October 27th, 2021
Steve Meserve:
Wet Dogs, Cold Nights. The History of the Lewis Fishery
Bio
Steve is a fourth-generation shad fisherman and the captain of the Lewis Fishery in Lambertville, NJ. For 45 years he has been active in keeping the tradition and stewardship of the Fishery alive and relevant. Along with activities directly associated with the Fishery, he also shares his knowledge and experience by giving talks to groups ranging from scouts, college students, historic society members, and the Delaware River Basin Commission. Steve has also presented at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. By day, Steve works in IT, currently as a business analyst.
Summary
This virtual lecture looked at the 130-year-old fishery in Lambertville, NJ, the last of its kind on the Delaware River. If you drive over the New Hope-Lambertville Bridge in the early evening, often you will see volunteers with shad nets near the Fishery’s white fishing cottage seining for shad in the River. Viewers learned about what things have changed with the Fishery, what has stayed the same, and where the things are headed for in the future.
Interesting Fact 1: The Lewis Fishery collects valuable data to share with regulatory agencies about their catches. Read the reports on the NJDEP website.
Interesting Fact 2: Several documentaries have been made about the Fishery including a feature episode of Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern. Google “Philadelphia Shad Cakes Krak & Kishke” to view the show. Many stories have also been written about the history and operation of the Fishery. Read a www.njspotlight.com piece published in April.
Please enjoy the video of Steve's presentation below.