Workforce Development for Fisheries

Objectives

Objectives

Provide information to commercial fishermen, seafood industry stakeholders, charter-for hire captains, and recreational anglers to keep them up-to-date on current fisheries management and seafood related topics. 

1. Encourage local, sustainable seafood harvest and sustainable recreational fishing practices. 
2. Provide emerging techniques for mitigating depredation in commercial fisheries and share stakeholder-informed techniques for mitigating depredation in recreational fisheries. 
3. Contribute technical assistance relevant to the commercial, charter-for-hire, and private recreational fishing sectors. 
4. Provide legal research and outreach services that increase knowledge of the legal framework governing U.S. fisheries management. 
5. Educate fish enthusiasts about fisheries management, fisheries science, and sustainability. 
6. Enable fish enthusiasts to become more involved in fisheries management, fisheries science, and sustainability efforts.

Methodology

The extension team will exercise partnerships with local, regional, and federal agencies/programs to share pertinent information with commercial fishermen, seafood industry stakeholders, charter-for-hire captains, and private recreational fishermen through the Gulf Coast Fisherman newsletter and amplify this information via social media platforms, in-person meetings, public seminars, outreach events, and extension courses. The team will connect commercial fishermen and seafood marketers with organizations that promote local, sustainable harvest via these same outlets. The extension professionals will update the Guide to Fishermen Training Programs biennially. 

The team will pursue opportunities to partner with fishermen training programs. The extension professionals will continue to serve on the NOAA highly migratory species advisory panel and the Mississippi Advisory Commission on Marine Resources’ gear task force to stay up-to-date on fishery related topics and engender positive change within the industry. The team will offer an annual in-person FISHES certification course. To attain FISHES certification, an individual must attend the FISHES certification course, which consists of 20 hours of in-depth training in fisheries management, fisheries science, and sustainability via required reading, classroom sessions, and a field excursion. The classroom sessions will take place in coastal Mississippi and the field excursion will occur in coastal Alabama. The FISHES certification course will be open to fish enthusiasts ages 18 and up from Mississippi or Alabama. 

Team members will conduct legal research to stay informed of federal and state legal developments affecting fisheries management, including legislative, regulatory, and case law changes. Results will be shared through social media platforms, outreach events, and newsletter and blog articles. The investigators will maintain and update, as necessary, the Guide to Fishery Management, currently in its third edition, to provide information on the legal framework governing fisheries management.

Anticipated Deliverables: 

• 4 Gulf Coast Fisherman newsletters published per year covering topics of interest to the commercial, charter-for-hire, and private recreational fishing sectors. 
• 12 Facebook posts per year sharing pertinent information related to the commercial, charter-for-hire, and recreational fishing sectors. 
• 1 update to the Guide to Fishermen Training Programs every four years to share with commercial fishing industry organizations. 
• A minimum of 1 blog post or newsletter article per year on a legal development affecting fisheries management. 5. Annual updates to the Guide to Fisheries Management. 
• 12 in-person public seminars and outreach events conducted per year. 
• 1 FISHES certification course each year. 
• 15 people will attain FISHES certification each year.

Rationale

Resilient, robust, and sustainable fisheries support thriving coastal communities across the Gulf of Mexico. Despite this, Gulf of Mexico fisheries face numerous challenges, including a graying of the commercial fleet, accounting for landings in a growing charter-for-hire sector, and lack of education for the expanding base of private recreational anglers. Sector-specific information (Gulf Coast Fisherman newsletter) and training (FISHES course) were developed to meet this need. 

Alignment to MASGC Goals: 

• Diverse, skilled and environmentally literate workforce that is engaged and able to build prosperous lives and livelihoods in a changing world through traditional and innovative careers. 
• Domestic fisheries, aquaculture and other coastal and freshwater living resources supply food, jobs and economic and cultural benefits. 
• Natural resources are sustainably managed to support coastal communities and working waterfronts, including commercial, recreational, subsistence fisheries and aquaculture.