Last week, NOAA’s National Sea Grant Office announced that several projects in Maine are receiving funding to support young fishermen. MCFA is pleased to have received $91,000* to create video-based learning modules that will help the next generation of fishermen prepare to build successful fishing businesses, cultivate their own physical and mental resilience, and become leaders in their communities.
Congratulations to the three other groups that received funding under this program this cycle: the Maine Center for Coastal Fisheries, Washington Sea Grant, and California Sea Grant.
MCFA is a member of the Fishing Communities Coalition, a national group of fishing industry-focused nonprofits that helped write and advocate for the Young Fishermen’s Development Act, which passed Congress and was signed into law in 2020. The entire Maine delegation (Senator Collins, Senator King, Representative Pingree, and Representative Golden) co-sponsored the legislation and were instrumental in its passing. That law is the foundation upon which these grant opportunities are built, putting federal investments into the future of the country’s fishing industry.
Maine has one of the largest populations of young fishermen in the nation, thanks in large part to our unique lobster apprenticeship model. It is critical to prepare these early career fishermen with the skills and training necessary to help them stay healthy, resilient, and profitable in this high-risk industry. These videos will feature young fishermen’s voices to provide a “near-peer” perspective, and will focus on three key areas:
Physical health: Fishermen are tactical athletes – individuals who require great strength, flexibility, and speed to do their jobs well and safely. Taking care of their physical health will help young fishermen fish harder and longer. Priorities here include strength training, stretching for mobility, good sleep, and nutrition, as well as avoiding impairment under times of high stress and fatigue.
Mental health: The fishing industry can be incredibly stressful and isolating. Extended time away from family and friends, frequently changing regulations and shifting markets, and potential existential threats like climate change, offshore wind, and gentrification elevate stress levels. MCFA partners with the Northeast Center for Occupational Health & Safety, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, and ManTherapy to deliver accessible and appropriate resources.
Career resilience: This content will not only cover key concepts of finance and business for these young fishermen, but help them consider their options beyond fishing, if and when the time comes to fish less actively. We hear a lot of fishermen say they “only know how to fish,” but most are far more skilled than they give themselves credit for. Fishing and operating a fishing business requires many highly transferable skills, such as welding, engine repair, plumbing, carpentry, marketing, sales, and more.
The long-term goal is to build out a “living resource” that can be actively contributed to by MCFA, other organizations, and fishermen themselves. This searchable online knowledge hub would be useful for young fishermen across the country, and resolve some of the challenges of providing services along a lengthy coastline.
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*Early media stories about this grant mistakenly reported a $1.7 million award to MCFA. The correct amount MCFA received is $91,062, with all four organizations receiving a total of $987, 361. But we’d love to see millions available for Young Fishermen Development projects nationwide!
