The US government has determined that fishery disasters occurred in four fisheries between 2018 and 2020.
Secretary of Commerce, Gina M. Raimondo, has stated that the events in Alaska and New York and for the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe and Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis in Washington, met the requirements for a fishery disaster under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and/or the Interjurisdictional Fisheries Act.
These determinations make the fisheries eligible for disaster assistance from NOAA and they may also qualify for disaster assistance from the Small Business Administration. “Fisheries are essential to our communities and economy and we want to ensure America is in a position to remain competitive on the global stage,” said Secretary Raimondo.
“These determinations allow us to lend a helping hand to the fishing families and communities that have experienced very real and difficult setbacks in the last few years,” she added.
The Secretary works with NOAA Fisheries to evaluate each fishery disaster request based mainly on data submitted by the requesting state or tribe. She ruled that the following fisheries met the requirements for a disaster determination – Norton Sound Red King Crab in Alaska (2019), Peconic Bay Scallop in New York (2019/20), Port Gamble S’Klallam Puget Sound Coho Salmon in Washington (2018) and Chehalis and Black River Spring Chinook Salmon in Washington (2019).
The Secretary also determined that red tides in Florida did not cause a fishery disaster for Florida fisheries between 2018 and 2019.
