Alaska Fisheries Report May 12, 2022 – KMXT 100.1 FM

On this week’s Alaska Fisheries Report with Terry Haines: The Alaska Division of Fish and Recreation takes testimony on how federal fishery catastrophe cash must be spent, and Yukon/Kuskokwim residents have lots to say:

Catastrophe Funds      Kirsten Dobroth  KMXT

Greater than $130 million [web: $131.8 million] in federal aid cash is heading to Alaska communities impacted by greater than a dozen fishery disasters between 2018 and 2021. That’s based on an announcement on Thursday (5/5) from Alaska’s Division of Fish and Recreation. The funds had been authorised by Congress and allotted by the U.S. Division of Commerce.

However that’s a fraction of the cash misplaced by the state’s fishing communities. Karla Bush is a program supervisor with Fish and Recreation.

“You already know, throughout the board right here it appears like in comparison with the estimated losses from these disasters the funding that was offered makes up about 60 to 70% of these losses.”

Bush says the division hopes to publish a preliminary spending plan for the cash subsequent month.

Fourteen fisheries in Alaska had been authorised as disasters by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce again in January. These included salmon fisheries from the Yukon River to Prince William Sound and the Japanese Bering Sea Tanner crab fishery. The Gulf of Alaska’s 2020 cod fishery additionally acquired a catastrophe designation. That was the yr many of the fishery disasters occured [web: – with several also happening in 2018 and one as recently as 2021.]

The 2019 Alaska Norton Sound king crab fishery will even obtain aid cash – it was authorised as a catastrophe by the Commerce Secretary final summer season [web: in June of 2021].

Fish and Recreation held a listening session on Wednesday (Could 11) for public enter on how the most recent catastrophe cash must be spent. Members of the general public may also e mail feedback to the division. dfg.com.fisheriesdisasters@alaska.gov

The fishery aid funding checklist for Alaska communities encompasses:

• 2019 Norton Sound Crimson king crab fishery: $1,433,137
• 2020 Norton Sound, Yukon River, Kuskokwim River, Chignik, and Southeast Alaska salmon fisheries, and 2021 Yukon River salmon fishery: $55,928,849
• 2018 Higher Cook dinner Inlet East Facet Set Internet and 2020 Higher Cook dinner Inlet salmon fisheries: $9,404,672
• 2018 and 2020 Copper River and Prince William Sound salmon fisheries: $34,326,265
• 2019/2020 Japanese Bering Sea Tanner crab fishery: $12,935,199
• 2020 Gulf of Alaska Pacific cod fishery: $17,772,540]

Earlier Alaska fishery catastrophe spend plans have offered funds for 2 basic classes: analysis and direct funds to affected fishery contributors equivalent to harvesters, processors, communities, and households. To help in growth of the spend plans for the six current fishery disasters, the State is requesting feedback on:

• classes of affected fishery contributors to obtain direct funds,
• eligibility standards for direct funds,
• the best way to allocate funds among the many classes of fishery contributors,
• the best way to allocate funds amongst fisheries if a number of areas or years are included within the fishery catastrophe; and
• suggestions for analysis priorities.

— See the NOAA Fisheries site for extra info on fishery catastrophe help: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/nationwide/funding-and-financial-services/fishery-disaster-assistance.