Accelerator will help Maine fishing industry start up side gigs

Boats are at docks and a ferry is in the background.

Photo / Laurie Schreiber People in fishing, lobstering, aquaculture or coastal-related businesses, crew members and families can take part in a business accelerator program called Fishing Plus.

Write a Comment

By Laurie Schreiber

With generational experience as small business owners, it might seem counter-intuitive that folks in the lobster fishing industry need help to start up a second businesses.

But months of listening sessions with fishermen, community leaders and program advisors made it clear fishermen, crew members and their families could use tools, resources and programs to help them diversify household income, strengthen their businesses and pass along skills to the next generation of marine entrepreneurs.

In response, the Rockland nonprofit Island Institute and the Maine Center for Entrepreneurs launched the Fishing Plus Accelerator for people in fishing, lobstering, aquaculture or coastal-related businesses.

“The Fishing Plus program is about building on the skills, ingenuity and ideas fishing communities already have,” said Jeff Frank, senior community development officer at the Island Institute. “Our focus is to help turn ideas into viable businesses that increase profits for fishing families, bolster community resilience and keep families fishing for many generations to come.”

The program is part of Island Institute’s Future of Fishing initiative, funded partly through a Congressional direct spending award from the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Topics

The free program starts Oct. 1. Over eight sessions this fall, participants will move from concept to launch-ready business.

Topics include:

Aligning personal and business finances
Budgeting and cash-flow management
Navigating permits and business structures
Finding customers and building a brand
Accessing capital and pitching to lenders or investors
Exploring diversification options with real-life success stories.

Sessions combine in-person workshops, online learning and one-on-one mentorship. The program wraps up with a final pitch to a panel of lenders, investors and community leaders.

The program is open to current or former fishermen and crew members as well as family members in fishing households.

Applications are due by Sept. 13. For more information, click here.