The U.S. Department of Commerce in mid-September announced $277 million for Alaska fishery disasters, with funding for a number of salmon and crab fisheries from 2020-2023. The aid will be transmitted to the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission for distribution to fishermen, seafood processors and communities impacted by the disasters.
The funding is to be allocated in a partnership between the Fisheries Commission, the state of Alaska and Tribal leaders. The money had been a long time in coming and was tied down by bureaucracy, state officials have said.
In April, Rep. Mary Peltola, D-Anchorage, penned a letter to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, expressing concerns about the three groups of fishery disaster funds that were stuck at various stages in NOAA and could not proceed due to problems with NOAA’s then-new accounting software, adopted in October 2023.
On Sept. 20, Peltola issued a statement expressing relief that the funding request finally cleared the proper channels.
“Our fishermen and fishing families have suffered enough the last few years—when disaster strikes, it only sets us back further,” Peltola said in a statement. “This funding is critical in helping our fisheries recover and support the communities all over Alaska, and beyond, that rely on their seafood product output.”
“There is no question that fisheries and coastal communities in Alaska need help as they navigate catastrophic fishery collapses,” Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, added. “Although I am grateful our fishermen and communities will finally see some relief, for many it might be too little too late.”
“After years of waiting, some have already moved onto other professions, and in some cases have even left the state,” she remarked. “I will continue working with my colleagues to pass legislation to streamline the process so these regulatory delays are a thing of the past.”
“I am hopeful this assistance will help Alaska’s hardworking fishermen recover from a devastating few years so they can get back on the water and return to their active role in this critical industry,” she added.
In a statement, Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, said he also was glad to see the federal relief dollars being distributed.
“These Alaskans should never have had to wait this long to see this relief processed—a frustration I raised with Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and NOAA Fisheries Director Janet Coit on numerous occasions in recent months.”
He also touted legislation that he put forward with Sen. Rick Scott, R-Florida, to enact timelines on the executive branch’s approval process for disasters “to ensure our fishermen are receiving the relief dollars they are due in a timely fashion…We need this funding to expeditiously reach Alaskans so that they can weather these disasters over the long-term.”