March Dock U Mentary to Focus on Scallops

bushels of scallops

News Release Date: March 13, 2016

Contact: Laura Orleans , 508-993-8894

Contact: Emily G Prigot, 508-996-4095 x 6105

The Dock-U-Mentaries Film Series continues on Friday, March 18^th at 7:00 PM with a screening of Sustaining Sea Scallops, a new film written and directed by Elise Hugus and Daniel Cojanu. Dock-U-Mentaries is a co-production of New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center, and the Working Waterfront Festival.Films about the working waterfront are screened on the third Friday of each month beginning at 7:00 PM in the theater of the Corson Maritime Learning Center, located at 33 William Street in downtown New Bedford. All programs are open to the public and presented free of charge.

In 1999, the Atlantic sea scallop industry—in collaboration with federal managers—created the first-ever research set-aside program, designed to ensure a sustainable harvest with minimal impacts on the marine environment. Fifteen years later, the Atlantic sea scallop is hailed as one of the most well-managed and lucrative fisheries in the world. From New Bedford, Massachusetts to Seaford, Virginia, Sustaining Sea Scallops tells the tale of cooperative research, and how it could be a new model for sustaining healthy fisheries and fishing communities. Film makers Elise Hugus &Daniel Cojanu, and marine engineer and fisheries scientist Ron Smolowitz of Coonamessett Farm Foundation will introduce the film and answer questions following the screening.

Elise Hugus and Daniel Cojanu are co-founders of UnderCurrent Productions, a science &environment video production company based in Woods Hole, Mass. Ron Smolowitz, a marine engineer and retired NOAA Corps officer, has been conducting fisheries research and fishing gear development for almost 40 years. His specialties include exploratory fishing surveys, reducing bycatch in fishing gear, and studying the behavior of species interacting with fishing gear.

The New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center, Inc. is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and presenting the history and culture of New Bedford's fishing industry through exhibits and programs.

New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park was established by Congress in 1996 to help preserve and interpret America's nineteenth century whaling industry.The park, which encompasses a 13-block National Historic Landmark District, is the only National Park Service area addressing the history of the whaling industry and its influence on the economic, social, and environmental history of the United States.The National Park visitor center is located at 33 William Street in downtown New Bedford. It is open from 9 AM-5 PM, and offers information, exhibits, and a free orientation movie every hour on the hour from 10 AM-4 PM.The visitor center is wheelchair-accessible, and is free of charge.For more information, call the visitor center at 508-996-4095, go to www.nps.gov/nebe or visit the park's Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/NBWNHP. Everyone finds their park in a different way. Discover yours at FindYourPark.com

www.nps.gov

About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 410 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Visit us at www.nps.gov, on Facebook www.facebook.com/nationalparkservice, Twitter www.twitter.com/natlparkservice, and YouTube www.youtube.com/nationalparkservice.

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