U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan on Friday announced the U.S. Department of Commerce will direct nearly $132 million to Alaska for fishery disasters. The funds, which were appropriated by Congress, are part of a total of $144 million that will be disbursed nationwide for this purpose.
The allocation announcement includes:
- 2019 Alaska Norton Sound King Crab – $1,434,571
- Alaska 2018 Upper Cook Inlet East Side Setnet Salmon and 2020 Upper Cook Inlet Salmon Fisheries – $9,414,087
- 2018 and 2020 Alaska Copper River and Prince William Sound Salmon Fisheries – $34,360,624
- 2019 and 2020 Alaska Bering Sea Tanner Crab Fishery – $12,948,148
- 2020 Alaska Gulf of Alaska Pacific Cod – $17,790,330
- Alaska Norton Sound, Yukon, Chignik, Prince William Sound, and Southeast Alaska Salmon Fisheries, 2020 and 2021 Yukon River Salmon Fishery – $55,984,834
Sen. Lisa Murkowski said:
“I’m pleased to announce this crucial funding is finally on the way for Alaska’s seafood industry. After facing both serious fishery disasters and the pandemic, there are owners, employees, families, and entire communities in our state who can now breathe a little easier. I thank Secretary Raimondo and Director Young, who were strong partners at the Department of Commerce and OMB as we worked to reform and improve a truly broken approval process. Going forward, I will be pushing for further assistance, to help guarantee that Alaska’s industry can keep their operations up and running and continue to provide fresh, healthy seafood at home and around the globe.”
Sen. Dan Sullivan said:
“I want to express my appreciation to Secretary Raimondo and OMB Director Young for working so closely with me and my team to get these disaster declarations approved and funds allocated for Alaska’s fishermen. These disasters have had a widespread impact across our state—devastating many of our coastal and river-based communities, fishermen, and Alaska Native subsistence users. While these federal dollars won’t make these Alaskans and their families whole, they will go a long way toward providing much-needed relief.”
NOAA Fisheries used commercial revenue loss information to allocate funding across the eligible disasters. The agency also took into consideration traditional uses that can’t be accounted for in commercial revenue loss alone, such as cultural and subsistence uses.
The funds will help improve the long-term economic and environmental sustainability of the impacted fisheries. Funds can be used to assist the impacted fishing communities including commercial fishermen, recreational fishermen, charter businesses, shore-side infrastructure, and subsistence users. Activities that can be considered for funding include fishery-related infrastructure projects, habitat restoration, state-run vessel and fishing permit buybacks, job retraining, and more.
According to NOAA Fisheries, some fishery-related businesses impacted by the fishery disasters may also be eligible for assistance from the Small Business Administration or other federal agencies.
Click here for more in Fisheries Disaster Assistance.