Sea Grant Projects Provide $3.3M in Support of Seafood Industry Workforce Development
August 15, 2023 (Brooke Carney, NSGO)
>>Read the full Sea Grant announcement
NOAA Sea Grant is pleased to announce the selection of 10 projects through two competitions aimed at bolstering workforce development efforts in fisheries and aquaculture sectors.
The FY2023 Young Fishermen’s Career Development Projects competition was offered in direct response to the 2021 Young Fishermen’s Development Act. Three projects were selected through this competition in Alaska, Massachusetts, and North Carolina.
The FY2023 Aquaculture Workforce Development Support Projects competition was open to all Sea Grant programs. The seven selected projects will support projects in California, Connecticut, Hawaiʻi, American Samoa, Guam, Massachusetts, New Jersey, South Carolina, and Washington.
“Supporting the training and development of seafood professionals is a priority for Sea Grant and a key component of ensuring sustainable U.S. fisheries and aquaculture. We look forward to seeing the positive impacts the 10 selected projects will have across the country.”
–Jonathan Pennock, National Sea Grant Director
MIT Sea Grant Funded Project
Extending and Integrating Aquaculture Workforce Development Between Communities
MIT Sea Grant, in collaboration with Woods Hole Sea Grant/Barnstable County Cooperative Extension, seeks to develop a pilot aquaculture internship program that pulls together recruits from a diversity of communities that often do not interact. The program will include a training phase consisting of online and in-person training for the intern cohort, followed by a period of short experiences with a variety of shellfish farms or related businesses. These engagements will give interns a feel for the industry and allow host sites to meet the recruits. Following training, interested businesses will hire interns, and the program will enter an evaluation phase to assess the efficacy in improving workforce development for shellfish aquaculture in Massachusetts.
