Saving Seafood

Northeast lawmakers demand immediate guidance, speedy release of coronavirus aid

May 1, 2020 — Congressional delegations from Massachusetts and New Jersey took up fishing industry calls for immediate guidance and “transparent distribution” from the Department of Commerce to allocate $300 million in coronavirus fisheries assistance approved by Congress.

“The Trump administration must swiftly make this financial assistance available to fishing communities and allocate it in a way that equitably accounts for the severe economic losses the hardest hit states have endured,” New Jersey’s delegation wrote in an April 23 letter to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross.

“It has been nearly a month since the CARES Act was signed into law by President Trump…and yet the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has not released guidance for the distribution of the emergency aid nor has it publicly stated when that guidance will be released.”

“Since Congress passed the CARES Act on March 25, 2020, the Commerce Department has made only one public statement on the assistance to fisheries participants,” the Massachusetts lawmakers told Ross in an April 29 message.

NOAA’s sole public communication on the CARES Act fisheries aid was six sentences that appeared April 2 on its website, along with the link to an email address for fishermen and other stakeholders to submit information about the economic impacts of coronaries on their businesses.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

NJ’s State & Federal Appeal for Fish Funds

May 1, 2020 — The $2.2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act passed by Congress and signed by the president on March 25 set aside $300 million in COVID-19 relief funding to help the nation’s fishing community. Members of the recreational and commercial fishing industry can qualify for funding if they’ve lost 35% of their revenue compared to a previous 5-year average.

Yet more than month since the cash was made available, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and all 14 New Jersey members of Congress, are still waiting to see how and when these funds are to be dispersed in the areas hardest hit by the global pandemic.

On April 23, the New Jersey congressional delegation sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) and the federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB) concerning the $300 million in fisheries assistance made available through the CARES Act. The letter addressed to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and OMB Acting Director Russell T. Vought seeks a transparent distribution methodology that accounts for the economic devastation wrought by the COVID19 pandemic in the hardest hit states like New Jersey, and the execution of the disbursed funds as soon as possible.

Read the full story at The Fisherman

MASSACHUSETTS: Fishing sectors, nonprofits seek federal pandemic aid

May 1, 2020 — Fishing stakeholders are urging Congress to expand federal assistance in the next round of funding to include fishing-related nonprofit associations and Northeast fishing sectors to help them keep their employees working during the pandemic.

In a letter to the respective chairmen of the U.S. House and Senate small business committees, stakeholders called on lawmakers to redress inequities toward many non-profits that have been precluded from sharing in benefits — specifically the Paycheck Protection Program — contained in the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act.

“Our primary principle concern is for the equitable treatment of the Northeast groundfish industry sectors organized pursuant to the Internal Revenue Code section 501(c)(5), and for those U.S. fishing industry trade associations organized pursuant to IRS section 501(c)(6),” the stakeholders stated in the letter.

Those associations include the Gloucester-based Northeast Seafood Coalition, the Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association, the Fishing Partnership Support Services and other fishing nonprofit organizations.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

Lawmakers question status of USD 300 million fisheries aid

April 30, 2020 — Lawmakers from the U.S. state of Massachusetts sent a letter to U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross on Wednesday, 29 April, citing their “frustration and concern” over the lack of action on a USD 300 million (EUR 274.1 million) relief package for American fisheries that Congress passed a month ago.

In the letter, U.S. Sens. Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren, along with U.S. Reps. Seth Moulton and Bill Keating, sent Ross a list of five questions regarding the aid that was part of the USD 2.2 trillion (EUR 2.01 trillion) CARES Act. President Donald Trump signed the bill into law on 27 March.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Elizabeth Warren demands government sort out $300 million aid package for fisheries

April 30, 2020 — US Senators Elizabeth Warren and Edward Markey on Wednesday joined a growing chorus of voices calling “for the immediate release of federal guidance” for how fishery participants can access $300 million (€276.6 million) in emergency funds promised through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES).

In their letter to US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, the Massachusetts lawmakers, both Democrats, stated “bureaucratic inefficiencies” are behind the failure to distribute the funds.

“The Commerce Department needs to issue guidance as soon as possible so that fisheries aid can reach those who desperately need it,” the letter reads.

Read the full story at IntraFish

Senator Collins Urges President to Swiftly Release $300 Million to Support Fishing Industry During COVID-19 Pandemic

April 30, 2020 — The following was released by The Office of Senator Susan Collins (R-ME):

U.S. Senator Susan Collins raised the concerns of Maine’s seafood industry directly to President Donald Trump today, urging him to quickly release the $300 million for assistance to fishermen and businesses along the seafood supply chain that was included in the CARES Act.  As a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, Senator Collins helped to secure this critical relief provision in the final legislation.

“When you signed the CARES Act into law on March 27, Maine fishermen and the diverse supply chain businesses with which they work were encouraged by the inclusion of $300 million in assistance specifically for their sector,” Senator Collins wrote to President Trump.  “I worked with a bipartisan group of Senate colleagues to secure this crucial funding. It has been more than a month since you signed the bill into law, and to date none of these funds have been disbursed to those who desperately need this support. With each day that passes absent this assistance, the frustration and economic damage mount.”

“The Maine seafood industry and those who work within it are defined by resilience,” Senator Collins continued.  “I am confident that this sector will demonstrate its resilience once again and emerge strong from this crisis – but these fishermen and businesses need immediate access to the help that Congress rightfully provided them in the CARES Act. I urge you to direct the Department of Commerce to release this much-needed assistance as soon as possible.”

Maine’s fishing industry has been under significant strain due to the closure of restaurants and the disruptions to trade resulting from COVID-19.  The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has estimated that nearly 70 percent of all seafood eaten in the U.S. is consumed in food service establishments. Senator Collins previously wrote to Commerce Secretary Ross, calling on him to release this $300 million in funding.

Click HERE to read Senator Collins’ letter to President Trump.

Sens. Markey & Warren, Reps. Moulton and Keating Demand Immediate Guidance for Fisheries Disaster Assistance Funding During Coronavirus Emergency

April 29, 2020 — UPDATE: The following release has been updated with a new link to the letter, available HERE.

The following was released by Massachusetts Senators Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren, and Representatives Seth Moulton and Bill Keating:

Today, Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Representatives William Keating (MA-09) and Seth Moulton (MA-06) called for the immediate release of federal guidance for how fishery participants can access the designated $300 million in disaster assistance funding included in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. In their letter to the Commerce Department, the Massachusetts lawmakers report that it appears to be bureaucratic inefficiencies that are behind the failure to issue guidance in a timely manner and ask when it will be issued, as well as when assistance will be distributed. The CARES Act was signed into law more than a month ago, and while other programs have already released funding to provide economic relief to various communities and industries, the Commerce Department has yet even to release guidelines for how disaster assistance can be accessed by struggling fishing and seafood businesses.

“This silence and delay poses a particular problem because fishery participants do not know how to determine whether they will be eligible for the CARES Act assistance,” write the lawmakers in their letter to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross.“The Commerce Department needs to issue guidance as soon as possible so that fisheries aid can reach those who desperately need it.”

A copy of the letter can be found HERE.

In the letter, the lawmakers ask for responses to questions that include:

  • Which Commerce Department entity is principally responsible for the preparation and promulgation of this guidance?
  • When will the guidance be finalized and published? What issues remain to be resolved before this can happen?
  • Will the guidance be open for public comment before it is finalized or will it be issued in final form?
  • After guidance is issued, when does the Commerce Department expect to begin distributing CARES Act assistance to fishery participants?

On April 2, Senators Markey and Warren led a letter urging the Department of Commerce and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to act swiftly, equitably, and transparently in allocating fisheries disaster assistance funding. On March 23, Senators Markey and Warren, and Alaska Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan called on Senate leadership to include support for the fishing industry in coronavirus economic relief packages.

JESSICA HATHAWAY: Stimulus update: Cashed out

April 23, 2020 — The historic addition of unemployment benefits for self-employed and contract workers — fishermen included — was a necessary change in the way we support our critical infrastructure as we peer down the barrel of this pandemic.

Now, almost a month out from the passing of the $2.2 trillion stimulus package, most fishermen are finding that they may still be left out in the cold.

The Paycheck Protection Program was funded with $349 billion slated to secure jobs for millions of Americans working for small businesses.

One of the hangups with this program was that it was never set up to allow applications with 1099s — the tax form most fishermen use. Even a boat owner with regular, year-round crew couldn’t get coverage for the crew the way the program was set up.

To top it off, most of the banks that are approved to process these types of federal loans and applications are big banks. They deal primarily with bigger businesses, the kinds with lawyers on retainer and accountants and payroll managers.

Read the full opinion piece at National Fisherman

Seafood Harvesters of America asks for clarity on COVID-19 relief funding

April 23, 2020 — Seafood Harvesters of America sent U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross a letter on Thursday, 23 April, calling on the Commerce Department and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to communicate how it will use the USD 300 million (EUR 278.2 million) in COVID-19 relief funding to help the nation’s fishermen.

That money was allocated in the USD 2.2 trillion (EUR 2.04 trillion) CARES Act, which Congress passed last month.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

MAINE: Fishermen still waiting to access pandemic relief funds

April 21, 2020 — Once they acknowledged that the current coronavirus pandemic, in addition to its public health consequences, would cause an economic disaster, Congress and the administration in Washington, D.C., established a $2.2-trillion economic relief program. The program was designed to put money in the pockets of millions of newly unemployed workers and to help thousands of small businesses keep workers on the payroll.

While the federal programs are designed to provide substantial aid, so far they have done little to help the thousands of entrepreneurial Maine fishermen who are self-employed and don’t qualify for ordinary unemployment insurance benefits. It is an open question when any help will be forthcoming.

“The state of Maine continues to await guidance from the federal government on guidelines to expand unemployment to self-employed persons,” Patrice McCarron, executive director of the Maine Lobstermen’s Association, said Friday. “The only source of info is the state. They continue to tell self-employed not to file because the application will result in denial since the program is not set up.”

On March 27, Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act that, among other provisions, authorized one-time “economic impact payments” of $1,200 to adult U.S. residents with incomes of under $99,000 plus an additional payment of $500 for each child in a household. According to the U.S. Treasury, the first payments were issued last week. Some payments were to be transferred by direct deposit into taxpayers’ bank accounts, but as of Monday many people were still waiting for the money to appear.

Read the full story at The Ellsworth American