California Sea Grant has secured $126,582 in funding to extend its Commercial Fishing Apprenticeship Program from San Diego to central and northern California. The program addresses critical workforce challenges faced by the commercial fishing industry in California, where fleets are aging and new entrants need training to help with the complexity of regulations and to take advantage of new marketing opportunities.
The program’s curriculum combines interactive shore-based learning with extensive hands-on experience, including safety and boating skills, fisheries science, policy and sustainability, business and marketing, and boat and gear maintenance. Apprentices complete approximately 120 hours of interactive workshops followed by 1,000 hours of paid on-the-job training alongside veteran commercial fishermen. The program will provide tuition-free workshop training for a dozen apprentices throughout the state and cover safety training for another 40 to 50 veteran fishermen.