Archeological discoveries have proven that Native Americans began fishing these waters more than 12,000 years ago. Suffice it to say, the second annual New Hampshire Fish & Lobster Festival, affectionately known as “Fishtival,” celebrates a long-standing tradition of local fishing.

This year’s Fishtival takes place on Saturday, Sept. 25, from noon to 4 p.m. at Prescott Park in Portsmouth. The inaugural event last year drew several thousand people to the seaside park to taste fresh lobster, fish, oysters and more, all landed locally by area fishermen and prepared by Seacoast chefs and restaurants, while learning about our fishing history and heritage.

The event is co-hosted by Prescott Park Arts Festival and Seacoast Local, but represents a collaboration of more than 30 non-profits and businesses offering fishing boat tours, live music and a chef cook-off, along with a variety of games, demonstrations and speakers. Several area organizations are participating, including the N.H. Commercial Fishermen’s Association, Granite State FISH, Seacoast Eat Local, the Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance and others.

Through a random lottery, each of the local restaurants was assigned a different locally-caught fish species to prepare a dish for the event. The ingredients range from shellfish like lobsters, shrimp and oysters, to fin fish like hake, skate and cod. Even squid makes an appearance on the Fishtival menu.

A new feature of this year’s festival is an afternoon speaker series, starting at 1 p.m. with Mark Wiley, assistant director for education at the UNH Cooperative Extension/N.H. Sea Grant Program and director of the UNH Marine Docent. Wiley will lead a talk called “You Are Here: The Gulf of Maine.”

The series continues at 1:30 p.m. with “Who Fishes Matters,” a talk led by Niaz Dorry, a resident of Gloucester, Mass., the oldest settled fishing port in the United States. Dorry is director of the Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance, a regional organization that works with the fishing community to establish policies and markets that reflect the ecological and economic benefits of local fishermen.

Then comes “The Working Life of a N.H. Fisherman” at 2 p.m., led by Rachel Feeney, communications and information coordinator for the Northeast Consortium at the University of New Hampshire. The organization provides funding for partnerships between fishermen and marine scientists to conduct research in the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank.

At 2:30 p.m., Jenny Isler will present “Slow Money: Local Investing in Fishing’s Future.” Isler attended the national gathering of Slow Money in Vermont this summer, and is working to bring more investors into our local food system.

Finally, at 3 p.m., working fishermen Mike Pawluk and Erik Anderson will lead a talk called “Inventor, Innovator, Fisherman.” The presentation will show how fishermen evaluate, develop and fine-tune their gear to improve selectivity and performance and help manage local fisheries.

The talks will help fulfill a dual function of the Fish & Lobster Festival: to expose people to the diversity of fresh seafood available off our local coastline, and to educate people about the importance of New Hampshire’s fishing industry. Although it’s one of the oldest industries in the nation, it is threatened by strict federal catch limits intended to help preserve declining fish species. Local fishermen are exploring ways to keep the industry viable in the face of increasingly tough regulations.

But the Fishtival also offers a fun-filled afternoon of food and music, coinciding with the weekend-long Portsmouth Maritime Folk Festival, which will take place throughout downtown.

It all takes place at Prescott Park on Marcy Street in Portsmouth. The seafood tastings are $4 per item. Here’s a list of the participating restaurants and their assigned fish:

• fresh-shucked oysters: Little Bay Oyster
• monkfish: Seaport Fish
• hake: Green Monkey
• bluefish: Jumpin’ Jay’s Fish Cafe
• whole steamed lobster: Portsmouth Lobster Co.
• skate: Blue Mermaid
• haddock: Portsmouth Brewery
• cod: River House Restaurant
• squid: Portsmouth High School Culinary arts
• pollock: Old Salt Restaurant
• mackerel: 100 Club
• shrimp:106 Kitchen Bar
• lobster meat: Black Trumpet