http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/09/arts/design/go-fish-festival-casts-a-wide-net-for-young-new-yorkers.html 2016-09-09 01:09:04 Go Fish! Festival Casts a Wide Net for Young New Yorkers Children can drop a line in the Hudson River, look upward to learn about birds and make a musical instrument at the Go Fish! festival in Lower Manhattan. === Even if you’ve never baited a hook or cast a line, you’re bound to catch something at the The fish catch something, too: a break. Instead of being destined for a dinner plate, they’re returned to the Hudson River. “When a participant catches a fish, they get a certificate, and a master angler helps identify it,” said Doug Van Horn, senior manager of education and nature programs at Battery Park City Parks. (The activity uses barbless hooks, and the only fish dissected is one bought from a market.) Any catch is then placed in a large tank for observation. Mr. Van Horn noted that he had been to festivals where 200 fish had been caught. They usually include striped bass, which he called “the shark of the Hudson,” at “the top of the food chain.” Black sea bass, cunners and blackfish prove common, too. “What I tell children about fishing is that the hardest part is the patience,” Mr. Van Horn said. (The festival provides gear and bait, along with instruction.) In addition to mastering the angler’s art, festival officials hope that families will appreciate the need to conserve the environment of That extends to its skies. At 11 a.m., the festival will offer a bird-watching tour of the park, whose gardens were designed as a kind of airport lounge for weary winged travelers. “The Hudson is a big migratory flyway,” said Craig Hudon, the parks’ assistant director of parks programming, “and the plantings are important in providing a respite for migratory species.” Visitors may see hummingbirds and warblers, as well as year-round residents like robins, mourning doves and Northern mockingbirds. The walk’s participants can also view works like Tony Cragg’s “ “The scale of the performance is quite grand for Go Fish!,” Mr. Hudon said. The stars are folk artists: (10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Battery Place and First Place, Lower Manhattan, 212-267-9700,