Contacts:
Matt Gorstein, (843) 953-2084 or matthew.gorstein@scseagrant.org
Jocelyn Juliano, (843) 953-2098 or jocelyn.juliano@scseagrant.org
CHARLESTON, S.C. (September 19, 2023) – The S.C. Sea Grant Consortium (Consortium) has been awarded nearly $375,000 to develop a commercial seafood workforce training program in support of the next generation of fishermen and aquaculturists in the Southeast United States. With awards through the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Business Development Grant (RBDG) Program, the project funds will establish the training program in McClellanville, S.C., and will aim to address some of the workforce challenges that commercial seafood industries face. The project team (including the Consortium, Clemson University, the town of McClellanville, the McClellanville Community Foundation and the McClellanville Watermen’s Association) will build upon several years of engagement with the McClellanville community and two previously funded projects in this area.
“This training program has been long in the making. The partnership of organizations, industry and the Town of McClellanville provides a strong foundation for the next generation seafood workforce. Sea Grant acknowledges all of the work by the partners and is excited to support the future workforce,” said Consortium Executive Director Susan Lovelace.
McClellanville, S.C., is a fishing village with a population of less than 600 that has sustained itself economically by the commercial harvest of approximately 47 fish and shellfish species. Located geographically between Jacksonville, Fla., and Cape Hatteras, N.C., McClellanville is centrally positioned as a regional commercial seafood hub to support the future of working waterfronts while maintaining its community fishing heritage. Even with the deeply rooted commercial fishing heritage in McClellanville and an increase in seafood demand, the commercial fishing industry has experienced a decline in the next generation entering the workforce, resulting in a “graying of the fleet.” At the same time, shellfish mariculture has seen steady increases in production in South Carolina over the last decade, offering farmers more economic opportunities and options to remain viable in a competitive marketplace. The training program will recruit a diverse cohort of trainees and will focus on career development needs, including skills related to seamanship and safety, seafood production methods and best practices and others needed to enter the commercial seafood industry.
Many leaders and community members voiced their support of the collaborative effort. Town of McClellanville Mayor Rutledge Leland, who also owns Carolina Seafoods, said he is “very enthusiastic about this partnership between Sea Grant, the local commercial seafood industry and the Town of McClellanville.” Jeff Massey and Pete Kornack of Cape Romain Oyster Cooperative said that “the Maritime Training School in McClellanville will have a huge impact on commercial fishing for the entire region. It is wonderful to see this level of cooperation between local, state and federal government and the local fishing community.”
As a result of the two-year project, McClellanville will become a hub for commercial seafood workforce development and provide access to workforce training to sustain an inclusive industry in the state and beyond.