The U.S. state of Mississippi is reopening applications for the Bonnet Carré Spillway Fisheries Disaster Recovery Program in an attempt to secure financial relief for commercial fishers who were unable to apply in the first round of funding.
The program was launched in response to the Bonnet Carré Spillway fisheries disaster, a 2019 incident where the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers opened up the spillway twice to divert floodwater away from populated areas. However, the surge of freshwater into the ocean was devastating for Mississippi’s commercial fisheries, resulting in mass die-off events across multiple species.
The U.S. Department of Commerce ultimately determined that the event constituted a fishery disaster, awarding USD 88 million (EUR 80.6 million) in financial aid.
Mississippi established the 2019 Mississippi Bonnet Carré Spillway Fisheries Disaster Recovery Program to distribute the USD 21 million (EUR 19.3 million) in relief it was allocated. The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources (MDMR) opened the program for a first round of applications in 2023, inviting commercial fishermen, seafood dealers, aquaculture harvesters, and live-bait fisheries to apply. That first funding round distributed USD 6.6 million (EUR 6.2 million) in relief to 416 eligible individuals.
In June 2024, MDMR opened the program up to seafood processors who were impacted by the spillway release, allowing businesses to seek reimbursement for money spent on emerging seafood processing technology, enhancements to existing infrastructure, new equipment, and facility upgrades.
Now, MDMR has reopened the program for any commercial fishers, charter boat operators, or seafood dealers who did not receive financial relief in the first round of funding. Only fishers or dealers who were licensed in 2019 and were active in the five years leading up to the disaster will be considered.
Applications will be accepted through 26 November.
