ADFG Update on Section 12005 CARES Act Funding

 

CARES Act Update

 

For Immediate Release: February 25, 2021

Spend Plan Approved – Section 12005 CARES Act Funding

(Anchorage, AK) – On May 7, 2020, the U.S. Secretary of Commerce announced allocations of Section 12005 CARES Act fisheries assistance funding to all costal states and territories. Alaska will receive $50 million of the $300 million available for this assistance program. The spend plan provides eligibility criteria for participants in each of the sectors, which are seafood processing, commercial harvesting, sport charter, subsistence, and aquaculture. The spending plan will allocate 100% of available funds as direct payments to fishery participants in eligible sectors. While all sectors have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, available funds will only cover a portion of the losses incurred by affected fishery participants.

On February 25^th the state received approval on the state’s draft spend plan, with required changes from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) The approved spend plan is available on the Department of Fish and Game’s home page www.adfg.alaska.gov.

To receive approval from NOAA on the spend plan, the state was required to change residency requirements for commercial harvesters. The spend plan draft submitted by the State of Alaska allowed all nonresident commercial harvesters to apply to Alaska for relief if they held Alaskan permits. The state was notified by NOAA during the review process that only nonresident commercial harvesters who do not reside in a state that received a Section 12005 allocation could be eligible in Alaska.

Applications for all sectors, except subsistence, will be made available on the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission webpage on March 1^st www.psmfc.org/cares-act-the-coronavirus-aid-relief-and-economic-security-act. NOAA is currently working with US Fish and Wildlife Service to identify subsistence users across Alaska. Once they have completed this task, subsistence will be come available. Completion date is unknown at this time.

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.

 

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ADF&G CONTACT:

Kari Winkel, (907) 465-6141, dfg.com.caresact@alaska.gov