116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 496 

AN ACT 

To preserve United States fishing heritage through a national program dedicated to training and assisting the 

next generation of commercial fishermen, and for other 

purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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†S 496 ES

1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Young Fishermen’s 

3 Development Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

5 In this Act: 

6 (1) SEA GRANT INSTITUTION.—The term ‘‘Sea 

7 Grant Institution’’ means a sea grant college or sea 

8 grant institute, as those terms are defined in section 

9 203 of the National Sea Grant College Program Act 

10 (33 U.S.C. 1122). 

11 (2) TRIBAL ORGANIZATION.—The term ‘‘Tribal 

12 organization’’ has the meaning given the term ‘‘trib13 al organization’’ in section 4 of the Indian Self-De14 termination and Education Assistance Act (25 

15 U.S.C. 5304). 

16 (3) YOUNG FISHERMAN.—The term ‘‘young 

17 fisherman’’ means an individual who— 

18 (A) desires to participate in the commer19 cial fisheries of the United States, including the 

20 Great Lakes fisheries; 

21 (B) has worked as a captain, crew mem22 ber, or deckhand on a commercial fishing vessel 

23 for not more than 10 years of cumulative serv24 ice; or 

25 (C) is a beginning commercial fisherman. 
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†S 496 ES

1 SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM. 

2 The Secretary of Commerce, acting through the Na3 tional Sea Grant Office, shall establish a program to pro4 vide training, education, outreach, and technical assist5 ance initiatives for young fishermen, to be known as the 

6 ‘‘Young Fishermen’s Development Grant Program’’ (re7 ferred to in this section as the ‘‘Program’’). 

8 SEC. 4. GRANTS. 

9 (a) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out the Program, the 

10 Secretary shall make competitive grants to support new 

11 and established local and regional training, education, out12 reach, and technical assistance initiatives for young fisher13 men, including programs, workshops, and services relating 

14 to— 

15 (1) seamanship, navigation, electronics, and 

16 safety; 

17 (2) vessel and engine care, maintenance, and 

18 repair; 

19 (3) innovative conservation fishing gear engi20 neering and technology; 

21 (4) sustainable fishing practices; 

22 (5) entrepreneurship and good business prac23 tices; 

24 (6) direct marketing, supply chain, and 

25 traceability; 
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†S 496 ES

1 (7) financial and risk management, including 

2 vessel, permit, and quota purchasing; 

3 (8) State and Federal legal requirements for 

4 specific fisheries, including reporting, monitoring, li5 censes, and regulations; 

6 (9) State and Federal fisheries policy and man7 agement; 

8 (10) mentoring, apprenticeships, or internships; 

9 and 

10 (11) any other activities, opportunities, or pro11 grams, as the Secretary determines appropriate. 

12 (b) ELIGIBILITY.— 

13 (1) APPLICANTS.—To be eligible to receive a 

14 grant under the Program, a recipient shall be a col15 laborative State, Tribal, local, or regionally based 

16 network or partnership of public or private entities, 

17 which may include— 

18 (A) a Sea Grant Institution; 

19 (B) a Federal or State agency or a Tribal 

20 organization; 

21 (C) a community-based nongovernmental 

22 organization; 

23 (D) fishermen’s cooperatives or associa24 tions; 
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†S 496 ES

1 (E) an institution of higher education (in2 cluding an institution awarding an associate’s 

3 degree), or a foundation maintained by an insti4 tution of higher education; or 

5 (F) any other appropriate entity, as the 

6 Secretary determines appropriate. 

7 (2) PARTICIPANTS.—All young fishermen seek8 ing to participate in the commercial fisheries of the 

9 United States and the Great Lakes are eligible to 

10 participate in the activities funded through grants 

11 provided for in this section, except that participants 

12 in such activities shall be selected by each grant re13 cipient. 

14 (c) MAXIMUM TERM AND AMOUNT OF GRANT.— 

15 (1) IN GENERAL.—A grant under this section 

16 shall— 

17 (A) have a term of no more than 3 fiscal 

18 years; and 

19 (B) be in an amount that is not more than 

20 $200,000 for each fiscal year. 

21 (2) CONSECUTIVE GRANTS.—An eligible recipi22 ent may receive consecutive grants under this sec23 tion. 

24 (d) MATCHING REQUIREMENT.—To be eligible to re25 ceive a grant under this section, a recipient shall provide 
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1 a match in the form of cash or in-kind contributions from 

2 the recipient in the amount equal to or greater than 25 

3 percent of the funds provided by the grant. 

4 (e) REGIONAL BALANCE.—In making grants under 

5 this section, the Secretary shall, to the maximum extent 

6 practicable, ensure geographic diversity. 

7 (f) COOPERATION AND EVALUATION CRITERIA.—In 

8 carrying out this section and in developing criteria for 

9 evaluating grant applications, the Secretary shall consult, 

10 to the maximum extent practicable, with— 

11 (1) Sea Grant Institutions and extension agents 

12 of such institutions; 

13 (2) community-based nongovernmental fishing 

14 organizations; 

15 (3) Federal and State agencies, including Re16 gional Fishery Management Councils established 

17 under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation 

18 and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1851 et seq.); 

19 (4) institutions of higher education with fish20 eries expertise and programs; and 

21 (5) partners, as the Secretary determines. 

22 (g) PROHIBITION.—A grant under this section may 

23 not be used to purchase any fishing license, permit, quota, 

24 or other harvesting right. 
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1 SEC. 5. FUNDING. 

2 The Secretary of Commerce shall carry out this Act 

3 using amounts made available to the Department of Com4 merce for fiscal years 2022 through 2026. 

Passed the Senate December 2, 2020. 

Attest: 

Secretary. 
116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 496 

AN ACT 

To preserve United States fishing heritage through 

men, and for other purposes. sisting the next generation of commercial fishera national program dedicated to training and as-