March 23, 2022 — New Jersey is using $826,807 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to reimburse the state’s seafood processors for covid-19-related costs that hit them in 2020 and 2021.
The NJ Seafood Processor Covid-19 Assistance Program is funded through USDA Seafood Processors Pandemic Response and Safety Block Grant Program, and follows the federal protocol for qualifying businesses for aid.
Eligible activities for reimbursement include:
• Workplace safety measures;
• Retrofit of facilities for worker and consumer safety;
• Market pivots;
• Medical costs associated with providing or purchasing COVID-19 testing.
The state Department of Environmental Protection’s Marine Fisheries Administration is working with the state health and agriculture departments to provide reimbursement to processors, including processing vessels and dealers, for pandemic-related costs between Jan. 27, 2020 and Dec. 31, 2021.
Read the full story at National Fisherman