National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Archives

Alaska deckhand apprentice program open for applicants

February 11, 2019 — It’s the second year for the Crewmember Apprenticeship program hosted by the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association in Sitka. Over 100 applied last year from all over the country, over half were women, and 13 were placed on local boats.

“It’s very exciting to see so many young people interested in entering the industry,” said Tara Racine, ALFA communications and program development coordinator. “You always hear about the graying of the fleet but it shows that the interest is out there. Young people just need these resources to explore and get involved.”

ALFA received a $70,000 matching grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to launch the program last year and to help support expansion of similar apprenticeships in Alaska.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

Alaska Longline Group Seeks Applicants for Crewmember Apprenticeship Program

January 25, 2019 — SEAFOOD NEWS — The Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association (ALFA), a Sitka-based fishing group, is seeking applicants for its Crewmember Apprenticeship Program. The program aims to provide young people an opportunity to gain experience in, as well as an understanding of, commercial fishing and its importance to supporting coastal communities.

In late 2017, ALFA was awarded a $70,000 grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) to expand this program in Sitka and to support efforts tolaunch similar programs in other parts of the state. The grant, leveraged with support from the City of Sitka and ALFA members, was awarded as part of NFWF’s Fisheries Innovation Fund.

Last year, ALFA’s apprentice program received over 100 local, national, and international applicants, and ALFA placed 13 apprentices on commercial fishing boats over the 2018 fishing season. In 2019, ALFA plans to increase the number of participating apprentices, skippers, and fishing vessels and to enhance local employment opportunity.

Executive Director of ALFA, Linda Behnken explains, “With support from NFWF, we plan to expand the program to include more boats, crew, and communities. Our goal is to provide young people with a safe introduction to Alaska’s fisheries and to share the curriculum we have developed through our program with fishing groups in other parts of the State and country”.

Lea LeGardeur, a crewmember apprentice from last year, says of her experience in the program, “Beyond giving me an entry point into an industry that I otherwise would have had a harder getting into…the skippers in the program all wanted to teach, and sign up to take greenhorns so they could pass on what they know.”

ALFA is seeking applicants for the 2019 fishing season. Crewmember application period is currently open and will close February 28^th, 2019. Applicants must be 18 years or older to qualify. It’s free to apply; application information can be found at http://www.alfafish.org/apprenticeship/.

This story was originally published by SeafoodNews.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.

MASSACHUSETTS: $63.5K to help reshape Gloucester’s fish industry

December 20, 2018 — When the Gloucester Fishing Community Preservation Fund was established in 2007, the Gloucester fleet already had transitioned away from its sizeable offshore groundfish fleet to a largely inshore fleet dependent on cod and other groundfish species in the Gulf of Maine.

More than a decade later, the demise of the Gloucester inshore fleet continues, fueled by regulation, environmental restrictions and the simple demographics of an aging and declining workforce.

“The aging-out of the fleet and attrition have really taken a toll,” said Vito Giacalone, GFCPF executive director. “We’ve now experienced two generations of fishermen who saw no value in continuing to fish.”

The seascape has changed dramatically and now the GFCPF, best known as a source for preserving and leasing permit privileges to Gloucester fishing vessels, is looking toward the future and its role in helping reshape the Gloucester fishing community.

The non-profit organization, with the assistance of U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, became one of seven organizations in the country this week to receive fisheries innovation grants from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

Restoration projects seek to fight “tragic” decline in Gulf of Mexico oyster population

November 19, 2018 — Last week, the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources officially moved to cancel the state’s wild oyster season, which would have run from November through April.

Exploratory dives at oyster harvesting grounds had revealed a continued steep decline in the number of oysters in the state’s waters. Last year’s season was curtailed after fishermen harvested just 136 110-pound sacks of oysters, down from 7,000 sacks in 2013, according to the Associated Press.

Scott Bannon, director of the Marine Resources Division of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, said the findings revealed the apparent collapse of the region’s oyster ecology.

“It’s tragic, to be honest,” Bannon told AL.com.

Numerous factors have dealt blows not just to Alabama’s oyster grounds, but those of the entire Gulf of Mexico. The Deepwater Horizon oil spill, hurricanes, disease, and changes in freshwater flows to Gulf rivers and streams have collectively damaged the fishery to the point where up to 85 percent of the gulf’s original oyster reefs no longer remain intact.

According to a new report by The Nature Conservancy, “Oyster Restoration in the Gulf of Mexico,” this dramatic decline has damaged the stability and productivity of the Gulf’s estuaries and harmed coastal economies.

Seth Blitch, the director of coastal and marine conservation in Louisiana for The Nature Conservancy, told SeafoodSource the oyster habitat and the oyster fishery “is not in a particularly good place right now,” which could spell bigger problems for the region.

“Oysters, to me, are a great proxy to a lot of things,” he said. “If oysters are doing well, that’s a good indication of good water quality and of the health entire near-shore estuarine system. When oysters start to fail, that’s good indication there are larger issues at play.”

Read the full story at Seafood Source

DELAWARE: Fish and Wildlife Service to support watershed conservation efforts

August 8, 2018 –The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation announced on Aug. 7 the launch of the Delaware Watershed Conservation Fund, a competitive grant and technical assistance program of $4.3 million that will provide new support for the protection, restoration and conservation of fish and wildlife habitats in the Delaware River Watershed, which provides drinking water for more than 15 million people.

Congress provided funds to the FWS in fiscal 2018 to leverage public and private funding to support the environmental and economic health of the Delaware River Watershed for boots-on-the-ground conservation projects — as outlined in the Delaware River Basin Restoration Partnership and Program Framework.

Covering 13,539 square miles of land and water, the Delaware River Watershed is home to native brook trout, red knots, river herring, freshwater mussels, oysters and other wildlife. Headwaters and streams located in rural, forested and agricultural areas play a major role in the ecosystem, as do urban and suburban waterways such as those in Trenton, Philadelphia and Wilmington.

Work supported by the DWCF will take place in a variety of landscapes and habitats across the Delaware River Watershed, from the beaches and tidal salt marshes of the Delaware Bay to the farms, cities and towns of Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, to the cold-water rivers and streams of New York. The DWCF will expand and further facilitate restoration and conservation efforts in the basin to restore and conserve fish and wildlife habitat; improve and maintain water quality for fish, wildlife and people; manage water volume and improve flood damage mitigation for fish and wildlife habitat; and improve recreational opportunities consistent with ecological needs

Read the full story at the Smyrna-Clayton Sun-Times

Rhode Island program trains motivated fishing apprentices

July 11, 2018 — In 40 years of fishing from Point Judith, Rhode Island, and another 12 conducting safety training, Fred Mattera has met many fishermen. Over time, he noticed a change in the crew.

“One of the things I started to see more often was this lack of youth,” said Mattera.

Those he did meet lacked motivation. They didn’t see commercial fishing as a career.

He decided to find some who did. In 2017, he helped launch the Commercial Fishing Apprenticeship Program with $120,000 from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. This year, Real Jobs Rhode Island is providing $150,000 to a class of 16 aspiring fishermen who started training on July 2.

In four weeks, apprentices learn about management, stock assessment, cooperative research, and the business of fishing. They spend three days at sea; handle local species in a biology class at the University of Rhode Island; and practice safety drills, rope mending and diesel maintenance. They’re then guided in choosing among local fisheries, including scalloping, trawling, gill netting, lobster and private charters. Graduates receive foul weather gear, a $1,000 stipend and a job.

Zane Maymon, a 24-year-old member of the 2017 class, said fishing had been in the back of his mind while growing up in Narragansett. After struggling with what to do after high school, he saw an ad for the program and applied.

“I liked how it was a cooperation between URI and the fishermen so we get to see the science and research,” said Maymon.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

Fisheries Innovation Fund 2018 Request for Proposals

April 16, 2018 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) will award grants to foster innovation and support effective participation of fishermen and fishing communities in the implementation of sustainable fisheries in the U.S. NFWF anticipates awarding up to $950,000 through this solicitation. This solicitation also makes available funding provided through Community Service funds (arising from a federal environmental prosecution for benefits to marine wildlife and habitats).

The Fisheries Innovation Fund was created through a partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Successful proposals will develop and carry out innovative approaches that:

Promote full utilization of Annual Catch Limits and minimize bycatch of overfished species and/or endangered, threatened, and candidate species;
Develop and implement market, research, training, or strategic planning measures to build capacity and improve sustainability of U.S. fishing businesses and communities;
Support improvements to recreational fisheries conservation and management;
Support implementation of marine aquaculture.

Pre Proposal Due Date: Monday, May 14, 2018
Full Proposal Due Date: Thursday, July 12, 2018

For details and instructions, see the announcement.

Learn more about NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Region here.

Massachusetts: SMAST meeting brings fishing, offshore wind in same room

February 13, 2018 — NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — Offshore wind developers spent the majority of a 3-hour meeting Monday attempting to win over the local commercial fishing industry.

For much of the meeting, the fishermen in attendance rolled their eyes, scoffed at various PowerPoint slides and even went as far as to say offshore wind is unwanted.

“Nobody wanted this,” one fisherman out of Point Judith said. “Nobody wanted the problems. We were assured there would be none. And here we are.”

Twenty members of the Fisheries Working Group on Offshore Wind Energy sat around a table at SMAST East hoping to solve various issues between the two ocean-based industries.

The meeting, which featured representatives from Deepwater Wind, Vineyard Wind, and Bay State Wind and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, was called to discuss a plan for an independent offshore wind and fisheries science advisory panel.

“It’s not too late,” said David Pierce of the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries. “As much as we’re working on, now, can be offered up to BOEM and to the different companies specific to the search of projects and specific search of scientific endeavors. We need the research. And we need research to help us address the questions that are being asked by the industry as well as ourselves.”

The science advisory panel would act independently to identify fishery-related scientific and technical gaps related to the future development of offshore wind projects. The panel could also identify offshore wind’s effects on the fishery within Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

The panel’s members have yet to be comprised. Debate regarding who should be on the panel began Monday. Everyone agreed experts from all backgrounds should have a seat at the table.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

RHODE ISLAND: URI, Commercial Fisheries Center combine to create apprentice program in commercial fishing

August 21, 2017 — POINT JUDITH, R.I. — In early July, a group of apprentices joined a pilot program designed to train new commercial fishermen and women. When the program ended 20 days later, not a single apprentice had dropped out.

“We were very pleased with that,” said Barbara Somers, a research associate at the University of Rhode Island’s Department of Fisheries, Animal and Veterinary Science who helped put the program together. “We started with 12 and we ended with 12.”

The program, funded by a $100,000 grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), was a joint initiative of URI and the Commercial Fisheries Center of Rhode Island, a non-profit group representing nine fishing organizations. The goal was to produce skilled crews to replenish the declining ranks of the Rhode Island commercial fishery.

The course covered all aspects of fishing, from fish stock assessments to net-mending and engine repair. Most of the training took place on fishing vessels and at fishing-related businesses. Equipment and meals were provided, and everyone who completed the program received a $1,000 stipend. Participants were also introduced to Point Judith’s tightly-knit commercial fishing community, where many have already found jobs.

Marian Kach, 37, is one of two women who completed the program. She said she had learned about the course on Facebook and jumped at the opportunity.

“I’ve been into fishing for seven years, rod and reel, and I’ve always wanted to work on a dragger, but as a woman, it’s kind of hard to approach a bunch of people in a very different way of fishing, and I didn’t really know anybody down there,” she said.

Read the full story at the Westerly Sun

Fisheries Innovation Fund 2017 Request for Proposals

May 1, 2017 — The following was released by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation:

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation is excited to announce the Fisheries Innovation Fund 2017 Request for Proposals.

To view the RFP and to learn more about the program and application process, please visit the Fisheries Innovation Fund website.

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation will be hosting a webinar Tuesday, May 9 from 3-4 pm ET to discuss program priorities outlined in the RFP with interested applicants.

Please share this opportunity with others who may be interested.

The deadline for pre-proposal submissions is Thursday, May 25.

Questions? Contact Melanie Sturm at 202-595-2438 or melanie.sturm@nfwf.org