David Cabrera, right, teaches a participant how to prepare a talaya for casting at a workshop held in July.
Jeremiah Benevente began the workshop with a short lesson on species targeting and how to hold a talaya.
Children got hands-on talaya practice at Micro Beach during a previous workshop.
A boy throws his talaya as part of the workshop, which is a collaboration between American Memorial Park and the Talaya Club.
NINE children are participating in a two-day talaya workshop that started Wednesday, July 26, as part of American Memorial Park’s “Let’s Go Fishing!” program.
Nataline Borlain, AMP’s interpretive park ranger, said this is the second session of this year’s program. In both sessions, 10 children were registered, but one was absent on Wednesday.
“For the kids this age, they want to be outdoors and experience what’s outside,” Borlain said. “One way to keep them busy is to keep them fishing. It also helps that they’re learning the traditional ways of providing for the family. And the kids like it. Being by the ocean always gets them excited.”
At the park’s Visitor Center, Talaya Club program director David Cabrera and talaya instructor Jeremiah Benevente taught participants about species targeting and how to grip a talaya.
Later, on the beach, students were able to practice throwing the talaya on their own under the supervision of Cabrera and Benevente.
Cabrera said students would go fishing in the afternoon.
“The mission of the Talaya Club is to reinvigorate traditional fishing methods as well as to foster informed ocean stewardship,” Cabrera said.
“What we want to do is keep the tradition of talaya fishing going, but we want to do it responsibly and sustainably. One of our big emphasis at these clinics is that when we get to the water we get real time experience with the kids in teaching them about sanctuaries, the importance of targeted fishing, and [the reduction of, and releasing] bycatch.”
Cabrera hopes the students learn the importance of preserving natural resources to give the marine ecosystem a chance to replenish itself.
Kiana Camacho, who is the 2023 Fish and Feathers summer intern, said it is beneficial to teach the youth about conservation.
“[If] they learn to fish at a young age and they enjoy it, they’ll carry that love with them to the future when it comes to conservation,” Camacho said. “If they enjoy fishing at this age they’re going to want to continue to enjoy it when they’re older [with] their kids.”
