Freshwater “Seafood” Summit Set for March 3 in Geneva, NY

For Anglers, Baitfish Producers, Charter Captains, Aquaculture Industry

New York Sea Grant and the Finger Lakes Institute will hold a freshwater-focused New York Seafood Summit on March 3, 2025, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Cornell University AgriTech in Geneva, New York, for anglers fishing for food, baitfish producers, charter captains, and those rearing freshwater fish to stock the recreational fishery and as a food source. Attendance is free. Registration and more information are available at www.nyseagrant.org/seafoodsummit.

The agenda for the 2025 Seafood Summit in Geneva includes:
. a freshwater fisheries and angling research panel with noted researchers, including Susan Cushman, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Practice in the Biology Department at Hobart and William Smith College and Faculty Liaison to the Finger Lakes Institute. Dr. Cushman’s expertise is in stream and fish ecology in New York’s Finger Lakes region. She is also a past president of both the New York Chapter and Northeastern Division of the American Fisheries Society;

. a New York State Department of Environmental Conservation update on its recreational angling and fisheries management activities;

. information on food safety and fish consumption and how the New York State Department of Health monitors contaminants to issue consumption advisories when needed;

. an industry spotlight on one of New York's seafood businesses;

. a Seafood Summit resource fair with fish and seafood nutrition, safety, and sustainability information available from New York Sea Grant and the New York State Department of Health; and a seafood tasting.

New York Sea Grant Seafood Safety and Technology Specialist Michael Ciaramella, Ph.D., NYSG Aquaculture Specialist Barry Udelson, and NYSG Great Lakes Fisheries and Ecosystem Health Specialist Stacy Furgal organized this Freshwater Seafood Summit. It is the first of three statewide Seafood Summits developed to foster active communication, collaboration, and productive relationships among the freshwater and marine fish and seafood industries.

New York Sea Grant is a cooperative extension program of Cornell University and the State University of New York and among a nationwide network of 34 university-based programs working with coastal communities under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Sea Grant College Program. Learn more at www.nyseagrant.org.

Susan Cushman, Ph.D., of Hobart and William Smith Colleges, is among the fishing and angling researchers who will speak at the March 3, 2025 Freshwater Seafood Summit at Cornell AgriTech in Geneva, New York. Dr. Cushman's expertise is in stream and fish ecology in New York's Finger Lakes region.