Young Fishermen’s Development Act of 2017

Summary: Young Fishermen's Development Act of 2017 This bill directs the National Sea Grant Office in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to establish a Young Fishermen's Development Grant Program to provide training, education, outreach, and technical assistance initiatives for young fishermen. The office shall make competitive matching grants to support local and regional training, education, outreach, and technical assistance initiatives for young fishermen, including programs, workshops, and services related to seamanship, navigation, electronics, and safety, vessel and engine care, and sustainable fishing practices. Grant recipients must be a collaborative state, tribal, local, or regionally based network or partnership of public or private entities. In awarding grants, the office shall give priority to partnerships and collaborations that are led by or include nongovernmental fishing community-based organizations and school-based fisheries educational organizations with expertise in fisheries and sustainable fishing training and outreach.  Grants may not be used to purchase a fishing license, permit, quota, or other harvesting right.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Young Fishermen's Development Act of 
2017''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Sea grant institution.--The term ``Sea Grant 
        Institution'' means a sea grant college or sea grant institute, 
        as those terms are defined in section 203 of the National Sea 
        Grant College Program Act (33 U.S.C. 1122).
            (2) Young fisherman.--The term ``young fisherman'' means an 
        individual who--
                    (A)(i) desires to participate in the commercial 
                fisheries of the United States, including the Great 
                Lakes fisheries;
                    (ii) has worked as a captain, crew member, 
                deckhand, or other at-sea position on a commercial 
                fishing vessel for not more than 10 years of cumulative 
                service; or
                    (iii) is a beginning commercial fisherman; and
                    (B) is less than 35 years of age.

SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Commerce, acting through the 
National Sea Grant Office, shall establish a program to provide 
training, education, outreach, and technical assistance initiatives for 
young fishermen.
    (b) Designation.--The program established under subsection (a) 
shall be known as the ``Young Fishermen's Development Grant Program''.

SEC. 4. GRANTS.

    (a) In General.--In carrying out the Young Fishermen's Development 
Grant Program (referred to in this section as the ``Program''), the 
Secretary shall make competitive grants to support new and established 
local and regional training, education, outreach, and technical 
assistance initiatives for young fishermen, including programs, 
workshops, and services relating to--
            (1) seamanship, navigation, electronics, and safety;
            (2) vessel and engine care, maintenance, and repair;
            (3) innovative conservation fishing gear engineering and 
        technology;
            (4) sustainable fishing practices;
            (5) entrepreneurship and good business practices;
            (6) direct marketing, supply chain, and traceability;
            (7) financial and risk management, including vessel, 
        permit, and quota purchasing;
            (8) State and Federal legal requirements for specific 
        fisheries, including reporting, monitoring, licenses, and 
        regulations;
            (9) State and Federal fisheries policy and management;
            (10) mentoring, apprenticeships, or internships; and
            (11) any other activities, opportunities, or programs as 
        determined appropriate by the Secretary.
    (b) Eligibility.--
            (1) Applicants.--To be eligible to receive a grant under 
        the Program, the recipient must be a collaborative State, 
        Tribal, local, or regionally based network or partnership of 
        public or private entities, which may include--
                    (A) a Sea Grant Institution;
                    (B) a Federal, State, or tribal agency;
                    (C) a community-based or nongovernmental 
                organization;
                    (D) fishermen's cooperatives or associations, 
                including permit banks and trusts;
                    (E) Alaska Native corporations;
                    (F) a college or university (including an 
                institution awarding an associate's degree), or a 
                foundation maintained by a college or university; or
                    (G) any other appropriate entity as determined by 
                the Secretary.
            (2) Participants.--All young fishermen seeking to 
        participate in the commercial fisheries of the United States 
        and the Great Lakes are eligible to participate in the 
        activities funded through grants provided for in this section, 
        except that participants in such activities shall be selected 
        by each grant recipient.
    (c) Maximum Term and Amount of Grant.--
            (1) In general.--A grant under this section shall--
                    (A) have a term of no more than 3 fiscal years; and
                    (B) be in an amount that is not more than $200,000 
                for each fiscal year.
            (2) Consecutive grants.--An eligible recipient may receive 
        consecutive grants under this section.
    (d) Matching Requirement.--To be eligible to receive a grant under 
this section, a recipient shall provide a match in the form of cash or 
in-kind contributions in the amount equal to or greater than 25 percent 
of the funds provided by the grant.
    (e) Regional Balance.--In making grants under this section, the 
Secretary shall, to the maximum extent practicable, ensure geographic 
diversity.
    (f) Priority.--In awarding grants under this section, the Secretary 
shall give priority to partnerships and collaborations that are led by 
or include nongovernmental fishing community-based organizations and 
school-based fisheries educational organizations with expertise in 
fisheries and sustainable fishing training and outreach.
    (g) Cooperation and Evaluation Criteria.--In carrying out this 
section and especially in developing criteria for evaluating grant 
applications, the Secretary shall cooperate, to the maximum extent 
practicable, with--
            (1) Sea Grant Institutions and extension agents of such 
        institutions;
            (2) community-based and nongovernmental fishing 
        organizations;
            (3) Federal and State agencies, including Regional Fishery 
        Management Councils established under the Magnuson-Stevens 
        Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1851 et 
        seq.);
            (4) colleges and universities with fisheries expertise and 
        programs; and
            (5) other appropriate partners as determined by the 
        Secretary.
    (h) Prohibition.--A grant under this section may not be used to 
purchase any fishing license, permit, quota, or other harvesting right.

SEC. 5. FUNDING.

    (a) In General.--Of the amount made available to the Secretary of 
Commerce under section 311(e) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 
Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1861(e)) for each of fiscal 
years 2018 through 2022, the Secretary shall use $2,000,000 to carry 
out section 4 of this Act.
    (b) Proportional Allocation.--The amount obligated under this 
section each fiscal year for activities in each fishery management 
region shall be in the same proportion as the portion of the total 
amount obligated under this section for that fiscal year that was 
collected in that region.