“We expect academia, members of non-profit organizations, municipalities and businesses involved in the fishing and maritime industries would apply for these grants,” said Jennifer Lincoln, co-director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s Center for Maritime Safety and Health Studies. “The research and training supported by this funding should further reduce occupational safety risks in the commercial fishing industry.”
The Fishing Safety Research and Training Grants will provide up to 75 percent of an organization’s cost and grants will range from $250,000 to $650,000 each over a two-year funding period.
The deadline for applications is Feb. 21 for each of two funding opportunities. The applications will then go through a formal review and scoring process. “We plan to make the awards in late August/early September,” Lincoln said.
RFA-OH-19-004 is a commercial fishing occupational safety research cooperative agreement, and RFA-OH-15-005 is commercial fishing occupational safety training project grants.
Possible application scenarios might include a fisheries management group applying for funds to have a researcher look into better ways to ensure crew safety in stormy weather, a community’s emergency medical services/fire department team seeking funds to provide shoreside safety programs or to sponsor an Alaska Marine Safety Education Association workshop for harvesters, or AMSEA itself seeking funds for further research into improved ergodynamics for physical fitness of harvesters.
“These grant programs will help further education and awareness throughout the commercial fishing fleet, as well as provide research into better equipment and operational processes,” said Joseph D. Myers, chief of the Coast Guard’s Fishing Vessel Safety Division. “Enhanced education, equipment and processes go hand-in-hand with the Coast Guard’s longstanding premise that being properly prepared increases survivability and prevents loss of life at sea.”
Detailed information about the two research and training grant opportunities, are available online at https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/search-grants.html?keywords=fishing%20safety.