NHTV releases documentary about protecting marine wildlife

Adam Schrader
Justin Pellegrino, a member of New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s Marine Resources crew, observes striped bass in Manhasset Bay. (Screenshot from "Protecting our marine wildlife with the New York State DEC")

Sunrise views of a boat dock at Manhasset Bay introduce a short documentary about marine conservation produced by NHTV — North Hempstead’s public access station.

The five-minute film, released Tuesday, follows the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s scientists as they monitor striped bass populations in Manhasset Bay over the course of a day.

“Due to the proximity of Manhasset Bay to the Hudson River, this is one of the first bays that young fish encounter so it serves as an important nursery ground for them,” Jesse Holstein, a biologist with the state agency, says in the film. “That’s why it’s important for us to monitor from year to year to see how successful striped bass spawning was.”

Striped bass spawn in the Hudson River before migrating down to the Long Island Sound, according to a news release.

Recreational fishing serves an important role in the town’s economic health, said Town Supervisor Judi Bosworth.

“North Hempstead is fortunate to have the Department of Environmental Conservation keeping a close watch on the health of our local fish population,” Bosworth said.

The crew featured in the film also includes technician Kevin Ryan, head technician Zach Schuller and technician Justin Pellegrino.

“Public participation is key to the success of the DEC … letting us know when you see something out of the ordinary,” Holstein said. “It’s really a collaborative effort between us all to make the environment in this state a better place.”

The documentary was directed and produced by Alan Ginsberg and edited by Samantha Hollinde.

Carole Trottere, director of communications for the town, said town officials thought it would be important to show residents the Department of Environmental Conservation’s important role in the community.

“Everyone has heard about the DEC but people don’t really know what they spend their time doing, even those who go fishing,” Trottere said. “We wanted to let people know how crucial they are.”

NHTV is in the post-production process for a follow-up film about fishing in North Hempstead set for release next month.

“We’re always very interested in any news about marine life,” Trottere said. “We had whales a few years ago and that got everyone down here excited. [Marine life] is always a big issue for the supervisor.”

The public access station also released a nature show called “Off The Trail,” which won the Hometown Media Awards given out by the Alliance for Community Media.

“The supervisor is very interested in providing quality programming on our TV station,” Trottere said. “Our TV station is heads and tails above other governmental TV programming.”

Share this Article