NOAA Fisheries has announced it will be providing USD 277 million (EUR 248 million) in financial relief in response to several fishery disasters.
“I’m glad to see this significant batch of federal relief dollars finally being distributed to our hardworking fishermen and coastal communities,” U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) said.
“These Alaskans should never have had to wait this long to see this relief processed – a frustration I raised with Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and NOAA Fisheries Director Janet Coit on numerous occasions in recent months.”
Sullivan was one of several senators who signed a joint letter blaming a new USD 341 million (EUR 305 million) financial management software being used by the U.S. Department of Commerce for causing years of delays in awarding and distributing fishery disaster assistance.
“The Commerce Department must address the serious disruptions caused by their new financial management system and other bureaucratic hurdles,” Sullivan said. “I have put forward legislation with Senator Rick Scott [R-Florida] to enact timelines on the executive branch’s approval process for these disasters to ensure our fishermen are receiving the relief dollars they are due in a timely fashion. We need this funding to expeditiously reach Alaskans so that they can weather these disasters over the long term and continue to responsibly harvest the freshest, most sustainable seafood in the world.”
U.S. Representative Mary Peltola (D-Alaska) sent a separate letter to the Department of Commerce in April blaming the software system for delaying the processing of several fishery disaster funds that would help Alaskan fishers.
“Our fishermen and fishing families have suffered enough the last few years; when disaster strikes, it only sets us back further,” Peltola said in a statement. “This funding is critical in helping our fisheries recover and support the communities all over Alaska, and beyond, that rely on their seafood product output.”
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) also expressed frustration with the delayed funds.
“There is no question that fisheries and coastal communities in Alaska need help as they navigate catastrophic fishery collapses,” Murkowski said. “Although I am grateful our fishermen and communities will finally see some relief, for many, it might be too little too late. After years of waiting, some have already moved onto other professions and, in some cases, have even left the state. I will continue working with my colleagues to pass legislation to streamline the process so these regulatory delays are a thing of the past. I am hopeful this assistance will help Alaska’s hardworking fishermen recover from a devastating few years so they can get back on the water and return to their active role in this critical industry.”
Most of the funding will go to the state’s crab fisheries, with USD 194 million (EUR 173.5 million) awarded for the 2021-2022 Alaska Bering Sea crab fisheries, the 2020-2021 Alaska Norton Sound red king crab fisheries, and the 2022-2023 Alaska Bering Sea crab fisheries.
Another USD 18 million (EUR 16.1 million) is for the Gulf of Alaska Pacific cod fishery disaster in 2020.
The remaining funds are for disasters deemed to have taken place in the state’s salmon fisheries.
The federal government awarded USD 44 million (EUR 39.3 million) for the 2018 East Side Setnet salmon fishery, 2020 Upper Cook Inlet salmon fishery, and the Copper River and Prince William Sound salmon fisheries in 2018 and 2020. Another USD 17 million (EUR 15.2 million) is designated for the 2021 Norton Sound salmon fishery, the 2021 Kuskokwim River salmon fishery, and the 2020 Copper River/Prince William Sound salmon fishery. Finally, the government awarded USD 5 million (EUR 4.5 million) for the 2021 Chignik salmon fishery.
NOAA Fisheries had issued positive determinations for many of these disaster requests more than a year ago.
Federal lawmakers have been critical of NOAA Fisheries’ fishery disaster determination process, calling for increased transparency and faster response times.
On 19 September, the House Committee on Natural Resources approved the Fishery Improvement to Streamline Untimely Regulatory Hurdles post Emergency Situation (FISHES) Act, which Peltola introduced in the House. The legislation would require the Office of Management and Budget to approve or disapprove a state’s spending plan for fishery disaster funds within 30 days.
“Fishing communities are the backbone of our coastal Alaskan economies, and the FISHES Act ensures they get the timely support they need when disaster strikes,” Peltola said. “This bill cuts through the red tape, allowing fishing communities to rebuild and thrive.”
The Senate version of the bill has not received a committee vote yet.
Earlier in September, Alaska State Representative Sarah Vance called on the state government to request a federal fishery disaster declaration due to low 2024 salmon returns in Prince William Sound, Kodiak, Upper Cook Inlet, Lower Cook Inlet, South Peninsula, and Chignik.