The Friends of the Red Handfish (FORH) organise their first community information session for a Monday night. It's a modest affair, held in a Besser-block community hall with fluorescent bar lighting and teal nylon seats. There's tea and biscuits, cheese and crackers, and a raffle with donated prizes. But an hour before the event is set to start, the weather arrives. Furious winds and drenching rains barrel in sideways. It's the kind of night for staying in bed and watching Netflix, not for sitting in a community hall listening to a science lecture on a fish.
Setting up her PowerPoint, our special guest Dr Jemina Stuart-Smith only laughs. She's a marine biologist at the University of Tasmania's Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS), and coordinator of the Handfish Conservation Project. “If no one shows, at least we'll have the pick of the biscuits,” she says.
Pam, a member of FORH, turns to me as we unstack the chairs. “If we get 10 people I'll be surprised,” she mumbles.
But 45 minutes before it's due to start, the first family arrives, followed by a steady stream of locals. By 7pm, the carpark is full, we've run out of chairs and it's standing room only. Despite the weather, despite the school night, half the community have turned up to hear about the red handfish.
