Monday, April 21, 2014


The Last Smelt Shack

by Christopher Byron, Caroline Losneck, Jan Piribeck, Kelly Rioux

The Last Smelt Shack is both a tribute to –and acknowledgement of– the possible decline of rainbow smelt.

Smelt shacks have historically appeared on frozen rivers & estuaries in Maine as a harbinger of spring. People gather in the cozy shacks to mark the end of a long winter and to harvest a species of fish that brings both sustenance and celebration.

The Last Smelt Shack explores the intersections of nature, myth, memory, tradition within the context of the possible collapse of the rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax). It is built from recycled materials and was installed at the 2014 Appearances Eco-Arts Festival, Dunes Edge Eco-Campground, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, USA.    
Some scientists fear an all-time decline, or collapse, of the species in Massachusetts, NH and Maine, due to the combined impacts of dams, habitat degradation, water toxicity, changing water temperatures and historic overfishing. Scientists say the species has already disappeared from Connecticut and possibly Rhode Island. 

We invite visitors into The Last Smelt Shack to reflect on species loss and our connections to nature and one another. This blog will be updated daily for the duration of the display, April 18th - May 17th. 

Please feel free to post tributes information and ideas! 








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