Tag Archives: disaster relief money

Years later, Alaska receives $56 million for salmon fishery disaster

Almost two years after Gov. Bill Walker requested federal funding to counterbalance a devastating blow to Alaska salmon, the government answered, to the tune of over $56 million in disaster relief money. As to who will actually be on the receiving end of that money, however, is not yet known. That disaster was the 2016 Southest Alaska Pink Salmon Fishery, which came under average of more than 4 million salmon, racking up losses of an estimated threshold of 35 to 80 percent.,,, The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which oversees the National Marine Fisheries Service, couldn’t immediately say who would be getting funds allocated. >click to read<08:25

Groundfish industry taking another hit with addition of at-sea monitors – Steve Urbon

observer sean sullivanSo this is how it looks. The gradual collapse of the New England groundfish industry continued last week as about two dozen people jammed into a meeting room of the state’s Division of Marine Fisheries office in the former voc-tech school on Purchase Street to argue about the distribution of disaster relief money allocated by Congress. Adding insult to injury is the impending shift of costs for at-sea monitors to the fishing boats. Fishing industry advocates liken this to a shotgun wedding, in which the boats have no choice but to sign a contract with a third party with no say in the price being paid. Read the rest here 09:09

In the Village of Kaltag, Fishermen and Processors Without Summer Employment – NOAA diverts disaster relief money

cashYukon River Gold LLC, the sole salmon processor in the village of Kaltag announced that it will not operate this summer,,, Why isn’t the disaster assistance making it to the victims of the disaster? The Federal fisheries disaster assistance is intended to help get the commercial fishing communities back on their feet, but the middle and upper Yukon River has had their disaster assistance diverted by NOAA to the politically powerful and largest Alaska Native organization Tanana Chiefs Conference/Doyon, have combined annual revenues of $400,000,000, and hardly need the money. The Kaltag region in contrast has only $9,361 in per capita income, 25% unemployment, and desperately needs the jobs. Read the rest here 16:18