Dave Paling, owner operator of Crooked River Shellfish Farm. Photo courtesy: Dave Paling
When restaurants closed due to coronavirus restrictions, Wareham’s seven oyster growers found themselves along with so many others in a precarious position. Oyster sales decreased sharply, leaving growers with an abundance of oysters in a time of limited demand.
Wareham shellfish grower Dave Paling owns Crooked River Shellfish Farm. He said his farm, which is considered small by industry standards, would typically sell 1,000 to 2,000 oysters each week before the pandemic.
When the pandemic hit, sales fell. Paling said he lost roughly 75 to 80 percent of revenue in 2020, compared to 2019 numbers.
Friday, Jan. 15
Online Yoga for Wise Warriors! With Lees Yunits: 8:30-9:30 a.m. Jan. 15, presented online via Zoom by the Cultural Center of Cape Cod. $15-$75. 508-394-7100, aneill@cultural-center.org, cultural-center.org.
New exhibit on “Robert H. Goddard: Father of Modern Rocketry”: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Jan. 15-16 and 21, Massachusetts Air & Space Museum, 790 Iyannough Road, K-Mart Plaza, Hyannis. Free-$8. 508-827-6300, massairspace.org. How Goddard from Clark University in Worcester and earliest days of rockets laid the groundwork for the eventual landing of men on the moon and building the International Space Station.
Gourmet Take-Out, with Chef Joseph Cizynski: 4:30-5:30 p.m. Jan.15, The Cultural Center of Cape Cod, 307 Old Main St., South Yarmouth. $35-$40. 508-394-7100, cultural-center.org. Ordering closes at noon Jan. 15. Menu includes Duck rillettes and endive salad, rabbit “Coq” au Vin, and finish with a goat cheese sampling.
Free winter webinars from Dennis Conservation Land Trust
Wicked Local
The Dennis Conservation Land Trust kicks off a free winter webinar series on Wednesday, Jan. 20. The series features knowledgeable local speakers about topics of environmental and conservation interest. Using the internet video platform, Zoom, the sessions are scheduled on the 3rd Wednesday of each month, from 6:30 to 7 p.m.
Joshua Reitsma, Fisheries and Aquaculture Specialist at Cape Cod Cooperative Extension, is the featured presenter next week on Jan. 20, discussing the function of shellfish in water quality.
Shellfish as “filter feeders” play a key role in coastal ecosystems in addition to their role in our local economy. More recently, use of shellfish cultivation has gained attention as a potential “alternative technology” to improve coastal waters struggling with excess nutrients. Reitsma will examine both the merits and the challenges of this approach to cleaning up our water.
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Sea Grant funding helps Barnstable growers get seafood to families in need
Joint Effort with Cape Cod Cooperative Extension donates frozen, shucked oysters to Cape and Greater Boston food banks
Bronwen Howells Walsh
WOODS HOLE The Woods Hole Sea Grant program (WHSG) recently provided $85,000 in COVID-19 related rapid response funds to aid the Massachusetts shellfish aquaculture industry. Growers in Barnstable are among those participating and feeding families in need.
The effort to assist the $29.8 million statewide industry came as a result of the impacts the COVID-19 crisis had on the industry. About 69% of the growers (271 out of 395) are located in Barnstable County.
COVID update, happy New Year, Barnstable Notes
The Barnstable Patriot
So long 2020
The Osterville Village Library bids farewell to 2020 and welcomes the New Year with its “Winter Wishing Walk” located on the library green. No timetable; just stop by the outdoor decorative maze in search of the angel bell located at the center. Find the bell, and ring it loud and clear as you make your wish for 2021.
Take a walk in the night air to see the holiday lights in the village and make a wish for health and happiness! Pay your respects to former Town Council President Jim Crocker at Armstrong Kelley Park, which held a tree lighting ceremony in his memory on Dec. 11.