Fishing businesses who lost more than 35% in revenue last year due to COVID-19 are eligible for relief as a part of the $50 million set aside last year for pandemic relief. Applications are open and being accepted through April 30. Payments could come as early as June, but will take time to be processed.
On May 7, 2020, the U.S. Secretary of Commerce announced allocations of Section 12005 CARES Act fisheries assistance funding to all coastal states and territories. Alaska was allocated $50 million of the $300 million available for the program.
The money comes from the original CARES Act that Congress passed last year. More than $17.2 million will go to commercial fishermen; about $13.3 million for sport and charter guides, $15.8 million to seafood processors, $2.4 to subsistence users, and around $493,000 for Alaska’s aquaculture businesses.
A little more than 1 percent of Alaska’s share — about $628,000 — will be paid to the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission, NOAA Fisheries and Alaska Department of Fish and Game to administer the program.
For the purposes of carrying out the provisions in Section 12005 of the CARES Act, “fishery-related businesses” primarily include commercial fishing businesses, charter fishing businesses, qualified aquaculture operations, processors, wholesalers, distributors and dealers. Businesses farther down the supply chain—including vessel repair businesses, restaurants, or seafood retailers—are not considered “fishery-related businesses” for the purposes of this funding.
Applications will be accepted online from March 1 to April 30. More information on how to apply is available by calling 1-888-517-7262. Or emailing AKCares@psmfc.org.
Applicants are encouraged to complete and submit their applications electronically, although will still be permitted to print, complete by hand, and submit through traditional mail methods, i.e USPS, FedEx, UPS, etc. Applications will NOT be mailed unless explicitly requested. Given the application period is only 54 days; all applications MUST be received or at least postmarked on or before 4/23/2021 – ABSOLUTELY NO LATE APPLICATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED, Commission staff highly encourage applicants to obtain the necessary documents themselves due to these time constraints and due to our limitations to review and respond to voicemails and emails promptly.
If requesting an application by mail, please email AKCares@psmfc.org, subject the message “Application Request,” and provide your name, an address where you can receive mail, and indicate which application(s) you are requesting. If calling our toll-free hotline, please do the same.
For questions or inquiries related specifically to Alaska’s Sec. 12005 CARES Act Fisheries Assistance relief please email AKCares@psmfc.org or call toll-free: 1-888-517-7262. If you have the ability to email, you may receive a quicker response due to the large volume of calls anticipated to be received.
Alternatively, you may reach out to ADFG personnel working on Alaska’s ~$50 million Sec. 12005 CARES Act relief at dfg.com.caresact@alaska.gov or (907) 465-6136.
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