March 31, 2021 — An additional USD 255 million (EUR 217.3 million) in CARES Act fisheries relief funding has been released to states, territories, and tribal entities to help fisheries impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, once again, questions have been raised about the allocation process.
The move comes nearly a year after USD 300 million (EUR 255.6 million) was allocated to U.S. fisheries in the first round of funding.
March 31, 2021 — The following was released by The Office of Senator Jack Reed (D-RI):
In an effort to give Rhode Island fishermen a voice and voting representation on the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC), which manages some of the most important fish stocks for the state’s commercial fishing industry, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and U.S. Representatives James Langevin and David Cicilline, today announced the reintroduction of the Rhode Island Fishermen’s Fairness Act. The legislation would add Rhode Island to the list of seven states with voting representation on the MAFMC, a regional management board that establishes fishery management rules for stocks primarily caught in federal waters adjacent to the mid-Atlantic coast.
The delegation also announced $2,967,000 in federal fisheries assistance funding provided by the Consolidated Appropriations Act. This new federal funding goes to the state and will be administered by the Department of Environmental Management. Eligible commercial fishing, processors, charter fishing, and other eligible seafood sector industry members who have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic may apply for a share of the funds.
The delegation helped include this funding for Rhode Island as part of a $255 million allocation for fishermen nationwide in the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSA), also known as the ‘coronabus’ law, that was signed in December. Previously, the CARES Act provided $300 million to states to distribute to fisheries participants through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries allocations. Nearly $3.3 million of that fishery disaster assistance went to help Rhode Island fishermen impacted by COVID-19.
While the COVID-19 relief funds are critical, the delegation stressed the need for a legislative fix giving Rhode Island fair representation on the MAFMC.
“This is an issue of fairness. The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council is a key decision making body that determines what happens off the coast of Rhode Island, but our state doesn’t have a seat or say right now. Our fishermen deserve appropriate representation on this council. Mid-Atlantic-regulated stocks now represent the majority of landings for Rhode Island commercial fishermen. It is time that our state has formal representation on this council and this legislation will ensure they get it,” said Senator Reed, who has been pushing this issue since 2005.
“Climate change is warming the oceans, causing fish that were traditionally found in the mid-Atlantic to migrate northward to the waters off southern New England,” said Senator Whitehouse. “Rhode Island fishermen should have a seat at the table when decisions are made about those fish stocks. I’m glad to join Senator Reed in working to get our fishing industry fair representation on the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council.”
“This is ultimately an issue about the livelihoods of Rhode Island’s fishermen,” said Congressman Langevin, who is introducing the companion bill in the U.S. House of Representatives. “The majority of Rhode Island landings are Mid-Atlantic regulated stocks, and our fishermen should not be shut out of that regulatory process. All we have to do is look at the addition of North Carolina to the MAFMC to know that there is a precedent for this. It is time that Rhode Island fishermen be included as well.”
“It is imperative that Rhode Island’s fishing industry have a seat at the table on the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council,” said Congressman Cicilline. “Rhode Island accounts for more fish landings in waters managed by the MAFMC than almost any state in the Mid-Atlantic region, yet our fisheries still do not have a say in how a significant portion of their industry is managed. I am proud to join my colleagues in the Rhode Island delegation in introducing this commonsense legislation which will fix this oversight.”
The catch of Rhode Island commercial fishermen represents a significant percentage of commercial landings of the Mid-Atlantic fishery, and is greater than most of the states represented on the Council.
According to data provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), between 2015 and 2019, Rhode Island accounted for approximately a quarter of the commercial landings from stocks under MAFMC’s sole jurisdiction, both by weight and value. The significance of commercial landings from stocks managed by MAFMC is growing every year for Rhode Island, accounting for 58% of Rhode Island’s federally managed commercial fisheries landings in 2019. In 2019 alone, Rhode Island landed over 5.5 million more pounds of squid than any other state on the East Coast. But, Rhode Island does not have a formal say in how this species is managed because it does not have representation on the MAFMC.
Without representation on the MAFMC, Rhode Island cannot participate fully in development of fishery management plans for Mid-Atlantic stocks, many of which are crucial to the Rhode Island seafood economy.
The Rhode Island Fishermen Fairness Act would add two places for Rhode Island representation to the 21 member Council. One seat would be appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce under recommendations from Rhode Island’s Governor. The second seat would be filled by Rhode Island’s principal state official with marine fishery management responsibility. To accommodate these new members, the MAFMC would increase in size from 21 voting members to 23.
North Carolina was added to the MAFMC as part of the Sustainable Fisheries Act in 1996. Like Rhode Island, a significant portion of North Carolina’s landed fish species were managed by the MAFMC, yet the state was not represented on the council.
March 31, 2021 — An additional $255 million in fisheries assistance funding is being allocated through the CARES Act, but not everyone is happy about it. Louisiana Congressman Garrett Graves says that the funding his state will receive “makes no sense.”
During the first round of funding through the CARES Act Louisiana was allocated $14.7 million out of the $300 million put aside for fisheries. During this second round of funding the state will receive $12,477,165.
March 31, 2021 — Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced Tuesday $12,339,916 in funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries to assist fisheries across Louisiana. The funding is provided by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 and will support activities that have been authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
“Commercial fisheries support one of 70 jobs in Louisiana, and the pandemic hit them hard. Louisiana fishermen are resilient, and these funds will help get our fisheries back on their feet,” said Kennedy.
The funding will directly support coastal states and territories, including Louisiana, whose fisheries have suffered under the pandemic.
March 30, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:
NOAA Fisheries announced the allocation of an additional $255 million in fisheries assistance funding provided by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021. The funding will support activities previously authorized under Sec. 12005 of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). It will be allocated to states and territories with coastal and marine fishery participants who have been negatively affected by COVID-19.
“Our priority is to award these funds as quickly as possible using existing processes established under the CARES Act,” said Paul Doremus, Acting Assistant Administrator for NOAA Fisheries. “As a next step, we will use these allocations to provide additional funds to our partners—the interstate marine fisheries commissions, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands—to disburse funds to address direct or indirect fishery-related losses as well as subsistence, cultural, or ceremonial impacts related to COVID-19.”
The commissions then will work with each state and territory to revise their prior spend plans to be consistent with the Consolidated Appropriations Act, the CARES Act, and NOAA’s guidance. Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands will submit spend plans to the agency directly. All spend plans must describe the main categories for funding, including direct payments, fishery-related infrastructure, and fishery-related education. The funding will address direct and indirect COVID-19 impacts to eligible fishery participants, including:
Congress also designated $30 million for all federally recognized Tribes in coastal states and the Great Lakes and $15 million for Great Lakes states. We will work with our state partners and Tribes to determine the approach we will use to allocate this funding to eligible fishery participants as quickly as possible.
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.
March 26, 2021 — The application deadline has been extended for federal relief funding to commercial fishing, shellfish aquaculture, charter, and seafood sector industry members.
Eligible commercial fishing, shellfish, charter and seafood sector industry members who have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic now have through April 9 to apply with the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission (PSMFC) for assistance.
The 15-day extension includes additional time for industry members who fish or land their fish in Alaska but live in Washington to apply. Washington-based commercial fishers who fish in Alaska should apply to the Washington spend plan for assistance.
“This extension helps us to ensure that everyone who believes they’re eligible for this funding has the chance to apply,” said Ron Warren, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) fish policy director. “We recognize that the commercial fishing, shellfish aquaculture, and charter fishing industries are hurting right now and this marks an important step in getting this funding out to those who need it most.”
March 17, 2021 — U.S. President Joe Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act into law on Thursday, 11 March, almost one year after the CARES Act established the country’s first federal coronavirus relief bill.
The USD 1.9 trillion (EUR 1.6 trillion) American Rescue Plan Act is the largest spending package in U.S. history and contains significantly less relief for the commercial fishing and seafood industries than the CARES Act included, though much of that funding is yet to be distributed.
March 16, 2021 — Rich Isaksen has had no trouble catching fish during a pandemic.
Selling his catch, however, has been a disaster.
Isaksen is the president of the Belford Seafood Cooperative Association in Monmouth County, a collection of about 20 independent fishing boats. When governments around the region ordered restaurants to close in efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19, demand for fish caught by people like Isaksen evaporated. Prices at the docks plunged.
In June, the fisherman was offered just three cents per pound for red hake, a fish that normally draws 50 or 60 cents per pound. It wasn’t an isolated case.
“Last week, I think they got $1.20 (per pound) for summer flounder,” Isaksen said. “Normally, that’s like three or four dollars.”
Wholesalers, to whom Isaksen’s co-op usually sells, tried to compensate for disappearing restaurant demand by peddling more to supermarkets and grocery stores. That helped some, Isaksen said, but he still estimates his 2020 income from selling to wholesalers was slashed in half.
“The thing about the fishing industry, there’s not a lot of people buying whole fish and cleaning them,” Isaksen said. “A lot of people are going to restaurants.”
March 16, 2021 — The limitations placed on dining, workplaces and businesses to curb the spread of the coronavirus are just the latest in a string of hard hits for the Louisiana’s seafood industry, which has faced one problem after another in the last few years.
As Business Report details in a new feature, the industry was already battling competition from foreign imports, which undercut prices and inspired the Louisiana Legislature in 2019 to pass a seafood labelling law requiring restaurant menus to label whether shrimp and crawfish are of Louisiana origin.
In 2019, the opening of the Bonnet Carre Spillway for 123 days released an influx of freshwater from the Mississippi River into oyster-harvesting areas, decimating the supply. Add to that, the 2020 hurricane season, in which the state’s fertile waters and seafood farms faced off against five named landfalling storms.