Sec. 2. Findings; purposes
249 words·~1 min read·
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Congress finds that— the average age of commercial fishermen continues to increase due to fewer new entrants replacing retiring fishermen; there are fewer young or beginning fishermen entering the commercial fisheries for many reasons, including the lack of training, fewer entry level opportunities, lack of capital, and other barriers to entry; without well-trained young or beginning fishermen to replace those retiring, fishing businesses and vessels will be lost and fishing communities will suffer; for food security and economic reasons, it is in the United States national interest to sustainably harvest United States fishery resources;
United States farmers and ranchers faced similar difficulties and Congress responded by enacting the Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Development Program administered by the Department of Agriculture; the Young Fishermen’s Development Grant Program established by this Act is modeled after the successful Department of Agriculture program; and the training, education, and outreach provided for in the Young Fishermen’s Development Grant Program established by this Act will ensure there is a next generation of commercial fishermen and businesses to harvest the United States rich fishery resources and support our coastal communities.
The purposes of this Act are— to establish a national grant program to support the training and education of the United States next generation of commercial fishermen; and to engage partnerships and collaborations led by or including nongovernmental, community-based fishing organizations, and school-based fisheries, including Sea Grant Institutions, or marine educational organizations with expertise in new fisheries training and outreach, to provide the education and training.