Going Coastal developed a multi-media outreach and education effort to provide information about safe fish consumption to fishers, families and communities along the shores of Brooklyn. This environmental justice campaign educated under-served populations about safer fish choices developing a cross-cultural outreach and education program to protect public health and reduce risk cross-cultural outreach and education. The project targeted the audience most vulnerable to the health effects of eating contaminated fish - immigrant and low income populations, particularly woman who are pregnant, nursing or of childbearing age and children under 15 years of age.

During the first phase of the project, Going Coastal researched fishing habits and practices on the coast of Brooklyn and produced a White Paper “Reel It In Brooklyn” detailing our findings. Based on this research, the project developed outreach materials to protect recreational, ethnic and subsistence fishers who typically consume larger quantities of locally caught fish and shellfish by increasing awareness of both the benefits and risks of eating fish caught in New York Harbor waters. The project produced a series of animated videos available for download on YouTube along with posters, maps and fact sheets.

Angler outreach is a key component of the public education campaign. Last summer, dozens of volunteers visited 20 popular pier and shore fishing locations in Brooklyn and surveyed fishers about their catch, fishing habits and fish consumption. Outreach materials developed as a result of those interviews help educate fishers about the dangers of consuming fish contaminated with mercury, PCBs and other toxins. 

Family and community outreach promotes actions people can take for safe fish preparation and consumption of locally caught fish. Going Coastal conducts community outreach in a variety of ways including training webinars, videos, "Eat Healthy Fish" fact sheets and posters targeting non-English speaking audiences. The approach reached vulnerable populations by presenting fish consumption advisory information at schools, food pantries, ESL classes, civic clubs, faith-based institutions, health clinics, and community events.

This research, outreach and education project was supported by an environmental justice community grant from the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation. Additional support was provided by Pace University’s Center for Community Action and Research, Graphics & Data, Inc. and The Other Side of the Tracks.