East Boston and Dorchester Teens Take First and Second Place at Save the Harbor/Save the Bay First A
Online, July 25, 2011 (Newswire.com) - Save the Harbor/Save the Bay's youth staff competed in its first annual fishing tournament on July 21st, 2011, hosted by the Marina at Fan Pier on Boston's waterfront. Kristina Acevedo of East Boston, a recent graduate of Fenway High School, took first place in the tournament with a 35-inch striped bass weighing close to 20 pounds, a very impressive catch made on the boat Miss Blue captained by John McLaughlin. Diana Gomez of Dorchester, a rising senior at Fenway High School, took second place in the tournament with a 29-inch striped bass weighing close to 15 pounds, a very impressive catch made on the boat Micbeth captained by Michael Fallon.
Most of the high school students who fished in the tournament are working for Save the Harbor this summer with the support of Mayor Menino's Summer Youth Employment initiative and John Hancock's MLK Scholarship Program. The college interns are working as Lead Harbor Explorers at Save the Harbor/Save the Bay's seven program sites which include youth sailing centers around the harbor and Boston Children's Museum.
Save the Harbor/Save the Bay's tournament began early on the docks of Fan Pier Marina. After doling out bait, tackle, rods, and other equipment, the youth staff boarded a fleet of boats and cruised out onto the harbor. The fishermen and women varied their technique, sometimes trolling and also using the "chum and chunk" method, where an angler tosses chum overboard to attract fish, and chops up herring to bait hooks. Save the Harbor/Save the Bay's summer staff spent a few hours on the water and then headed back to the pier in the midday heat to compare results.
"This is my introduction to Save the Harbor/Save the Bay's youth program and I could not be more impressed. I could definitely see the program having an impact on the lives of the youth staffers and the kids who participate in the program," said Dan Hausle, a tournament participant, of Channel 7 News.
The staff gathered for photos and then headed inside, where they had lunch, courtesy of Nick Verano's famous North End deli and ice cream and toppings donated by Emack and Bolio's. Bruce Berman, an expert fisherman and Director of Communications, Strategy, and Programs for Save the Harbor/Save the Bay, filleted the fish and distributed portions to whoever wanted to try their hand at cooking fresh fish.
Save the Harbor/Save the Bay provides free Youth Environmental Education programs each of which combines experiential learning with hands-on education that brings the harbor to life for young people. All Access Boston Harbor connects Boston's youth and teens to the Harbor Islands National Park through a series of day trips to either Georges Island or Spectacle Island, where they learn about the marine environment and the harbor's history. Our Boston Harbor Explorers program uses tools such as fishing rods, crab traps and lobster pots, seine nets, dip nets, minnow traps, underwater video cameras, field guides, and water quality testing kits to teach our youth to explore their local marine environment.
These free summer youth programs are made possible by the generosity of Save the Harbor/Save the Bay's youth program partners, Arbella Insurance Group Charitable Foundation, Inc, Forrest Berkley and Marcie Tyre Berkley, Coca Cola Foundation, Distrigas of Massachusetts, Friedman Family Foundation, John Hancock Financial Services, Inc., Massachusetts Port Authority, Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities, Mayor Menino's Summer Youth Employment Program, National Grid Foundation, P & G Gillette, P.I. Garden Fund, State Street Foundation and by the contributions of other corporate and philanthropic partners, and hundreds of individual donors.
To find out more about Save the Harbor / Save the Bay's All Access Boston Harbor trips,visit their website at http://www.savetheharbor.org, their youth blog, "Sea, Sand and Sky" at http://www.shsbkids.blogspot.com, and their Boston Harbor Facebook page at www.facebook.com/bostonharbor.