On a picture-perfect summer day at the Edith Read Sanctuary, with no signs of the fierce rainstorm that had taken place the night before, a group of about 25 people, young and old alike, gathered with nets and pails in hand. These nature explorers caught, observed, learned about, and released creatures from the Long Island Sound, in the sanctuary’s biannual “Seining by the Shoreline” event on June 15.
Led by Scott Williamson, curator at Edith Read, participants dragged a long horizontal net called a Seine through the water to capture fish and other marine life.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity for people to experience creatures up close and have the ability to hold some of these marine creatures, if they choose to do so,” Williamson said. “I enjoy working with people, and the educational aspect of it. Most of all, it’s fun for me to enjoy the experience that other people are having when they come to the sanctuary.”
Jack Gaffey, 6, and Sophie Friedman, 4, personified that joy. Gaffey, a three-time veteran of the program, said that his favorite creatures were the slugs, mud snails, clear jellyfish, and the large blue crab they caught. Friedman enjoyed interacting with the dagger blade glass shrimp, clams, and also the blue crab, a fan favorite. Other native sea life caught in the 25-foot net included small flounders, groupers, pipefish, and Asian shore crabs. Williamson captivated his young audience with details about each organism’s features and life cycle.
Established in 1985, the Edith Read Wildlife Sanctuary is home to a diversity of marine life. Totaling 179 acres, the sanctuary includes a man-made lake, forests, and meadows. “I want people to come out and enjoy it,” Williamson said. “It’s public land, so please come out and enjoy the beauty that the sanctuary has to offer.”
