean’s living resources,” says Patricia Parisi, Passionfish Co-Founder and Director of Marketing and Communications. “We try to reach this goal by bringing decisionmakers together to share expertise; to link the fishing, seafood, and environmental communities to create a flow of sustainable seafood products into the marketplace; and to educate the public through our media outreach and publications. To attend this “Get the Dish on Fish” event June 9, please contact Jesse Cortes at (510) 655-1259 or Jesse@passionfish.org as soon as possible as seating is very limited. Donations are suggested from $50-$100. |