A new United States federal act will set aside funds each year 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 the 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.
Things are changing so much year to year that having this sort of bottom-up program focus, I think, is going to be a lot more effective than having some kind of program legislated at the federal level and then trickling down across the nation, Wilson said.
Wilson is a fisherman herself, based out of Homer. She started fishing with her dad when she was 14. But she said those who aren’t born into fishing families can have a hard time getting started in the field.
As a result, Alaska’s fishermen are trending older. In 2016, the average age for a commercial fisherman in Alaska was over 50 a decade older than it was the previous generation. That’s known as the graying of the fleet.
Researchers from the University of Alaska studying the fishing industry in Bristol Bay and Kodiak found that young people were deterred by high economic and social barriers to entry, not lack of interest.
Fisheries demand a complex skill set, said Linda Behnken, executive director of the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association. They have to be able to run a boat and a business and keep up with technology.
And the industry has become more competitive over the years. This year, Cook Inlet fishermen in particular had to grapple with low returns on harvests and the prospect of closed fishing areas.
All together, it can be daunting for those without experience or family ties.
Over the last several years, young Alaska fishermen took trips to Washington, D.C. to talk to legislators about the act. They joined forces with peers across the country under the umbrella of the Fishing Communities Coalition, a national association of commercial fishing groups.
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