“The first fish I ever caught was a striper,” said a reflective Christine “Chrissy” Tomasco, reminiscing on her childhood spent in Barnegat Light. “I was only 6 years old, and I want to say it was about 29 inches,” she added. “I remember my uncle Rob had to run over and help me reel it in because I was too small, physically, to do it myself. Then, just to mess with me, he said, ‘That was the biggest fish I’ve ever caught!’” Of course, she took the joke to heart, having grown up in a fishing village where all take pride in their catch.

Tomasco grew up in a family of commercial fishermen, admittedly taking for granted that a typical weeknight supper was…