NOAA has announced USD 124 million (EUR 109 million) in fisheries disaster aid to the states of Alaska, Oregon, and California, as well as the Squaxin Island Tribe.
“Fishery resource disasters have devastating effects on local communities and our economy,” NOAA Administrator Neil Jacobs said in a release. “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 funding is for six fisheries disasters determined to have taken place between 2019 and 2022 and includes:
- USD 75.2 million (EUR 65.8 million) for the 2023/2024 Bering Sea snow crab fishery in Alaska;
- USD 21.3 million (EUR 18.6 million) for the 2024 State of California Sacramento River Fall Chinook and Klamath River Fall Chinook ocean and inland salmon fisheries;
- USD 18.5 million (EUR 16.2 million) for the 2022 Chignik salmon fishery in Alaska;
- USD 5.8 million (EUR 5 million) for the 2023 Upper Cook Inlet East Side Setnet salmon fishery in Alaska;
- USD 2.4 million (EUR 2.1 million) for the 2023 Oregon ocean commercial salmon fishery; and
- USD 497,164 (EUR 435,245) for the 2023 Squaxin Island Tribe Puget Sound Fall Chum salmon fishery in Washington.
Funding can be used to provide financial support to commercial fishers, recreational fishers, charters, and subsistence users, as well as some fishery-related businesses. It can also be used for infrastructure projects, habitat restoration, permit buybacks, and job retraining, according to NOAA Fisheries. The federal government will next work with state and local authorities on administering those funds.
“These fishery resource disasters are of great concern for the fishing industry and the people and communities who depend on these fisheries to support their local economies,” NOAA Fisheries Assistant Administrator Eugenio Piñeiro Soler said in a release. “NOAA will continue to provide guidance and resources to boost recovery and support more resilient fishing communities in the future.”
Fishery resource disaster determinations and allocations have been rare under the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump; since taking office in January 2025, Trump’s government has only announced one other fishery disaster allocation.
According to NOAA’s website, USD 343,370 (EUR 300,479) was issued to the Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe in February 2025 for a fishery disaster impacting the Washington Fraser River sockeye and Puget Sound fall chum salmon fisheries in 2020. The administration has not announced any fishery resource disaster determinations in that period, despite a growing backlog of requests.
State officials and representatives were quick to welcome the allocated funding, most of which went to Alaska.
“Alaska’s subsistence harvesters, commercial fishermen, and fishing communities have endured a series of fishery disasters and stock collapses beyond their control, threatening livelihoods and entire coastal economies,” U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) said in a release. “I have been pushing to resolve these disaster declarations and get this relief into the hands of Alaskans who need it. This nearly USD 100 million [EUR 87.5 million] allocation – roughly 80 percent of the funding announced today – will provide critical support to those affected by the Bering Sea snow crab, Chignik salmon, and Upper Cook Inlet East Side Setnet salmon disasters. I want to thank Secretary Lutnick and the Department of Commerce for recognizing the extraordinary scale of the challenges facing Alaska’s fisheries and working with us to ensure Alaska’s fishermen receive the timely support they need.”
