S. Rpt. 119-115 accompanies authorization legislation for the Young Fishermen's Development Program. Authorization bills establish or extend the legal basis and policy framework for federal programs — they set the rules for how programs operate but do not themselves provide funding. The Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee prepared this report to document the program's purpose, explain any changes being made, describe the committee's findings from hearings and investigations, and outline the expected outcomes. Authorization reports frequently include CBO cost estimates and views from both majority and minority committee members.
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Senate Report 119-115 - YOUNG FISHERMEN'S DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM REAUTHORIZATION ACT
[Senate Report 119-115]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
Calendar No. 351
119th Congress } { Report
SENATE
2d Session } { 119-115
_______________________________________________________________________
YOUNG FISHERMEN'S DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM REAUTHORIZATION ACT
__________
R E P O R T
of the
COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION
on
S. 2357
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
March 11, 2026.--Ordered to be printed
_______
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
69-010 WASHINGTON : 2026
SENATE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION
one hundred nineteenth congress
second session
TED CRUZ, Texas, Chairman
JOHN THUNE, South Dakota MARIA CANTWELL, Washington
ROGER F. WICKER, Mississippi AMY KLOBUCHAR, Minnesota
DEB FISCHER, Nebraska BRIAN SCHATZ, Hawaii
JERRY MORAN, Kansas EDWARD J. MARKEY, Massachusetts
DAN SULLIVAN, Alaska GARY C. PETERS, Michigan
MARSHA BLACKBURN, Tennessee TAMMY BALDWIN, Wisconsin
TODD YOUNG, Indiana TAMMY DUCKWORTH, Illinois
TED BUDD, North Carolina JACKY ROSEN, Nevada
ERIC SCHMITT, Missouri BEN RAY LUJAN, New Mexico
JOHN CURTIS, Utah JOHN W. HICKENLOOPER, Colorado
BERNIE MORENO, Ohio JOHN FETTERMAN, Pennsylvania
TIM SHEEHY, Montana ANDY KIM, New Jersey
SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO, West Virginia LISA BLUNT ROCHESTER, Delaware
CYNTHIA M. LUMMIS, Wyoming
Brad Grantz, Majority Staff Director
Lila Harper Helms, Democratic Staff Director
Calendar No. 351
119th Congress } { Report
SENATE
2d Session } { 119-115
======================================================================
YOUNG FISHERMEN'S DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM REAUTHORIZATION ACT
_______
March 11, 2026.--Ordered to be printed
_______
Mr. Cruz, from the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation,
submitted the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany S. 2357]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]
The Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, to
which was referred the bill (S. 2357) to reauthorize the Young
Fishermen's Development Act, and for other purposes, having
considered the same, reports favorably thereon with an
amendment in the nature of a substitute and recommends that the
bill, as amended, do pass.
Purpose of the Bill
The purpose of S. 2357 is to reauthorize the Young
Fishermen's Development Act,\1\ which established a grant
program to support local and regional training and education
for young fishermen. The bill further refines the program by
adding parameters to ensure that grant funds advance the
program's core objective of developing the next generation of
commercial fishermen.
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\1\Public Law 116-289.
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Background and Needs
The United States is among the leading fishing nations in
the world, with commercial and recreational fisheries
generating $321 billion in sales and supporting nearly 2.3
million jobs in 2022.\2\ Yet beneath this economic strength
lies a demographic challenge: the fishing workforce is aging
rapidly.\3\ For example, the average age of a commercial
fisherman in Alaska has increased by 10 years over the past
generation.\4\
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\2\National Marine Fisheries Service, Fisheries Economics of the
United States, 2022, Department of Commerce, NOAA technical memorandum
NMFS-F/SPO-248B, November 2024, https://s3.amazonaws.com/
media.fisheries.noaa.gov/2024-11/FEUS-2022-SPO248B.pdf.
\3\Marysia Szymkowiak and Melissa Rhodes-Reese, ``A Livelihoods
Assessment of New Entrants Within the US Fisheries Agriculture
Continuum,'' Journal of Rural Studies 95:15-25, October 2022, https://
doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2022.07.024.
\4\Courtney Carotheret et al., ``Graying of the Fleet in Alaska's
Fisheries Defining the Problem and Assessing Alternatives,'' Sea Grant
Alaska, https://seagrant.uaf.edu/research/projects/summary.php?id=1002.
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Barriers to entry, including high startup costs for
vessels, permits, gear, and constantly evolving technology as
well as variable harvests vulnerable to fluctuating
environmental conditions, are shaping who can access and
succeed in fisheries.\5\ Throughout the country, rural
outmigration is linked to fewer people entering the fishing
workforce and is contributing to the erosion of both working
waterfronts and community-based fishing knowledge.\6\ Without
targeted efforts to lower entry barriers, the U.S. fishing
industry risks losing not just younger participants, but also
long-term economic vitality and cultural continuity.\7\
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\5\NOAA Fisheries, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, ``Building the
Next Generation of U.S. Commercial Fishermen,'' last updated August 25,
2022, https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-story/building-next-
generation-us-commercial-fishermen.
\6\Ibid at 3.
\7\NOAA Fisheries, Fishing and Farming: A Generational Crisis,
research brief, August 2022, https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/s3//2022-
08/FarmvsFish_ReportBrief-508.pdf.
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Prior to the enactment of the Young Fishermen's Development
Act in 2021,\8\ there was no Federal program dedicated to
training and educating the next generation of commercial
fishermen, who face high entry costs, capital requirements, and
the erosion of intergenerational knowledge transfer.\9\ Since
its passage, the program has provided nearly $2 million in
funding for training and mentorship programs,\10\ including
initiatives such as ``Skills and Drills'' workshops that
prepare new entrants with the skills needed for commercial
fishing jobs.\11\
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\8\Public Law 116-289.
\9\Ibid at 3.
\10\``Young Fishermen's Career Development Program,'' NOAA Sea
Grant, 2025, https://seagrant.noaa.gov/how-we-work/topics/
youngfishermen/.
\11\Gillian Dohrn, ``Funding Cuts Threaten Career Development
Programs for Aging Fishing Industry,'' Future Tides, May 28, 2025,
https://www.futuretides.org/federal-funding-cuts-workforce-development-
wa-sea-grant-commercial-fishing/.
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Summary of Provisions
S. 2357 would do the following:
Reauthorize the Young Fishermen's Development
Act\12\ through fiscal year 2031 at current
authorization levels ($2 million).
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\12\Public Law 116-289.
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Revise the list of eligible grant programs to ensure
awards are directed to initiatives that advance the
program's purpose.
Prohibit grant recipients from receiving a new grant
through the Young Fishermen's Development Program until
their current award has expired.
Require the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration's (NOAA) National Sea Grant Office to
track the extent to which grants produce commercial
fishermen or related occupations and incorporate that
information as a key factor in evaluating future grant
applications.
Legislative History
S. 2357 was introduced on July 17, 2025, by Senator
Sullivan (for himself and Senators Murkowski, Wicker, and
Markey) and was referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science,
and Transportation of the Senate. Senator Hyde-Smith is an
additional cosponsor. On October 21, 2025, the Committee met in
open Executive Session and, by voice vote, ordered S. 2357
reported favorably with an amendment (in the nature of a
substitute).
H.R. 3692, the Captain Accursio ``Gus'' Sanfilippo Young
Fishermen's Development Act, was introduced on June 3, 2025, by
Representative Moulton (for himself and Representatives Begich,
Tokuda, Del. Radewagen, and Golden) and was referred to the
Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives.
Representatives Fitzpatrick, Wittman, Lawler, and Nunn are
additional cosponsors. On September 17, 2025, that Committee
met in open Executive Session and, by unanimous consent,
ordered H.R. 3692 reported favorably. On March 3, 2026, H.R.
3692 passed the House under suspension of the rules by voice
vote.
Estimated Costs
In accordance with paragraph 11(a) of rule XXVI of the
Standing Rules of the Senate and section 403 of the
Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the Committee provides the
following cost estimate, prepared by the Congressional Budget
Office:
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
S. 2357 would reauthorize the appropriation of $2 million
each year from 2027 through 2031 for the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to provide grants for
training, education, outreach, and technical assistance to
young fishermen. In 2024, the Congress appropriated $1 million
for the program.
The bill also would require NOAA to collect information
about fishermen who participated in the program and remained in
the industry to assess the program's effectiveness and to
modify eligibility for future grants.
The costs of the legislation, detailed in Table 1, fall
within budget function 300 (natural resources and environment).
TABLE 1.--ESTIMATED INCREASES IN SPENDING SUBJECT TO APPROPRIATION UNDER S. 2357
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By fiscal year, millions of dollars--
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2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2026-2030
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Authorization........................................... 0 2 2 2 2 8
Estimated Outlays....................................... 0 1 2 2 2 7
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CBO assumes that the bill will be enacted by the end of
2025 and that the authorized amounts will be provided in each
year. Based on historical spending patterns for similar
activities, CBO estimates that implementing S. 2357 would cost
$7 million over the 2026-2030 period and $3 million after 2030.
On October 31, 2025, CBO transmitted a cost estimate for
H.R. 3692, a bill to reauthorize the Young Fishermen's
Development Act, as ordered reported by the House Committee on
Natural Resources on September 17, 2025. The bills are similar
and their estimated budgetary effects are the same.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Aurora Swanson.
The estimate was reviewed by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy
Director of Budget Analysis.
Phillip L. Swagel,
Director, Congressional Budget Office.
Regulatory Impact Statement
In accordance with paragraph 11(b) of rule XXVI of the
Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee provides the
following evaluation of the regulatory impact of the
legislation, as reported:
NUMBER OF PERSONS COVERED
S. 2357, as reported, would not subject individuals to new
regulations.
ECONOMIC IMPACT
S. 2357, as reported, is not expected to have any
significant adverse impacts on the Nation's economy.
PRIVACY
S. 2357, as reported, would not have any adverse impact on
the personal privacy of individuals.
PAPERWORK
S. 2357, as reported, would not impose additional paperwork
requirements on businesses. However, it could require prior
grant recipients to provide information on the outcomes of
their awards, including whether the grant contributed to the
training or employment of new commercial fishermen or related
occupations. The bill could also direct the administering
office to implement new procedures for tracking grant outcomes
to better inform the evaluation of future applications.
Congressionally Directed Spending
In compliance with paragraph 4(b) of rule XLIV of the
Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee provides that no
provisions contained in the bill, as reported, meet the
definition of congressionally directed spending items under the
rule.
Section-by-Section Analysis
Section 1. Short title.
This section would provide that the bill may be cited as
the ``Young Fishermen's Development Program Reauthorization
Act''.
Section 2. Reauthorization of the Young Fishermen's Development Act.
This section would amend the initiatives eligible to be
awarded grants under this program to include crew management,
disaster preparedness, seafood handling, technical assistance,
fishing portfolio diversification and expansion, and management
of working waterfronts and related shoreside infrastructure. It
would also remove the Secretary of Commerce's discretionary
authority to determine other appropriate initiatives eligible
for grant awards.
This section would prohibit Young Fishermen's Development
Program grant recipients from receiving a new grant until their
current award has expired. It would also require NOAA's
National Sea Grant Office to track the extent to which Program
participants enter or remain in careers in commercial fishing
or related industries and incorporate that information as a key
factor in evaluating future grant applications.
Lastly, this section would also reauthorize the Young
Fishermen's Development Act\13\ for $2 million for each fiscal
year 2026 to 2031.
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\13\Public Law 116-289.
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Changes in Existing Law
In compliance with paragraph 12 of rule XXVI of the
Standing Rules of the Senate, changes in existing law made by
the bill, as reported, are shown as follows (existing law
proposed to be omitted is enclosed in black brackets, new
material is printed in italic, existing law in which no change
is proposed is shown in roman):
YOUNG FISHERMEN'S DEVELOPMENT ACT
* * * * * * *
[33 U.S.C. 1141 et seq.]
SEC. 2. * * *
SEC. 3. * * *
SEC. 4. GRANTS.
(a) In General.--In carrying out 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,
including crew management and disaster preparedness;
(6) direct marketing, supply chain, seafood
handling, 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) technical assistance, mentoring,
apprenticeships, or internships; [and]
[(11) any other activities, opportunities, or
programs, as the Secretary determines appropriate.]
(11) fishing portfolio diversification and
expansion; and
(12) management of working waterfronts and related
shoreside infrastructure.
(b) * * *
(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 but non-concurrent grants under
this section.
(d) * * *
(e) * * *
(f) Cooperation and Evaluation Criteria.--[In carrying out]
(1) In general.--In carrying out this section and
in developing criteria for evaluating grant
applications, the Secretary shall consult, to the
maximum extent practicable, with--
[(1)](A) Sea Grant Institutions and
extension agents of such institutions;
[(2)](B) community-based nongovernmental
fishing organizations;
[(3)](C) 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)](D) institutions of higher education
with fisheries expertise and programs; and
[(5)](E) partners, as the Secretary
determines.
(2) Tracking, identifying, and evaluating
progress.--The Secretary of Commerce, acting through
the National Sea Grant Office, shall, to the extent
practicable, track the career progression of
participants in the Program, identify those who
subsequently enter or remain in commercial fisheries of
the United States and the Great Lakes or related
industries, and use these outcomes as a key factor in
evaluating the effectiveness of, and future eligibility
for, grant applications.
(g) * * *
SEC. 5. FUNDING.
(a) Authorizations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to carry out this Act $2,000,000 for each of
fiscal years [2022 through 2026] 2026 through 2031.
(b) Derivation.--Funds to carry out the activities under
this Act shall be derived from amounts authorized to be
appropriated pursuant to the preceding subsection that are
enacted after the date of the enactment of this Act.
[all]