April 18, 2017 — The federal budget may be shrinking, and bipartisanship moribund, but congressmen from two coastal states a continent apart are undeterred.
Last week, Reps. Seth Moulton (D-Massachusetts) and Don Young (R-Alabama) introduced legislation that would establish the first national program to support young men and women entering the commercial fishing industry.
The bipartisan, bicoastal bill, which would provide grants of up to $200,000 (a total of $2 million annually), is part of the Fishing Communities Coalition’s efforts to launch the first coordinated, nationwide effort to train, educate and assist the next generation of commercial fishermen. The grant program would be administered through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Sea Grant Program.