UD researchers conducting fish consumption survey of bays

A few times a summer, we’ll pack the kids in the car and head down to the Broadkill Store for a quick meal, ice cream or both. On a recent trip, I noticed a flyer on the store’s door that was seeking participants for a fish consumption survey being conducted by researchers at the University of Delaware.

The flyer said the researchers want to interview recreational and subsistence anglers who fish in Delaware Bay or the Inland Bays because they want to determine the most commonly caught and consumed fish from the local bays. There’s a QR code on the flyer and an email address for more information.

I took a picture of the flyer and reached out. Doctoral student Jacquie Carroll got back to me. She did her undergrad work at the University of Rhode Island and is in her second year at the University of Delaware, pursuing a doctorate in bioinformatics data science.

There hasn’t been a fish consumption survey collected for the area’s bays since the 1990s, said Carroll. The local fisheries have changed a lot since then, and they’re trying to set a new baseline, she said.

The researchers aren’t asking how frequently the subject goes fishing or about anything they caught they didn't consume, said Carroll. The anglers are being asked how frequently they consume their wild-caught fish or shellfish, and about what species they caught that they ate, she said.

The QR code on the flyer currently takes potential participants to a website that’s not actively taking information. Carroll said collecting the spring data ran from April to Memorial Day. Between online and in-person questioning, there were a total of 67 respondents.

It was a pretty good amount considering it was early in the season, and it would have pretty much been limited to dedicated anglers who were out there, said Carroll.

The online survey portal will reopen again in late August and run into September to collect data from summer anglers, said Carroll. She’s hoping to get an additional 130 responses.

That mailbox is not for your speeding tickets

I’m always looking around for column ideas when I’m out and about. Random things I see on the side of the road fall into three categories – something I’ll write about on my own; something I’ll write about if someone else brings it up to me; something that’s never going to make the cut.

This little tidbit falls under the second umbrella. I don’t remember how long ago, but I noticed a big black mailbox near the construction site of the overpass at the intersection of Route 1 and Route 16. On the side of the mailbox is the word TICKETS. There’s an A-Del Construction logo on the front. I had forgotten about it until my dad asked about it. I didn’t have a good answer, so I reached out to A-Del earlier this week.

Justin Bailey, a marketing specialist for A-Del, responded within five minutes.

“I believe that is for our field tickets we receive from material plants for hauling,” said Bailey.

There it is. Mystery solved. And you’ve been warned, out-of-town speeders. That box is not for the people who get busted by the local police on their way to the beach.

Joke of the Week

We’ve got two holidays coming up this weekend – Flag Day and Father’s Day. I was having trouble deciding which one to find a joke for, but then, out of the blue, Jeff hit me up with two consecutive texts, one for each holiday. He described the Father’s Day joke as, “a classic dad joke,” but I think that description fits the Flag Day joke too. As always, send jokes to cflood@capegazette.com.

Q: What did one flag say to the other?

A: Nothing, it just waved.

Q: Did you hear about the restaurant on the moon?

A: Great food, no atmosphere.