National Future Fishermen Coalition
May 22nd, 2025
By Maité Duquela
[May 22nd, 2025] – Today marks the official launch of the National Future Fishermen Coalition (NFFC), a united effort dedicated to ensuring a strong, resilient, and opportunity-rich future for America’s commercial fisheries. By investing in the next generation, NFFC is working to secure a future where fishing remains a vital and thriving part of our nation's coastal economies, food systems, and cultural heritage.
As America’s working waterfronts face mounting challenges - ranging from rising operational costs and burdensome regulations to reduced access to waterfront infrastructure and increasing consolidation within the seafood supply chain—the need for action has never been more urgent. "The graying of the fleet is not just a nationwide issue, it is a global issue”, comments Andrea Tomlinson, Executive Director of the New England Young Fishermen's Alliance (NEYFA). “De-stigmatizing our small- and medium-sized boat fishermen and women is the first step toward educating our nation about our sustainable national seafood supply.”
Echoing this urgency, Raymond Rowell, Permit Bank Director at the Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance (CCCFA), noted, “Without investment in training the next generation, it’s difficult to envision a future at all. In an industry hampered by increasing regulations and razor thin margins, boat owners can’t afford to miss trips because they lack crew members.”
NFFC represents the first national coalition of its kind focused on addressing the ‘graying of the fleet’ that threatens the future of commercial fishing. “This initiative brings together a national body of individuals and organizations to strategically tackle the generational shift happening in commercial fisheries,” said Bob Gill, a respected independent fisheries expert and Steering Committee member of the NFFC.
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