The U.S. Department of Commerce has allocated USD 15.8 million (EUR 14.1 million) in funding for multiple fisheries disasters impacting the states of California and Florida, as well as the Makah Tribe in Washington.
“The U.S. seafood industry plays a critical role in our coastal economy,” NOAA Administrator Neil Jacobs said in a release. “Our fishermen depend on each catch to sustain their livelihoods, yet fishery disasters can have devastating impacts on the businesses and communities that rely on these resources. NOAA is committed to supporting and uplifting our coastal businesses and communities through such challenges so they can continue to thrive.”
Allocated funding includes:
- USD 9,960,421 (EUR 8,898,084) for damage from Hurricane Ian in Florida in 2022;
- USD 4,424,200 (EUR 3,952,333) for the Makah Tribe’s 2020 and 2021 ocean treaty troll fishery;
- USD 1,055,868 (EUR 942,254) for the Makah Tribe’s 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2023 Fraser River sockeye salmon fisheries; and
- USD 324,818 (EUR 290,168) for the 2023/2024 California red sea urchin fishery.
According to NOAA Fisheries, the money can be used to support commercial, recreational, and subsistence fishers, as well as related businesses and the marine environment. Potential activities governments can direct the funding toward include direct assistance, infrastructure projects, habitat restoration, vessel and permit buybacks, and job retraining.
“Coastal communities depend on these fisheries and fishermen to support their local economies,” NOAA Fisheries Assistant Administrator Eugenio Piñeiro Soler said in a release. “These fishery disaster funding allocations are a tangible way to assist these communities in mitigating impacts and restoring fisheries.”
