From Maine to Seattle, Lift All Boats Sends Young Fishers Across the Country

Tonight, more than 3,000 miles from our Seattle office, supporters in Portland, Maine are gathering to raise money for a group of young lobster harvesters. The goal is to send the students here, to our own waterfront, for a national gathering of the next generation of commercial fishers.

The students belong to Lift All Boats, a Portland nonprofit that opens the waterfront to young people from all walks of life. Fishing has long been a family trade, but fewer sons and daughters are following their parents to sea, and many captains are struggling to find good crew.

Lift All Boats was co-founded in 2022 by Luke Holden and Ben Conniff, the founders of Luke’s Lobster. The program began with just four students and has grown every year, with a recent cohort of 30 that included 20 returning students. Women make up a growing share of each cohort, in an industry where they have long been underrepresented. Many participants come from non-fishing backgrounds, and some had never set foot on a vessel. Lift All Boats helps young people obtain the student license that serves as the main pathway into professional lobstering, provides their gear, and takes them out to haul traps once a week. Their catch is bought at market price, so students earn real money and learn the economics and business of fishing firsthand. Those who want to fish professionally are connected with working captains who need help on deck.

Every dollar raised tonight brings these students one step closer to Seattle for the 2026 National Future Fishermen Summit, held at Pacific Marine Expo on Friday, November 20th, 2026. For a teenager who learned to haul traps in Casco Bay, the trip is a chance to see how big the fishing industry is. The Summit brings together young fishers and industry organizations from Alaska, New England, the Gulf, and beyond. Sessions include a podcast-style conversation with young fishers about building a long-term career, a federal policy panel, and roundtables on business and financing, fishing access, seafood processing, and a station called “So, You Want to Be a Deckhand?”

We were especially pleased to see a roundtable on health, wellness, and safety, staffed by AMSEA and Oregon Sea Grant. Commercial fishing remains one of the most dangerous occupations in the country, and safety habits learned early, from wearing a PFD to speaking up about faulty equipment, can protect young crew members for decades.

Seattle’s fishing community has a long and proud history, and we hope these Maine students feel at home here this November. To learn more or support their trip, visit Lift All Boats.