RiverFilms Ends on a Hopeful Note

Three fishing films celebrate waterways both near and far

 

By Kathy Urffer

 

Hackensack Riverkeeper and the Puffin Cultural Forum concluded their successful RiverFilms discussion series on Tuesday, April 15. The popular series featured monthly screenings of environmental documentaries and was attended in total by well over 100 people.

The series was developed to make connections between global issues and our local environment and to begin discussion on the various roles that we all can play to stay informed and involved in our global community.

This year’s finale featured three films on the subject of fish and fishing:

Rivers to the Sea (1990), 46 minutes, Directed by John Brett. Containing some of the most spectacular underwater footage ever taken, this film explores the abundant life in Atlantic coastal rivers. The river is the thread that binds together diverse species that live above and below the surface of the rushing river. The film stresses that humans have a role in the river's ecology.

Fishers of Dar (2002), 37 minutes. This award winning film by Lina Fruzzetti, Akos Ostor and Stephen Ross explores the continuity and integrity of traditional fishing practices in contemporary Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Dar es Salaam is a metropolis of three million people, yet the city's demand for fish is met by fishermen using centuries-old methods and practices.

Fish Consumption Advisory Video (2002), 13 minutes, Produced by New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. This educational video address the public health hazards of eating fish and crabs containing PCBs, dioxins, and other pollutants from the Newark Bay Complex, which includes the waters and tributaries of the Newark Bay, Hackensack and Passaic Rivers, Arthur Kill and Kill Van Kull.

After the screening, Gil Hawkins of the Hudson River Fisherman’s Association led a lively discussion on fishing opportunities within the New York Harbor Estuary region – including the Hackensack River – and the special concerns associated with those waters.

Our next RiverFilms season begins in October of 2003 and will once again be hosted by our good friends at the Puffin Cultural Forum, 20 East Oakdene Avenue in Teaneck, NJ. See you then!