“Fishery resource disasters have devastating effects on local communities and our economy,” said Neil Jacobs, Ph.D., NOAA administrator. “This disaster funding provides much needed assistance to our fishing industry, and we will work with the affected communities to help them recover. This action demonstrates our continued commitment to hardworking American fishermen and to the president’s vision to uphold the United States as the world’s dominant seafood leader.”
The allocation announcement applies to previously declared fishery resource disasters, including:
- 2023/2024 Bering Sea snow crab fishery in Alaska
- 2023 Oregon ocean commercial salmon fishery
- 2022 Chignik salmon fishery in Alaska
- 2023 Upper Cook Inlet East Side Setnet salmon fishery in Alaska
- 2024 State of California Sacramento River Fall Chinook and Klamath River Fall Chinook ocean and inland salmon fisheries
- 2023 Squaxin Island Tribe Puget Sound Fall Chum salmon fishery in Washington
NOAA Fisheries used commercial revenue loss information to allocate funding across the eligible disasters.
“These fishery resource disasters are of great concern for the fishing industry and the people and communities that depend on these fisheries to support their local economies,” said Eugenio Piñeiro Soler, Assistant Administrator for NOAA Fisheries. “NOAA will continue to provide guidance and resources to boost recovery and support more resilient fishing communities in the future.”
These funds will help improve the long-term economic and environmental sustainability of the impacted fisheries. Funds can be used to assist commercial fishermen, recreational fishermen, charter businesses, shore-side infrastructure, subsistence users, and other impacted community groups. 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. Certain fishery-related businesses impacted by the fishery disasters may also be eligible for assistance from the Small Business Administration.
As delegated by the Secretary of Commerce, NOAA Fisheries will administer the funds. In the next steps, NOAA Fisheries will work with the state of Alaska, the state of California, the state of Oregon, and the Squaxin Island Tribe and/or the appropriate designated entity. Fishing communities and individuals affected by these disasters should work with their state or Tribe as appropriate.
For more information see the detailed allocations to states and learn more about fishery disaster assistance.
