Dr. Tarsila Seara, Associate Professor in the Biology and Environmental Science Department of the University of New Haven, will discuss the results of her study conducting interviews with fishermen and others involved in the lobster fishery in the Long Island Sound following the major die-off event in 1999. This event decimated the lobster population and heavily impacted those who depended on this fishery for their livelihoods.

A total of 20 lobstermen and seafood wholesalers were interviewed. One of the goals of this research was to investigate the long-term impacts of a fishery collapse on individuals and communities, as well as factors affecting the ability of people to adapt and recover from it. What lessons can we learn from this experience that can help shape better fishery disaster responses that take into consideration the social, economic, cultural, and psychological well-being of those who are impacted the most? 

This program is free of charge, but reservations are required. Held at the Floren Family Environmental Center at Innis Arden Cottage, Greenwich Point Park, Old Greenwich, CT.