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No-Fish Game Helps Kids
Understand Overfishing October 10, 2007
The main point I like to teach kids about the effects of overfishing is that fish levels have dropped 90% in the past 50 years. The problem is, that doesn't mean anything to kids.
To help illustrate the dramatic drop, I play the no-fish game. There are two versions of it. In each version, I select ten kids from the audience to be my fish. Here I am choosing ten kids at Loma Verde Elementary in El Paso, Texas:  Those ten come up front. The whole class helps me count the number of fish. "Everybody count with me," I say, then go along the line of kids. "One, two, three..." Now the kids understand clearly that there are ten fish. I show the ten fish the boundaries of our ocean, usually a circular area about 15 feet in diameter. That's where they need to swim. They begin moving their hands at their sides like flippers and making funny fish faces as they move around the designated ocean area. Another kid holds a stick with a long, soft string tied to the end. A thick shoestring works well. That kid is the fisherman. He or she extends the fishing rod over the ocean and tries to touch the string to one of the fish. When a fish is touched, that kid returns to his or her seat. Here I am playing the game with the kids at Loma Verde:  After a few fish are caught, I stop the school of fish and the entire class helps me count them again. "Only seven left," I say. "What shall we do?" "Keep fishing!" they cry out. So we do. Eventually, we get down to just one fish left. Our one surviving fish stands front and center. I ask his or her name. Then, I ask the classroom to help me double-check the number of fish that are left. "Let's be sure to count all of them," I say. I clear my throat as if I'm about to begin a long counting session, then start with my hand on the head of the one kid. "One --" I say and stop abruptly, looking shocked by the empty space where there used to be fish. "That can't be right," I say, as the kids all laugh. "Let's try that again." They help me count the one fish and then laugh again when I'm shocked at the lack of additional fish. "Now, wait a minute," I say. "How many fish did we start with?" "Ten!" "And how many are left now?" "One!" "So..." I hold up both hands showing ten fingers. "Ten!" the kids yell out. "Became..." I point to the one remaining kid. "One!" "What happened to those other nine fish?" "We caught them!" "That's right, and it's exactly what's happened in the real ocean. Ten fish became one because we caught the other nine." Children love this game. It involves every kid in the room because even those who aren't fish or the fisherman get to yell out answers and urge continued fishing. Plus, the kids really understand the extent of the overfishing problem. That version of the game is good for classrooms of 20 to 40 kids. In assemblies of more than about 40 kids, it doesn't work as well because the audience can't see the fishing from seats far away and therefore can't understand what's happening. For larger groups, I play a different version of the game. I still choose ten kids from the audience, still count them with the audience, but then they stand in a single file line with one hand sticking straight out at waist level. I put my hand out, too, and walk along the group touching each hand as I go. I tell the audience to yell "stop" when they want me to catch the fish I'm touching. When they do, I "catch" that fish by pulling him or her gently forward. I still count the remaining fish with the audience as we work our way toward just one remaining. When there are only two fish left, I change the approach because with just two kids it turns into a popularity contest. I don't want anybody feeling unpopular, so instead of having the group yell stop, I have the two remaining fish play Rock, Paper, Scissors. The loser is our ninth caught fish, and the winner is our lone survivor. Here I am preparing to play this version of the game at Myrtle Cooper Elementary School in El Paso, Texas:  Here's the message the school put up to announce the event:  Try this game in your classroom or assembly to show kids how dramatically depleted our oceans have become from overfishing. If you'd like me to come to your school to play the game and read the story to students, please contact Darci to make arrangements. Labels: Games
Focusing On Schools September 25, 2007
Our experience during this past month has shown that schools are the best way to spread the word about overfishing. No Fish In My Dish is a children's book. Schools are where to find children.
What's more, teachers spend time getting to know the subject in depth, and they devise projects to help teach the children about the issue. In our experience, teachers are much better than people at zoos and aquariums at:
We thought that zoos and aquariums would be our best bet. This month on the road in America has shown that to be wrong. Disappointingly, we found the lowest level of interest, the worst events, and nearly nonexistent support at zoos and aquariums -- the very places that are supposed to be working hard to save animals around the world. That discovery was an eye-opener. There were exceptions. The El Paso Zoo worked hard with us, and sent a representative to Loma Verde Elementary School to talk about animals on the same night that I presented our No Fish program. We hope to work with them in the future as well, but always by bringing them to our events instead of trying to create an event at the zoo. Our events are simply better, with bigger crowds. Sad to say, but zoos and aquariums don't draw people. We've had three zoo and aquarium events in three cities and all three were flops. We expended time and money getting extensive publicity on TV, radio, and in print, but nothing worked. For example, the El Paso Zoo even put an announcement on its freeway billboard showing the event, the location, and the date, but few people showed up and only a handful of books sold. Here's the sign:  At schools, by contrast, we presented to groups as large as 200 and they loved it. We know where success waits: in the classrooms and auditoriums of America's public school system. So, we've refocused our marketing plan on schools alone from now on. Below are some examples of the excellent work children at Loma Verde did around No Fish In My Dish:    Here we are in Myrtle Cooper Elementary School's cafeteria, packed with kids and their families, with a sales rate of almost 50%:  Here we are in Loma Verde Elementary School's cafeteria, again packed with kids and their families, with an equally impressive sales rate and level of enthusiasm:  Look at the line of people at Loma Verde waiting to have their book signed:  We've created a new marketing plan called "1K One Week" that will seek to sell 1,000 copies of the book in one week's time using a maximum of five schools in the same area. We will make our presentation four times in each school, as follows:
Getting The Word Out In El Paso September 20, 2007
We've been very busy in El Paso. Each day, we visit about 10 classrooms to play the "No Fish Game" demonstrating how in the past fifty years, 10 fish have become 1 fish in the world's oceans. That's more effective than telling the kids that fish stocks have declined 90%, which is a fact.
Here we are in Mrs. Oaxaca's class:  Here we are in Mrs. Chavez's class:  Here we are reading:  The children have been tons of fun, well-behaved, and enthusiastic about the book. They've drawn their own fish, written notes to me on them, and decorated their hallways and classrooms with crafts related to the story and the subject of overfishing. Loma Verde is an unusually high caliber school. It's especially touching to find this much interest in the desert, far from the ocean where you might expect people to be indifferent to a subject involving the sea. Nobody should be indifferent to this, however, and I'm happy to find that people in El Paso are not. Good thing: the situation is getting worse, not better, according to the latest from the Worldwatch Institute. Today we'll be joined at the school by two TV stations. We can't wait!
Getting Ready in El Paso September 16, 2007
Next week is the biggest yet in our tour so far. We will be at the Loma Verde Elementary School in El Paso, meeting each classroom for a discussion and book signing from Tuesday through Thursday, then attending the all-school pajama night for a reading on Friday, then to the Cactus Cafe on Saturday, and the zoo on Sunday.
Here I am at NPR affiliate KTEP 88.5 FM talking to host Louie Saenz about the book. It was the longest and best discussion on air yet:  I hope to have a positive report at the end of next week. Labels: Texas
New York Aquarium September 10, 2007
I spent last Saturday talking about overfishing, reading No Fish In My Dish, and signing books for kids at the New York Aquarium at Coney Island.
I found the people there to be friendly and curious about the issue. Whole families stood with me for several minutes, listening to the situation and asking questions. I have a better feel for how the public receives the book. I watched how they flipped through it, and which illustrations caught their eyes. Here are some of the finer moments of the day:        The next stop is El Paso, where I'll be reading and discussing the book with one thousand children at Loma Verde Elementary School.
Still In Sacramento September 5, 2007
I spent a lot of time talking with Brad Simkins, owner of Book Lover's at the corner of Madison and Manzanita in Sacramento. He hosted last Friday's signing, at which this shot was taken of the two of us with a customer who heard me on the radio just moments earlier, live from the store:
 On Saturday, I was at the Sacramento Zoo all day talking with passersby at the "Where The Wild Kids Are" event. To be honest, the day wasn't what Darci and I had hoped. It was supposed to be a special event focused on No Fish In My Dish and the overfishing issue. Instead, it went more like a craft fair with me sitting at one table among other tables where various groups sold goods. I haven't sold anything in that manner since doing school fund raisers! We spoke with the zoo afterwards, explaining that I came all the way from Japan for the event, and then went on local television and radio promoting the zoo's day, only to be put on the side of the property in a dirt lot with little exposure. The zoo's marketing representative apologized, blaming an employee who no longer works there. Darci and I learned our lesson, and she quickly got in touch with the other zoos and aquariums on our publicity schedule to be sure they understood what we're trying to do, and would support me in a way that would justify my coming halfway around the world to be onsite. Already, the prospects look better for other visits. Even with the poor showing at Sacramento Zoo, all was not lost. Here I am with Christopher and his mother, with his freshly signed book:  Finally, here's how I spent most of the day:  It was the hottest weekend of the year in Sacramento, and I was there in my official No Fish uniform, looking like a pizza delivery boy. I have other colors that I'll try at future events. We're off to a choppy start, but are doing our best to get the word out on this important issue. Next stop: New York City. I arrive on Wednesday night and will do publicity leading up to my appearance at the New York Aquarium this coming Saturday. If you're in the area, don't miss it! If not, get your own copy of the book sent by Priority Mail here. Labels: California, Events
In Sacramento September 1, 2007
Darci's keeping me busy in Sacramento, California this Labor Day weekend.
Yesterday, I talked with Sacramento & Co. hosts Guy and Kristin on News10 ABC. They were friendly and asked some good questions about overfishing, the reason I wrote No Fish In My Dish, and what I hope to accomplish with the book.  Today I'm at the Sacramento Zoo's Where The Wild Kids Are event from 9-4. See these and all events around the book at our events calendar. Labels: California, Publicity
Eat Fish The Right Way August 27, 2007
Stett Holbrook wrote a nice review of Paul Johnson's new book, Fish Forever: The Definitive Guide to Understanding, Selecting, and Preparing Healthy, Delicious, and Environmentally Sustainable Seafood, in last week's metroactive.
Mr. Johnson owns the Monterey Fish Market, a retail shop in Berkeley, and a wholesale fish business at Pier 33 in San Francisco. He knows a thing or two about fish, and is a firm believer in sustainable consumption. That's consistent with the take here at No Fish In My Dish as well. Mr. Holbrook pointed out the crux of the overfishing problem: Americans eat 2.5 times more fish than 20 years ago, and it now comes from all over the world instead of local waters. That means our consumption habits have far-reaching consequences on the health of fisheries and the oceans. Depleted fish stocks, bycatch, environmentally destructive fish farms, mercury contamination and other concerns have made what was once a feel-good choice fraught with complications.Fish are mostly a wild resource. We don't control them the way we control cattle, pigs, and chickens. We will never eat all of the cattle in the world, for instance, because we farm it and manage it the way we manage any other inventory. Fish, on the other hand, aren't so simple. There's a very real chance that we will eat all the fisheries in the ocean to unsustainable levels by the middle of this century. Too many people chasing too few fish can only go on so long. That's why we must reduce our consumption. As is made clear in No Fish In My Dish, fewer fish bought means fewer fish caught. Labels: Books
Is This The Last Century For Fish? February 1, 2007
I visited the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo a few years back and was amazed at how many fish it processed in a single day. I asked myself, "How many fish can there be in the ocean?" I decided to check.
Not enough, it turns out. With the people population growing every year and the fish population declining every year and our ways of catching fish improving all the time, it was obvious that the fish couldn't last forever. In fact, that's true. I discovered that a number of excellent books have been written on the subject of overfishing. Studies have been commissioned. Speeches have been spoken. Laws have been passed. Yet, the fish population keeps declining. Existing material isn't working. As long as there's a market for fish, the fish will be caught. The only way to stop the depletion is to slow the buying of fish. My target became not the supply side of the problem, but the demand side. If people slow their buying, the industry will slow its catching. Put more memorably: Fewer fish caught means fewer fish bought. Next, I had to come up with a solution. Just telling people to stop eating fish entirely wasn't reasonable. Fish are too much a part of human culture. I decided that eating fewer fish was the answer. If we refrain from eating fish for five days a week, that'll be enough to let the populations catch up to healthy levels again. At the very least, they'll stop swimming toward decimation. Finally, how to get that message to a world unaware of the problem? A simple book that rhymes, I decided. Another in-depth book wouldn't work. They hadn't before, why would mine be any different? I needed an entertaining book, with cute illustrations, and a story simple enough that a child could understand it. It would need to be short to get the message across quickly. Also, it should not target any specific country or culture. It should be universal. That's the book I wrote and illustrated, and made available to you on this site. The characters have no names. They are not Chinese, American, or Japanese. They are all of us, because all of us together are causing the problem. My hope is that you:
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