Fishing Safety Bill Boosts Funding to $12M Annually for Fatigue and Substance Use Training

The Fishing Industry Safety, Health, and Wellness Improvement Act of 2025 is a straightforward piece of legislation aimed at making one of the most dangerous jobs in America a little safer. Essentially, this bill takes existing grant programs designed to improve commercial fishing safety and gives them a much-needed upgrade—both in scope and funding.

The Scope Expansion: Focusing on the Real Risks

Currently, the government offers grants for fishing safety training and research. This Act amends Section 4502 of title 46, U.S. Code, to explicitly expand what these grants can cover. The big change is adding behavioral and physical health risks to the list of approved topics. This isn't just bureaucratic language; it means training and research can now directly target two huge, often overlooked problems in the industry: substance use disorder and worker fatigue.

Think about it: Commercial fishing involves long hours, high stress, and dangerous conditions. Fatigue and substance use aren't just personal issues; they are major safety hazards that put entire crews at risk. By allowing grant money to fund prevention training for these specific issues, the bill acknowledges the reality of the job. For a fishing vessel operator, this could mean access to high-quality, specialized training programs focused on managing crew burnout or implementing safe, supportive policies around mental health and addiction—something previous safety grants might not have covered.

The Funding Bump: $12 Million for Worker Wellness

If you want a program to work, you have to fund it. This bill significantly increases the authorized funding for both the training grant program and the research grant program. For each program, the Act authorizes $6,000,000 annually, totaling $12 million for each fiscal year from 2025 through 2029. That’s a serious commitment of taxpayer dollars toward improving worker welfare in a critical industry.

This funding increase means more organizations—like local fishing cooperatives, universities, or non-profits—will have the resources to develop and deliver specialized safety programs. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will award these grants competitively, but they must consult with the Commandant of the Coast Guard on the criteria. This consultation is key, ensuring the money is spent on programs that meet the practical, on-the-water safety standards the Coast Guard enforces.

What This Means for the Industry

For the commercial fisher, this legislation promises better access to resources that address the invisible risks of the job. Research grants will now fund studies dedicated to understanding how best to mitigate fatigue and address substance use, potentially leading to better schedules and safer working conditions down the line. For small fishing communities, the training grants offer a chance to bring in targeted health and safety expertise.

While the bill is clear about its intent and funding, the term “behavioral and physical health risks” is still a little broad, which gives HHS flexibility in awarding grants. The success of this Act will hinge on HHS and the Coast Guard ensuring those competitive grant dollars actually go to programs that deliver tangible results for the crews working the decks, rather than just funding abstract research. Overall, this is a clear move to improve the long-term health and safety of a vital, high-risk workforce.