Saving Seafood

US Senate committee advances Young Fishermen’s Development Act extension

October 22, 2025 — The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation has approved legislation that would extend the Young Fishermen’s Development Act for another five years, clearing a path to a vote by the full Senate.

Initially signed into law in 2021, the Young Fishermen’s Development Act has provided competitive federal grants for training a new generation of workers to join the commercial fishing industry. The USD 2 million (EUR 1.7 million) in annual grant funding can be used to fund mentorship programs, workforce training, and education initiatives. The program has been widely supported by commercial fishing groups.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

House Committee advances reauthorization of Young Fishermen’s Development Act

September 18, 2025 — On Sept. 3, the House Natural Resources Committee has advanced H.R. 3692, a bill to reauthorize the Young Fishermen’s Development Act (YFDA). The legislation, first passed in 2020, is aimed at addressing workforce challenges in the commercial fishing industry by providing training and business development support for new entrants.

The Fishing Communities Coalition (FCC), which said in a press release that it has backed the bill since its inception, welcomed the committee’s action. “The FCC has championed this legislation for more than a decade, now that we are beginning to see what a catalyst it is for the fishing industry we need to keep it going,” said Aubrey Church, fisheries policy director of the Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance.

The proposed five-year reauthorization is intended to build on YFDA’s support for workforce development, safety training, and business education, the FCC press release said. According to the Coalition, nearly $2 million has already been distributed to training programs through the Sea Grant Program at NOAA, which administers the initiative.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

US lawmakers hold hearing on renewing Young Fishermen’s Development Act as Trump moves to eliminate grant funding

September 9, 2025 — During a recent U.S. Congressional hearing, lawmakers touted the importance of continuing a grant program designed to help train and develop the next generation of fishers.

“This legislation will provide tools to support and establish seafood businesses and set the next generation of fishermen up for success,” U.S. Representative from American Samoa Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen said during a 3 September House Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries hearing.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Advocates support renewing Young Fishermen’s Development Act

July 24, 2025 — Bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the Young Fishermen’s Development Program for five more years was hailed by the Fishing Communities Coalition.

Led by Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, the Young Fishermen’s Development Act (YFDA) would extend the program beyond its current expiration after the federal 2026 fiscal year, keeping alive what the coalition calls “a sound investment in the future of America’s fishing industry and a response to the demographic challenge known as the ‘graying of the fleet.’”

“The legislation to reauthorize the Young Fishermen’s Development Act is a positive step in securing the future of our coastal communities,” said Linda Behnken, executive director of the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association, in a statement with other coalition members.

“We have seen the average age of our fishermen increase, with the many challenges limiting young people from entering the profession,” said Behnken. “The YFDA ensures the knowledge of our seasoned fishermen is passed down and that the next generation continues America’s fishing tradition.”

The coalition also credited Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., and a bipartisan group in the House of Representatives including Reps. Nick Begich, R-Alaska, Jill Tokuda, D-Hawaii, Jared Golden, D-Maine, Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., and Delegate Amata Radewagen, R-American Samoa, for introducing a version of the legislation in the lower chamber as H.R. 3692 last month.

Read the full article at National Fisherman

Policymakers to Reauthorize the Young Fishermen’s Development Act

June 11, 2025 — Representatives Seth Moulton (D-MA), Nick Begich (R-AK), Jill Tokuda (D-HI), Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen (R-American Samoa), and Jared Golden (D-ME) have introduced a bill to reauthorize the Young Fishermen’s Development Act for an additional five years.

The Young Fishermen’s Development Act’s national competitive grant program supports the training and education of the nation’s next generation of commercial fishermen. The program authorizes grants of up to $200,000 per year (for up to three years per project) through NOAA’s Sea Grant Program to support new and established local and regional training, education, outreach, and technical assistance initiatives for young fishermen.

The program, which was signed into law in 2021, is currently authorized through 2026. Congressmen Moulton and Begich’s bipartisan bill would extend the authorization of the program for another five years, to 2031.

Read the full article at ECO Magazine

How a continuing resolution will Impact the next generation of commercial fishermen

February 11, 2022 — The commercial fishing industry is facing unprecedented challenges with a graying of the fleet and very few young fishermen joining our industry. In our coastal communities, the average age of a fisherman has increased significantly and the number of “greenhorns,” or beginning fishermen, has continued to decline. Inaction by Congress may make the situation worse.

Despite a deep fishing heritage, coastal and fishing communities across the country are experiencing a generational shift. As current fishermen look to retire, we see fewer younger fishermen stepping up and continuing our fishing tradition as captains and crew. The future of our industry, coastal communities, and access to sustainable, domestic seafood depends on our ability to recruit and train new fishermen. We are already seeing the landscape change as imported seafood becomes more common in our markets. The shortage of young fishermen will only exacerbate this problem and lead to fewer sustainable, domestically harvested seafood options for our fellow Americans.

It is critical that we work to solve this issue at all levels of government. Last year, Congress passed the Young Fishermen’s Development Act to support training for the next generation of commercial fishermen. This new program is modeled after the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Development Program and is aimed at training and equipping the next generation of commercial fishermen with the skills and knowledge necessary to be successful in the fishing industry. This program will help encourage recruits in the commercial fishing industry by providing funding for states and organizations across the country to develop programs that create hands-on training opportunities for men and women interested in commercial fishing.

Read the full op-ed at The Hill

Alaska fishermen cheer passage of the Young Fishermen’s Development Act through Congress

December 28, 2020 — A new federal act will set aside funds annually to support fledgling fishermen, pending approval from President Donald Trump.

The Young Fishermen’s Development Act passed through both houses of Congress this month with strong support from all three Alaska legislators. If enacted, the act would fund training and mentorship opportunities for commercial fishermen who are just entering the industry.

It would be the first program of its kind for fishermen. The U.S. government already sponsors comparable professional development programs for young ranchers and farmers.

Grants and program funding would come from Congress. But it would be up to local communities to decide how to use funding.

“So local nonprofits or Native organizations can apply and propose projects that make sense for that year,” said Marissa Wilson, executive director of the Alaska Marine Conservation Council. The council is one of the nonprofits that brought the idea for the act to Rep. Don Young’s desk five years ago.

Read the full story at KTOO

Congress approves bill to train prospective fishermen

December 23, 2020 — A bill to establish the nation’s first ever federal program to train prospective commercial fishermen has passed Congress and awaits approval by the White House.

The Young Fishermen’s Development Act was passed unanimously by both the U.S. House and Senate, the Sitka Sentinel reported Monday. The law would provide grants to foster the growth of budding fishermen across the country.

The bill introduced by Republican U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan in 2019 had bipartisan support, with co-sponsors that included Democratic U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Democratic U.S. Sen. Edward Markey, both of Massachusetts.

Read the full story at the Associated Press

MASSACHUSETTS: A lifeline to the next generation of fishermen

December 22, 2020 — Ken Baughman has fished since he was a kid and loves being on the water. The Falmouth resident, smart and determined, bought a second-hand motor, built his own boat and launched his career as a commercial fisherman this summer.

It has been tough going.

 “It’s virtually impossible. You really have to come in as an apprentice,” he said.

That may soon be a possibility as the Young Fishermen’s Development Act passed Congress this week.

The act, modeled after the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s successful Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program, creates the first federal program dedicated to training  the next generation of commercial fishermen and includes an apprenticeship program to connect retiring fishermen and vessel owners with new and beginning fishermen.

It provides education in sustainable and accountable fishing practices, marine stewardship, successful business practices, and technical initiatives that address the needs of beginning fishermen through a competitive grants program for collaborative state, tribal, local, or regionally-based networks or partnerships.

“The Young Fishermen’s Development Act is crucial to the success of the Cape’s small-boat fleets and the communities that rely on commercial fishing, an industry that helped build the peninsula and is a vital part of the new blue economy,” said John Pappalardo, CEO of the Chatham-based Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance.

Read the full story at Wicked Local

Congress passes Young Fishermen’s Development Act for the new generation

December 22, 2020 — The passage by Congress this month of the Young Fishermen’s Development Act creates a $2 million annual grant fund to train and foster the next generation of U.S. commercial fishermen.

Twin bills H.R 1240 and S. 496 passed with bipartisan support, five years after the concept was first proposed by the Fishing Communities Coalition, a national advocacy group with membership of more than 1,000 independent fishermen and seafood-related business owners in small-boat fishing communities from Maine to Alaska.

Authorized for the next six years, the program to be administered through Sea Grant will allow “fishing associations, universities, tribal organizations, and others to compete for grant funding to train young commercial fishermen in sustainable fishing and business practices,” according to the coalition. “It solidifies and unites current piecemeal training efforts into a cohesive, national initiative to advance this critical mission.”

The program is modeled on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s successful Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program, helping entry-level agriculture. Advocates say it’s a critical response to demographic shifts in some fisheries and fishing communities. In some regions like New England the average age of fishermen has shifted upward by 10 years compared to earlier generations – a “greying of the fleet” that portends problems for the industry’s long-term prospects.

The annual $2 million budget will be fully paid for from fines paid by fishermen who violate fishery regulations. Grants will run up to three years, be capped at $200,000 annually and cannot be used to purchase fishing permits, quota, or other harvesting rights.

Read the full story at National Fisherman