The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced that $7.8 million dollars has been granted to assist fishermen affected by the 2012 fisheries resource disaster.
NOAA Deputy Regional Administrator Doug Mecum…
Mecum: “This is the firsty part of the overall grant that totals 7.8 million with 3.2 million for the Yukon-Kuskokwim and 4.6 million for Cook Inlet, this is for direct payments for commercial fishermen in those regions and when it says very soon, the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission is apparently mailing out applications to permit holders this week and the intention is to get the checks issued before the end of September.”
He added that the total grant is $20.8 million and the remaining funds, about $13 million, are being developed into a second grant proposal by the Pacific Marine Fisheries Commission.
Mecum: “That piece of it had more moving parts I would say, the recreational businesses in the Cook Inlet area, I don’t believe we’ve ever provided any disaster assistance to those entities before and how we were going to do that was maybe a bit more complicated.”
Mecum defined “recreational businesses” affected as guides, lodges, processing centers,and some others but not including non-profits. He said that the use for $13 million is still being worked out.
Those grant applications will be mailed to about 440 East Side Set Net permit holders and about 100 Cook Inlet Northern District permit holders sometime this week.