Seafood Market Blitz
Eating with the Ecosystem held our pilot Seafood Market Blitz in March of 2018. We recruited citizen science volunteers from across New England to help us gain a greater understanding of the composition of our New England seafood marketplace.
Our Market Blitz is based on the concept of a Bio Blitz.
A BioBlitz is an intense period of biological surveying in an attempt to record all the living species within a designated area. Groups of scientists, naturalists and volunteers conduct an intensive field study over a continuous time period.
This seafood Market Blitz, was the first attempt to obtain a broad snapshot of what fish species are made available in New England retail markets. What percent of it is local? Where is the seafood that is sold to New England consumers coming from? Does this vary by state and/or store-type?
The data collected through the Seafood Market Blitz will go into a database that can be used to answer these questions and others to help understand the composition of our New England seafood marketplace. We plan on running a Seafood Market Blitz on a biannual basis, building up the database to be able to track changes over time. Data recorded will include species names, origin, price, product form, wild vs farmed, and if any ecolabels were present. We hope that this data will be useful not only to Eating with the Ecosystem but also to other groups.
If you have any questions please contact Kate Masury at kate@eatingwiththeecosystem.org
March 2018 Market Blitz Participant Materials:
TRAININGS
Participants, we request that you attend one of our webinar trainings. Trainings will be held via webinar on Thursday March 1st at 5:45 pm and Saturday March 3rd at 11:00 am. Each webinar will run about 30- 45 minutes depending on the amount of questions. You only need to attend one training. If you can not make either training, we will record the training and post it below for you to view. Please let us know if you have any questions by emailing kate@eatingwiththeecosystem.org.
MARKET ASSIGNMENTS
You have all been assigned one market to visit. Your Market Assignments can be found here:
Market Assignments
If you would like to visit additional markets, we will be adding more markets to the list without names assigned to them. Add your name next to any additional market you plan on visiting. If you do not see a market you would like to visit on the list please email Kate at kate@eatingwiththeecosystem.org.
GUIDELINES AND FORMS
Guidelines
There are two versions of the guidelines. One version for participants who are willing to take photos while at their market and one version for participants who do not wish to take photos at their market. It is up to you which guidelines to follow.
Guidelines with photo instructions
Guidelines without photo instructions
Training Powerpoint
The powerpoint used during the training shows examples of how to fill out your data sheet and includes information you may find helpful. If you would like to view a PDF of the powerpoint click the link below.
Data Sheets
Below are links for the data sheets. As you will notice in the guidelines, you are required to send in photos or scans of your data sheet. However, you will also have the option of also submitting your data sheet in Excel format as a favor to us. Submitting your data in an Excel sheet is not required.
PDF of Data Sheet (for everyone)
Excel version of Data Sheet (optional)
Market Blitz Explaination
We have created a short blurb about the market blitz that you may print and either read or handout to the market you are visiting to explain what you are doing at the market recording data and taking photos.