February 5, 2021 — As of Thursday morning Capt. Rich Issaken, owner of the Isaetta commercial boat at the Belford co-operative dock, was still waiting for word on whether his application for CARES Act grant money was approved.
This is the week that New Jersey’s fishing sector is to begin receiving disbursements of CARES Act money from the state’s Department of Environmental Protection.
The state was awarded $11 million from the initial federal pandemic relief package that was passed by Congress last March. The DEP said it would start notifying fishermen the week of Feb. 1.
“We applied. Haven’t heard anything yet,” Issaken said.
Most of the grant funds, $6.1 million to be exact, are earmarked for the state’s commercial and aquaculture sector. The recreational fishing industry sector was allocated $1.1 million while the remaining $3.8 million was awarded to the dealer and processor sector.