Talaya Club instructor Jesse Chong, foreground, and his nephew Zion cast talayas into the water.
TALAYA Club founder David Cabrera is inviting families to participate in the Fishing as a Family program, which he calls a “hands-on [activity] that teaches traditional talaya casting, promotes sustainability and food security, and strengthens cultural connections in the CNMI.”
Cabrera said there are slots available for 10 participating families, with two to four members per family. One member must be a youth aged 10 or older.
The program will begin on March 22. Cabrera and other talayerus will conduct six five-hour instructional sessions, each taking place at a different beach: Micro Beach, Obyan Beach, Laolao Beach, Paupau Beach, and Kilili Beach.
Cabrera said lessons will cover a brief history of talaya fishing, casting techniques, talaya maintenance, lunar cycles, reading tides, fish species, growth cycles and seasonality, as well as ocean stewardship.
To ensure sustainable fishing, instructors will discuss target fishing, and an “awareness of the total cost to the environment we inevitably make when fishing with a talaya.”
Families that attend all six instructional days will receive a free talaya, Cabrera said.
Sign up at FAF.talayaclub.org
