November 5, 2024 — “Our fishing fleets have long been sustained through recruitment via family traditions and within working waterfront communities,” said Maité Duquela, coordinator of the National Future Fishermen Coalition, a new workforce development initiative formed by a group of community-driven fishing organizations that are prioritizing access to and training for work in domestic fishing fleets. “The changes we’re seeing in our communities tell us we can no longer rely on our traditions alone.”
Succession planning, the graying of the fleet, and difficulties staffing domestic commercial boats with qualified (or even willing and able) crew have dogged fishing captains and boat owners for years.
Add to the growing list of confounding and compounding problems: widespread gentrification and shoreside development that threaten critical working waterfront infrastructure as well as waterfront accessibility and opportunities for potential future fishermen.
Fishing organizations around the country have been taking on this problem head-on, knowing that local access to sustainable wild seafood depends on the employment of fishermen willing to catch and land it — and viable working waterfronts are the vital corridor.
Representatives from these organizations will discuss new opportunities for workforce development and waterfront resilience at a conference panel at Pacific Marine Expo on Thursday, Nov. 21 at 10:45 a.m. Among the topics they’ll dive into are funding opportunities for programs, including the Young Fishermen’s Development Act, and the importance of industry support to keep these programs running. Several of the panelists are members of the National Future Fishermen Coalition as well as the Fishing Communities Coalition (FCC).