May 9, 2022 — The following was released by the New England Young Fishermen’s Alliance:

As a response to the national phenomenon called the “graying of the fleet” former GM of NH Community Seafood, Andrea Tomlinson sets out to organize, train and advocate for  the next generation of northern New England fishermen and women 

In response to an increasing decline of younger generation fishermen and women entering  the commercial fishing industry in northern New England, former GM of NH Community  Seafood, Andrea Tomlinson, has collaborated with Yankee Fishermen’s Cooperative, the  UNH NH Food Hub Network, Gorhan Public Health Consulting and the Rockingham  Economic Development Center to develop the New England Young Fishermen’s Alliance

(NEYFA). The development of the long-awaited Alliance is made possible by a USDA  LAMP Farmer’s Market Promotion Program grant, awarded in late 2021, with funding  secured in February of this year. In addition to forming the New England Young  Fishermen’s Alliance into a nonprofit entity, the USDA grant also supports three annual  Deckhand to Captain Training programs, which will be sponsored by the Alliance.

In a series focus groups called Dock Talks: Next Generation, held in 2019, with  collaboration from NH Sea Grant, NH Community Seafood and NH Food Alliance, young  fishermen expressed that the major barriers to entering the industry as a Captain were  capital requirements necessary for a boat and a permit, complex and restrictive regulations  within the industry, lack of reliable and knowledgeable labor and consumers  misinterpretation of the commercial fishing industry. As an entry level Captain in the  commercial fishing industry today, the initial capital requirement is $250,000 minimum,  to purchase a boat, permit and equipment.

Experienced deckhands and sternmen, with a minimum of 5 years’ experience in the  industry working on either groundfish, charter and/or lobster boats will be eligible to apply  for a free 10 -month training program to get more of the next generation of young  fishermen and women into the Captain’s wheelhouse. The cohort of 6 trainees for the 2022  training have been chosen and range in age from 27-38 years old. The Deckhand to Captain  training program is a first of its kind in New England, where experienced young fishermen  and women will receive instruction on business management and training, collaborative  marketing, industry standard and regulations, permitting and compliance, public speaking  and pairing with a veteran Captain as a mentor.

There has been a drastic reduction in succession within commercial fishing industry  nationwide with the average age of both groundfish and lobster Captains in New  Hampshire and much of northern New England, currently averaging 55 years old.  Similarly, the amount of 600-trap lobster permits in NH, the most common permit in the  state, has declined by almost 66 % from 2000 to 2021 (NH Fish and Game, 2022). More  concerning is the dramatic decrease in groundfish vessels currently fishing in NH and  northern New England. In NH alone, 104 groundfish vessels were licensed to harvest  groundfish in 2000, but by 2021, a mere 18 vessels obtained groundfish licenses and of  them, only five vessels are currently commercially fishing for groundfish from our NH  shores. Within the last two years, NH has seen four veteran groundfish Captains retire with  no younger generation Captains to take their place.

The Deckhand to Captain Training Program, intends to assist entry level Captains in  transitioning from the back of the deck to the Captain’s wheelhouse. The development of  the organization as a nonprofit will be assisted through a recent acceptance into the  Portsmouth-based nonprofit incubator called GoodWork. With a team of skilled and  experienced coaches, professional partners and mentors, the GoodWork nonprofit  incubator program helps facilitate learning and guide incubator participants on the path  towards success. The program builds on participant’s strengths to assist them to be more  effective, collaborative, adaptive, and better prepared to achieve their mission.

Once developed, the NEYFA plans to offer resources and networking opportunities,  relevant speakers as well as ongoing training programs designed to benefit the young  fishing industry in southern Maine, NH and northern Massachusetts. The Alliance also  intends to increase young industry participation at both state and regional regulatory  meetings that encourage industry input when developing regulations and industry  standards at public hearings.

“This is a project I have been trying to develop for over four years. Through my years of  direct interaction with the commercial fishing community in northern New England, it has  become painfully evident that our area is suffering from the “graying of the fleet”. There  are far too many deterring obstacles in the path of an entry-level Captain in this industry  and we need to change that scenario in order to preserve the heritage and culture of our  working waterfronts in northern New England. The New England commercial fisherman  is becoming an endangered species and we need to fix that, “says Founder/Executive  Director, Andrea Tomlinson.

David Goethel, veteran fisheries advocate, and recently retired commercial  fisherman also sits on the Yankee Fishermen’s Cooperative Board of Directors. “I am  very pleased to see six qualified people selected for training in starting their own  commercial fishing businesses. Commercial fishermen feed America and I am glad to see  young people stepping forward to replace those of us aging out of the fishery,” said  Goethel.

Yankee Fishermen’s Cooperative is the grant applicant and administrator. General  Manager and Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) on the grant, Linda Hunt feels “We at Yankee Fishermen’s Cooperative are so happy to see this program in  our area. We are so excited to support this.”