CARES Act (2020)
The Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission (GSMFC) is working collaboratively with NOAA Fisheries to distribute the funds appropriated by Congress for various fishery disasters. Currently, NOAA Fisheries has requested the three interstate commissions administer the fishery disaster programs.
UPDATE: August 9, 2021 – The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) is now accepting applications for COVID related assistance to qualifying fishery participants. The application deadline is August 29, 2021 Please go to https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/page/cares-act-assistance for more information on the LDWF program and to apply online.
Update March 31, 2021 – NOAA Fisheries announced the allocation of $255 million in fisheries assistance funding provided by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 to states and territories with coastal and marine fishery participants who have been negatively affected by COVID–19.
Fishery participants eligible for funding—including qualified aquaculture operations, commercial fishing businesses, charter/for-hire fishing businesses, processors, and other fishery-related businesses—should work with their state marine fisheries management agencies or territories to understand the process for applying for these funds.
More information can be found on the NOAA Fisheries website.
Update February 1, 2021 – The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is now accepting applications for CARES Act funds to aid processors, commercial, and charter fishery participants affected by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). The funding is available for eligible fishery participants that were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic earlier this year. Please go to https://tpwd.texas.gov/fishboat/fish/commercial/cares_act/cares_index.phtml to learn more about the program and to fill out an application. The application deadline is March 18, 2021.
Update November 9, 2020 – The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources is now accepting applications for CARES Act funds to assist in the recovery efforts of its commercial fishing, processing, and charter for-hire industries. The funding is available for eligible fishery participants that were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic earlier this year. Please go to https://dmr.ms.gov/cares-act-assistance/ to learn more about the program and to fill out an application.
Update September 14, 2020 - The Alabama Marine Resources Division is now accepting applications for CARES Act funds to assist in the recovery efforts of Alabama’s seafood-related businesses such as commercial fishing, processing, marine aquaculture, and charter for-hire. The funding is available for financial damages incurred from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic between March 1, 2020 and May 31, 2020. Please go to https://www.outdooralabama.com/CARES-ACT to learn more about the Alabama program and to fill out an application.
UPDATE: September 8, 2020 – The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) CARES Act Plan has been approved. LDWF will start accepting applications on September 14, 2020 and the application process will close on October 26, 2020. Please go to https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/page/cares-act-assistance for more information on the LDWF program and to apply online.
UPDATE: May 13, 2020 - The Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act identified $300 million for fisheries and aquaculture. The GSMFC has been notified by the Department of Commerce that they will be assisting fishery participants affected by COVID-19 in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. The state of Florida will be working with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC). For information about the ASMFC plans, please click on the following link: (http://www.asmfc.org/home/cares-act-resources).
For Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, the individual state agencies will develop their own spend plans consistent with the CARES Act and NOAA Fisheries’ guidance and the GSMFC will administer the distribution according to the states’ spend plans. All spend plans must describe the main categories for funding, including direct payments, fishery-related infrastructure, and fishery-related education that address direct and indirect COVID-19 impacts to commercial fishermen, charter businesses, qualified aquaculture operations, subsistence/cultural/ceremonial users, processors, and other fishery-related businesses. Once a spend plan has been approved by NOAA Fisheries, the GSMFC will process payments to eligible fishery participants on behalf of the states.
Fishery participants eligible for funding include Tribes, commercial fishing businesses, charter/for-hire fishing businesses, qualified aquaculture operations, processors, and other fishery-related businesses. They should work with their state marine fisheries management agencies to understand the process for applying for these funds. Please note for the purposes of Sec. 12005 funding, businesses farther down the supply chain including vessel repair businesses, restaurants, or seafood retailers are not considered “fishery-related businesses.”
State Marine Resource Agencies & Primary Contacts
| State Agency | Contact |
|---|---|
| Texas Parks and Wildlife Department 4200 Smith School Road Austin, TX 78744 |
Robin Riechers Director Coastal Fisheries Division robin.riechers@tpwd.texas.gov 512-389-4636 |
| LA Department of Wildlife and Fisheries 2000 Quail Drive Baton Rouge, LA 70808 |
Richard Williams rrwilliams@wlf.la.gov 225-765-0121 Ext. 1322 |
| Mississippi Department of Marine Resources 1141 Bayview Avenue Biloxi, MS 39530 |
Traci Floyd Deputy Director, Marine Fisheries traci.floyd@dmr.ms.gov 228-523-4068 |
| Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Marine Resources Division P.O. Box 189 Dauphin Island, AL 36528 |
Scott Bannon Director Scott.Bannon@dcnr.alabama.gov 251-861-2882 |
| Florida | Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission http://www.asmfc.org/home/cares-act-resources |
Additional Information
- NOAA Fisheries: Commerce Secretary Announces Allocation of $300 Million in CARES Act Funding
- Sea Grant: Seafood Information and Resources
As details become available, we will update our website. If you have questions please e-mail Jeff Rester at jrester@gsmfc.org.
