In Hot Water, a Climate and Seafood Podcast
Presented by Seaworthy Experiences and Seafood and Gender Equality (SAGE)
Three generations hit the road to explore key seafood producing regions across the U.S. and hear from people working at the intersections of fisheries, aquaculture, seafood, and conservation while grappling with the effects of the global climate crisis. They may represent three generations, but they have a lot in common, namely, a love of seafood and a dedication to contribute to a community-driven generational effort in movement towards climate justice.
The result of these travels? Welcome to In Hot Water, a climate and seafood podcast series. Join Julie Kuchepatov (Gen X) along with travel companions, Crystal Alvarado-Rodriguez, (Xennial), and Cameron Moore (Gen Z), as they travel the country and chat with people who share the challenges facing their region and their personal stories. Along the way, they experience some moments that make them ask, “what the fish?” as they try to understand why we are in hot water and what we can do about it.
Series One: Texas and The Gulf of Mexico
This series begins in the Lone Star State of Texas, with a visit to the Coastal Bend along the Gulf of Mexico. The Gulf is one of the most important offshore petroleum production regions in the world, making up one-sixth of the United States' total production and a critically important source of seafood, supplying more than 40% of the U.S. domestic seafood. The travelers go from Aransas Pass, the self-proclaimed shrimp capital of Texas, to Corpus Christi, the “Birdiest City in America”, and end up in Galveston, known in the 1800s as the “Playground of the South” and, importantly, the birthplace of Juneteenth, where on June 19, 1865, two and a half years after Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation that legally freed three and a half million enslaved people in Confederate states, the Juneteenth Order was issued marking the belated emancipation of 250,000 enslaved Black people in Texas.
Series Two: Maine and the Gulf of Maine
In the second series of In Hot Water, we traveled to Maine, where we crisscrossed the state, starting in the bustling hub of Portland, Maine. We made our way Downeast and ended with a visit to Passamaquoddy tribal lands. Fishing in the Gulf of Maine generates nearly $4 billion annually and supports up to 100,000 jobs and there's also a growing aquaculture sector. Maine's identity is intricately tied to the lobster fishery and with the Gulf of Maine warming faster than 99% of the ocean, this way of life is in jeopardy.
Series Three: Great Lakes
In this third series, we travel to the Great Lakes region, specifically Lake Michigan, starting with a visit to Chicago, Illinois, then up to Michigan to Traverse City and Leland, better known as Fishtown. The commercial fishery in the Great Lakes, managed by individual states, tribes and Canada, is valued at over $7 billion annually and supports more than 75,000 jobs. In Michigan specifically, nearly all of the commercial fishing industry operates as a multi-generational, small family-owned businesses with lake whitefish, walleye, and yellow perch shoring up the foundation of the commercial harvest. From Michigan State University, in 2020, there were 16 active businesses in which 13 businesses received their primary income from commercial fishing, harvesting 1.9 million pounds of fish, which has a dockside value of $4.18 million. Over the past decades, climate change has caused dramatic fluctuations in the water levels of the Great Lakes, exhibiting a range exceeding two meters, threatening the future viability of the commercial fisheries.
In Hot Water, A Climate and Seafood Podcast is a project of Seafood and Gender Equality (SAGE) and Seaworthy.
Audio production, engineering, editing, mixing, and sound design by Crystal Alvarado-Rodriguez and team at Seaworthy.
Theme music by Mia Pixley
Thank you to everyone who joined us in conversation:
Texas: Liz Smith, Jennifer Pollack, Regina Peña, Gail Sutton, Suraida Nañez-James, Tiffany Farrell, Evelyn James, Alyssa Lopez, Roland Rodriguez
Maine: Tora Johnson, Seraphina Erhart, Jaclyn Robidoux, Afton Vigue, Sammi Altznauer, Kyle Foley, Kanae Tokunaga, Hannah Baranes, Jesse Baines, Susie Arnold, Libby Davis, and Plansowes Dana
The Great Lakes: Nick Davis, Cheryl Dahle, Karen Murchie, Marissa Fellows, Mary Foydor, Amanda Holmes, and Lakon Williams
Funding generously provided by Walton Family Foundation