PORTLAND, Maine — There's a push to get younger people interested in the commercial fishing industry and to assist those already in it.
To do that, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration awarded two Maine nonprofits federal funding through the Young Fishermen's Development Grant to support training and workforce development.
The Maine Coast Fishermen's Association received just over $90,000.
"We are going to be using the funding to make a few videos for commercial fishermen," Monique Coombs, the director of community programs for the nonprofit, said. "One about physical health, one about mental health, and one about career resiliency."
While the tides of commercial fishing are changing, Coombs said the toll of the industry remains.
"While commercial fishing is not only one of the most dangerous occupations in the United States, it's also incredibly demanding on a person's body," Coombs explained.
That's why she said the videos the funding will help create will offer online resources for the younger and more seasoned generations.
"I don't think anybody can predict exactly what the fishing industry is going to look like in a decade, but the one thing that we can control is our own health and well-being," Coombs said.
The Maine Center for Coastal Fisheries (MCCF) also received funding through the Young Fishermen's Development Grant.
Over $290,000 was awarded to the nonprofit's Eastern Maine Skippers Program (EMSP).
"We provide young skippers, young scientists, up-and-coming managers with that all-around training that they need to be successful either as lobstermen or as future scientists or as future managers," MCCF Executive Director Alexa Dayton said.
EMSP serves several Down East Maine schools with upwards of eight students per year in the program.
"This program has been running for about 13 years now, and as they say, it takes a village in Maine to make things happen," Dayton said.
Now, that "village" has funding opportunities for the next three years.
"It's important to maintain that next generation of fishermen coming up and through the ranks, creating hope that the fishery will be here, that the economics will be here, that their livelihoods will be here," Dayton said.
Dayton said MCCF needs to match the federal funding by raising $47,000 to be able to use the grant money.
To learn more about the Eastern Maine Skippers Program, you can visit its website here.
