Across the U.S. coasts, various organizations offer training programs and apprenticeships designed to help young people secure jobs in the commercial fishing industry.
These have largely operated independently and out of touch with each other, but the launch of the National Future Fishermen’s Coalition (NFFC) aims to remedy that disconnect by bringing the disparate programs to one website.
“At NFFC, we’re all about collaboration,” says the organization’s coordinator, Maité Duquela. “That starts on the docks and stretches across the country.”
The NFFC has outlined its goals: Empowering young fishermen, strengthening industry networks, combating false narratives, celebrating the legacy of fishing, and championing domestic seafood. Now it has to determine how to achieve them.
“We have created this space in order to work with grassroots fishing organizations, industry partners, and coastal communities to tackle the generational and workforce challenges facing commercial fishing today,” says Duquela. “This will be materialized with a virtual interactive platform, an employee-employer hub, a virtual resource hub, and a series of tailored communication campaigns and events.”
As Duquela describes it, empowering young fishermen means helping them find the training they need in their region. “We partner with the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association, the Maine Commercial Fishermen’s Association, the Commercial Fisheries Center of Rhode Island, the Gulf of America Reef Fishermen’s Association, and others,” she says. “These organizations are actively leading efforts in mentorship, policy education, safety training, and hands-on skills development. These programs give young and new fishermen a real shot at building a stable and successful future on the water.”
The NFFC aims to be a network of networks, Duquela notes. “Together we will create a stronger, more resilient national voice for the next generation of commercial fishermen,” she says.
With the fishing industry up against well-funded documentaries, such as Seaspiracy, and others, Duquela hopes the NFFC can challenge anti-fishing narratives. “Through digital media, social campaigns, op-eds, video features, and collaborations across the board, we’re challenging the idea that fishing and sustainability are at odds,” she says. “Instead, we’re showing how community-based fisheries are stewards of our oceans and our food systems.”
Duquela notes that many of the NFFC’s members grew up with seafood that was local, fresh, and part of everyday life. “Over time, imports, consolidation, and a huge generational gap have disrupted that bond. NFFC is here to help consumers and communities maintain their connections to their fishing roots—by protecting access to local markets and ensuring the current and the next generation of fishermen can carry on the tradition of feeding their neighbors and stewarding the waters they know best.”
Young people who want to work on the water, including those who don’t know it yet, have an ally in the NFFC. However, whether the organization can muster the political support to maintain fisheries for the next generation remains to be seen.
