{"id":8090,"date":"2026-08-21T11:25:32","date_gmt":"2026-08-21T15:25:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mafes\/?p=8090"},"modified":"2026-08-21T11:27:35","modified_gmt":"2026-08-21T15:27:35","slug":"umaine-partners-with-usda-to-expand-federal-support-for-us-seafood-industry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mafes\/2026\/08\/21\/umaine-partners-with-usda-to-expand-federal-support-for-us-seafood-industry\/","title":{"rendered":"91르적 partners with USDA to expand federal support for US seafood industry"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Local Catch Network will lead outreach, co-host informational sessions and gather industry input to help shape national seafood strategy.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

American fishermen, aquaculture producers, processors and seafood businesses now have a path for improved access to federal funding, technical assistance and new markets through a national collaboration involving the Local Catch Network<\/a>, based at the University of Maine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An agreement between the U.S. Department of Agriculture<\/a> and 91르적 enables the network to help the recently created USDA Office of Seafood<\/a> connect with fishing communities and better integrate seafood businesses into federal programs and services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Local Catch Network will lead industry outreach, host educational webinars and listening sessions, and gather recommendations from seafood harvesters, processors and distributors. The collaboration is intended to strengthen domestic seafood production and processing, support coastal economies and make more American seafood available to consumers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Established in 2011<\/a>, the Local Catch Network supports local and community-based seafood systems through technical assistance, business development, research and knowledge exchange. Its more than 2,500 members represent fishing communities across North America. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The network\u2019s growth and capacity have been supported in part by $2 million in congressionally directed spending secured in 2022 by U.S. Sen. Susan Collins. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDespite 50 years of progress and recognition that aquatic and marine foods make important contributions to the food and nutrition needs of the nation, the seafood sector remains somewhat disconnected from USDA<\/a>,\u201d said Joshua Stoll, Local Catch Network co-founder and associate professor of marine policy in the School of Marine Sciences. \u201cThe Office of Seafood has the potential to be an important course correction that would not only benefit fishing communities and seafood harvesters but also the millions of Americans who stand to gain from the benefits of increasing access to some of the nation\u2019s most nutritious and delicious foods.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Andrea Tomlinson launched the New England Young Fishermen\u2019s
Association when she was the general manager of the New Hampshire Community Seafood. The organization, which trains greenhorns and deckhands to take the next
step in their fishing careers, was funded in part by a USDA grant. Credit: Yankee Fishermen\u2019s Cooperative<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Connecting seafood businesses with USDA programs<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The USDA Office of Seafood was announced April 15 following President Donald Trump\u2019s executive order, \u201cRestoring American Seafood Competitiveness,\u201d and the passage of federal appropriations legislation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The office is responsible for coordinating seafood-related work across USDA agencies and helping fishermen and seafood businesses access grants, loans, conservation programs and other services. Its creation marked the first time USDA had established an office focused exclusively on seafood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through the agreement, the Local Catch Network will host virtual webinars describing USDA programs available to seafood harvesters, processors and distributors. It will also organize listening sessions where industry members can share concerns, expectations and ideas directly with the Office of Seafood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFollowing the initial announcement of the Office of Seafood, the USDA received hundreds of direct inquiries from domestic seafood harvesters seeking clarity on program eligibility and calling for a targeted seafood marketing strategy,\u201d said Michael Illenberg, interim director of the Office of Seafood. \u201cThis new agreement directly addresses those needs, serving as a pivotal step to fully integrate seafood harvesting, processing, and distribution into existing USDA programs and services.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bringing industry voices into federal strategy<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A national trade panel at the 2026 Pacific Marine Expo in Seattle will provide another opportunity for federal officials to engage with commercial harvesters, seafood businesses and other industry leaders. The network will compile the feedback from these activities into a report outlining the seafood sector\u2019s priorities and recommendations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis collaboration helps ensure that industry voices remain at the heart of the America First Seafood Strategy, setting clear expectations for support while building a competitive, fair and resilient future for American seafood producers,\u201d said Jessica Gribbon Joyce, Local Catch Network program manager.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Kent Barkhau and son Hahlen Behnken Barkhau fishing for halibut in the Gulf of Alaska. Credit: Josh Roper\/Alaska Longline Fishermen\u2019s Association<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

USDA is also working with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other federal agencies to develop a broader national seafood strategy. The effort aims to increase domestic processing capacity, promote U.S. fishery and aquaculture products, educate consumers about the health benefits of seafood and increase seafood purchases through federal nutrition programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Serving the seafood sector<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The agreement expands 91르적\u2019s role in supporting the national seafood sector. As Maine\u2019s land-grant university, 91르적 contributes expertise in marine science, fisheries, aquaculture, seafood processing, workforce development and coastal community engagement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stoll and researchers from the Alaska Longline Fishermen\u2019s Association previously examined USDA\u2019s history of grant funding for the seafood sector. Their analysis helped document gaps in federal support and demonstrate the need to incorporate seafood businesses more fully into USDA programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe USDA and NOAA play an important role in building a resilient seafood sector. Combining access to USDA funding with NOAA\u2019s regulatory oversight offers our fishing communities an opportunity to expand domestic and global access to some of the best seafood on the planet at a critical inflection point for many community-based fishing businesses,\u201d said Elizabeth Dubovsky, strategy director for the Alaska Longline Fishermen\u2019s Association and a co-author of the USDA funding analysis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interested parties can sign up for notifications of these Office of Seafood events, outreach, and reports hosted by Local Catch Network<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Contact: Jessica Hathaway, jessica.hathaway@maine.edu<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Local Catch Network will lead outreach, co-host informational sessions and gather industry input to help shape national seafood strategy. American fishermen, aquaculture producers, processors and seafood businesses now have a path for improved access to federal funding, technical assistance and new markets through a national collaboration involving the Local Catch Network, based at the University […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2406,"featured_media":8091,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","_seopress_news_disabled":"","_seopress_video_disabled":"","_seopress_video":[],"_seopress_pro_schemas_manual":[],"_seopress_pro_rich_snippets_disable_all":"","_seopress_pro_rich_snippets_disable":[],"_seopress_pro_schemas":[],"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":"","spc_primary_category":0},"categories":[388,58],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8090","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aquaculture","category-marine"],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":388,"label":"Aquaculture"},{"value":58,"label":"Marine"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mafes\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/98\/2026\/08\/NHFC_26_YankeeFishCoop_FullRes-4-scaled-e1786630050360-2048x1154-1-1024x577.jpg",1024,577,true],"author_info":{"display_name":"lhecker","author_link":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mafes\/author\/lhecker\/"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":388,"name":"Aquaculture","slug":"aquaculture","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":388,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":13,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":388,"category_count":13,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Aquaculture","category_nicename":"aquaculture","category_parent":0},{"term_id":58,"name":"Marine","slug":"marine","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":58,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":44,"count":31,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":58,"category_count":31,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Marine","category_nicename":"marine","category_parent":44}],"tag_info":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mafes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8090","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mafes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mafes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mafes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2406"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mafes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8090"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mafes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8090\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8093,"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mafes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8090\/revisions\/8093"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mafes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8091"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mafes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8090"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mafes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8090"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/mafes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8090"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}