The U.S. state of Florida has awarded USD 1 million (EUR 924,274) to help the state's struggling commercial fisheries and aquaculture sector recover from damage inflicted by a trio of hurricane landfalls.
“The [state’s] fishing industry took a direct hit from hurricanes Debby and Helene, and so did the hardworking Floridians who make their living on the water,” Governor Ron DeSantis said in a statement. “Today’s investments will help to rebuild critical waterside infrastructure and help get Floridians in the fishing and aquaculture industries back to full operations.”
The 2024 hurricane season has been one of the most intense since 2005, with Florida recording three hurricane landfalls to date: Hurricane Debby in August; Hurricane Helene in September; and Hurricane Milton in October. The latter two storms were especially destructive. Helene was labeled as a Category 4 hurricane, while Milton reached Category 5 status at its peak.
To help the region recover from the 2024 hurricane season, DeSantis has pulled USD 1 million from the Florida Disaster Fund “to support the rebuilding of fishing and aquaculture infrastructure.” The money will be distributed via the Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida, a nonprofit that works closely with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).
“As FWC’s citizen support organization, we consider it an essential responsibility to help in times of emergency,” Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida President and CEO Andrew Walker said in a statement. “Our hearts go out to all who were impacted by the recent storms, including our state’s vital fishing industry. We are honored to help contribute to both commercial and recreational anglers getting back on the water.”
FWF is also raising matching funds that will be used “to restore critical marine infrastructure, including boat slips, docks, fish houses, and aquaculture businesses across the Big Bend region," which refers to the point where the state bends southeast along its border with the Gulf of Mexico.
“The 2024 hurricane season has significantly impacted Florida with hurricanes Debby, Helene, and Milton making direct landfalls on the Sunshine State,” the commission noted on its website. “FWC Division of Marine Fisheries Management is pursing every possible source of fishery disaster relief funding.”
The DeSantis administration has also begun preparing a request for a federal fisheries disaster declaration by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce for the recent spate of storms. Florida has also requested fisheries disaster declarations for Hurricane Idalia, which occurred in 2023, and Hurricane Ian, which occurred in 2022.
The FWC has emailed surveys to licensed fishery participants seeking preliminary reports of damage and losses from the 2024 hurricanes. DeSantis also directed the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to expedite any permits or approvals for damaged businesses rebuilding after the storms.
The Florida government is also discounting fishing licenses through 3 January 2025 to help get anglers back on the ocean.
