Finding crew made easier

For generations, becoming a commercial fisherman has been a respectable aspiration for young people in coastal towns.

Those who choose to get on a boat to set nets and haul traps can often earn significantly more money than their peers who work typical land jobs, and they gain confidence as they contend with the sea's power. Maine’s Lift All Boats student mentorship program, initiated by Luke’s Lobster, is working to make sure the state’s young population is aware of opportunities available in fishing and marine trades and can join the labor pool.

Declining resources, onerous regulations, and consolidation have made fishing a less attractive career choice, and many coastal kids in the U.S. and other countries are opting for less demanding and less dangerous work. But in places like Maine, Alaska, and other regions with healthy fisheries, boat owners struggle to fill their needs for skilled crew.

“Ben Coniff at Luke’s Lobster recognized that kids without a family connection to the sea might take to fishing if they had a chance,” says Wiley Muller, the lead instructor at Lift All Boats. “With funding from Luke’s and others, mostly fishermen, we were able to buy a Holland 32 for the program. We recruited four kids from two local high schools and started taking them fishing.”

That was five years ago, Wiley notes. “Now we are getting over 80 applications for 32 spots,” he says.

The program consists of three levels, Wiley explains. “The first level is very basic; we teach safety and seamanship, and the students each fish eight traps that they can haul with assistance from the captain; they just tend the trap. Intermediate students go up to 12 traps; they gaffe the buoys and run the hauler with an instructor's hand on the controls, and they can learn to drive the boat after passing the required boater safety test. Third-level students fish 20 traps. We try to pair them with an actively fishing captain to earn more money, learn professional-level skills, and log more hours to complete the 1000 hours needed for a commercial license. Right now, we have half a dozen lobstermen sponsoring students for the entire program within the trap number limitations of the Sea Smoke.

The Lift All Boats Program takes four students at a time to haul their traps. Level 1 students fish eight traps, advanced students fish 20 and are sponsored by local fishermen for their student licenses. Photo courtesy of Lift All Boats

To handle the number of students currently enrolled in the program, the program has hired two more instructors, Brett Brown and Matt Ranaghan. Like Wiley, they are fully licensed teachers. “We take students in shifts,” says Wiley. “Usually four students at a time for about four hours in the morning and another group in the afternoon.” He adds that Luke’s Lobster provides all students with a free lunch in between shifts, and some students can earn as much as $200 a day for their catch.

Attrition was high in the beginning of the program, Wiley notes, fishing is not for everyone. “We’re not supposing we’re going to create 32 reliable fishermen,” he says. “But right now we are working with students from seven different high schools. We have six students who have been with the program for 4 years, 12 who are at the advanced level, and four who have 200 to 300 hours logged towards their license.

With support from all over the lobster industry, including discounted traps from Brooks Trap and Portland Trap, and recent repowering by Freeport Diesel and Marine, the program appears to be flourishing, giving kids who may not have known the opportunities available to them a chance to get into fisheries. “Even if they don’t go fishing, we’re looking at creating other programs to let them shadow people in trades like marine diesel mechanics,” says Wiley.