I’ll admit, I’m a pretty nostalgic person. So as we approach the end of this summer, I’m definitely feeling blue about all the lasts that are coming up. This past Friday, we had our last official Sea Grant get-together to present our research. I was really excited to discuss my work and even more excited to see what everyone else did over the summer. As Haley introduced us, she mentioned one of the personal or professional goals we made at the beginning of the summer. While I accomplished my goal of learning how to cook seafood three different ways, I’m still trying to explore new ways every chance I get.

In the Shop at the Dock participant surveys, one respondent asked us to provide more recipes. My mentor suggested I email some people from different seafood commissions. I was referred to an amazing resource at www.seafoodoregon.org. Seafood Oregon does marketing, promotion, and education for four of Oregon’s industry-funded seafood commodity commissions- the Albacore Commission, the Dungeness Crab Commission, the Salmon Commission and the Trawl Commission. The website has great information on all these commissions and about 150 recipes. I’ll be looking at these for inspiration as I finish the last of my tuna and rockfish.

Check out seafoodoregon.org!

This past weekend was also our last official weekend and it was filled with everything wonderful about summer. From volleyball to a bonfire on a luminescent beach to the Great Albacore Tuna BBQ Challenge, it was an idyllic weekend.  

And while I reflect on some of the last things of the summer, I’ve also been thinking of all the things I tried for the first time. This summer was the first time I studied the environment and sustainability through an economic perspective. It was the first time I went camping in Oregon. It was the first time I bought seafood from the fishermen who caught it. The list could go on and on, and I’m so grateful for this opportunity that allowed me to try so many new things.