Saving Seafood

Atlantic Marine Fisheries Commission Confirms Data Breach: Nearly 10,000 Affected

July 3, 2024 — The U.S. Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) has acknowledged a data breach and begun to notify customers who were affected by it.

The ASMFC data breach reportedly took place on April 6, 2024. The commission stated that “it was the victim of a  cybersecurity incident” that affected the organization’s electronic systems. The data breach notification was shared by the ASMFC with the Office of the Maine Attorney General on June 28 through their legal counsel.

In its notification, the ASMFC shared that around 9,895 people, including 3,823 Maine residents could be affected by the data breach. Hackers allegedly stole a company database containing sensitive Personal Identifiable Information (PII), along with financial records of the commission. The cause of the data breach has been reported as “external system breach (hacking).”

Read the full article at The Cyber Express

Additional $255 MIllion in Fisheries Assistance Funding Being Allocated Through CARES Act

March 29, 2021 — Even more funding for fisheries assistance is being made available. NOAA Fisheries announced on Monday that an additional $255 million will be allocated to states and territories with coastal and marine fishery participants who have been negatively affected by COVID-19. The new funding will be provided by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 and will support activities previously authorized under Sec. 12005 of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act).

It’s been a year now since a $2 trillion coronavirus relief package, known as the CARES Act, was passed. For the seafood industry, Section 12005 gave the Department of Commerce the right to provide assistance to fishery participants who had been affected by COVID-19. A total of $300 million was set aside for the fisheries sector, with funds ultimately broken down by state, tribe and territory. NOAA turned to their partners – the Atlantic Marine Fisheries Commission, Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission, and the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission – to disburse the funds. Alaska and Washington came out on top with $50 million each in funding being allocated to them, while Massachusetts landed a little over $28 million and Florida over $23.6 million.

Read the full story at Seafood News