American Blue Economy & Working Waterfronts Act
Saving fishing communities. Growing kelp farms. Creating ocean jobs. A bill that helps our coasts thrive.
🌊 What Is the "Blue Economy"?
The "blue economy" means good jobs from the ocean—fishing, kelp farming, boat building, seafood processing, and more. For centuries, coastal towns depended on the sea. But fishing closures, old docks, and slow permits are killing these communities. This bill helps them come back stronger!
🚨 Our Fishing Communities Are in Trouble
California's salmon fishing has been CLOSED for three years in a row (2023, 2024, 2025). Fishers can't work. Families are struggling. And the docks where they land their catch are crumbling.
is IMPORTED
DEFICIT every year
for kelp farming!
We're surrounded by ocean but can't feed ourselves from it. That's backwards!
⚓ A Lifeline for Coastal Towns
Imagine you're a fisher in Bodega Bay. The salmon season is closed—again. You can't pay your boat insurance. The dock where you tie up needs repairs, but there's no money. You'd love to try kelp farming, but permits take years.
This bill fixes ALL of that. It gives fishers money during closures (but asks them to help with ocean restoration). It pays to fix docks. It creates "fast lanes" for kelp and shellfish farms. And it pays for job training in new ocean industries.
Best of all? Big companies that use the ocean help pay for it. Offshore wind developers and giant cargo ships chip in—so coastal communities get support without raising taxes.
🏛️ Four Big Ideas in This Bill
Fix the Docks
$150 million/year for repairing piers, harbors, ice machines, and fish processing buildings
Grow Ocean Farms
120-day permits for kelp and shellfish farms in pre-approved "Aquaculture Zones"
Support Fishers
Up to $6,000/month for fishers during closures—if they help with ocean restoration
Train Workers
$50 million/year for community colleges to teach ocean jobs skills
🏗️ Working Waterfront Grants: $150 Million/Year
Fix Piers & Docks
Repair crumbling infrastructure
Cold Storage
Keep seafood fresh
Fuel & Charging
Including electric boat charging
Dredging
Keep harbors deep enough
Sea Level Adaptation
Prepare for rising waters
Processing Plants
Process fish locally
10% goes directly to Tribal Nations • Distressed communities get 90% federal funding (instead of 75%)
🌿 Aquaculture Opportunity Zones
Kelp and shellfish farms are GOOD for the ocean—they clean the water, absorb carbon, and create habitat. But permits take forever. This bill creates pre-approved zones where farms can start in just 120 days!
🦪 What Can Be Farmed?
Kelp, seaweed, oysters, mussels, clams—anything that doesn't need fish food (which pollutes)
⏱️ How Fast?
120 days max for permits in approved zones. Current system: up to 3 YEARS!
💰 How Much?
Permits cost $5,000 max for small farms (under 10 acres). FREE for Tribal applicants!
🌍 Climate Credits
Kelp farms can earn carbon credits for absorbing CO2 from the water
💵 Fisheries Transition & Resilience Fund
When fishing seasons close, families suffer. This fund helps fishers stay afloat—literally—while they wait for fish to come back or learn new skills.
for boat owners
for crew members
for boat upkeep
🔧 But You Have to Help Out (80 hours/month)
Benefits last up to 18 months. Medical and caregiving exemptions available.
🎓 Blue Workforce Training: $50 Million/Year
Offshore Wind
Commercial Diving
Aquaculture
Vessel Operations
Marine Welding
Seafood Processing
Ocean Drones
Marine Tech
Priority for communities with fishing disasters • College of the Redwoods eligible!
💰 Who Pays for This? (Not You!)
Big industrial ocean users pay into a Blue Economy Trust Fund. Regular taxpayers? Zero.
🌬️ Offshore Wind Companies
2.5% of lease revenues, rental payments, and fees go to the Trust Fund
🚢 Giant Cargo Ships
$150-$500 per port call for ships over 10,000 tons (fishing boats exempt!)
Grants
Fund
Programs
🪶 Honoring Indigenous Knowledge
Meaningful Consultation
Government-to-government talks before any zone designation or permit in Tribal waters
Treaty Rights Protected
Nothing in this bill diminishes Tribal sovereignty or treaty fishing rights
Traditional Knowledge
Protocols to include Tribal wisdom—only with free, prior, and informed consent
Direct Funding
10% of waterfront grants go directly to Tribes. Permit fees waived for Tribal applicants.
🗺️ Starting in CA-2: A National Model
California's 2nd Congressional District is the perfect testing ground. Three years of salmon closures. Aging harbors. Tribal Nations with fishing traditions. Offshore wind on the horizon. If it works here, it can work everywhere!
🌊 Our Oceans. Our Jobs. Our Future.
Coastal communities built America. They fed us, connected us, defended us. Now they need our help. The Blue Economy Act gives fishers a lifeline, creates new ocean jobs, and makes big ocean users pay their fair share. It's time to invest in our working waterfronts.
Gregory Burgess for Congress
No Party Preference • California's 2nd Congressional District
"Show Your Work" Campaign