Although the opening of the Bonnet Carre Spillway for 123 days in 2019 relieved Mississippi River flooding, it was a disaster for Mississippi fisheries on the Gulf Coast as the massive freshwater intrusion ruined their harvest. The U.S. Department of Commerce announced on January 24 it will provide $2.9 million in relief to those fisheries:
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo announced today the allocation of more than $42 million to address fishery disasters that occurred in Alaska, California, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oregon and the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe and Yurok Tribe fisheries from 2017 to 2022.
“Sustainable fisheries are essential to the health of our communities and support the nation’s economic well-being,” said Secretary Raimondo. “With these allocations, it is our hope that these funds help the affected communities and tribes recover from these disasters.”
Today’s announcement applies to the following fishery disasters:
- 2017 and 2019 Muckleshoot Indian Tribe Coho, Chum and Pink Salmon Fisheries($1,218,502)
- 2018 and 2019 California Red Sea Urchin Fishery ($1,648,366)
- 2018, 2019 and 2020 Oregon Chinook Salmon Fisheries ($7,050,722)
- 2020 Louisiana Saltwater Finfish, Oyster and Shrimp fisheries (partial) ($19,701,988)
- 2020 Mississippi Shrimp and Oyster Fisheries ($2,993,283)
- 2020 Yurok Tribe Chinook Salmon Fisheries ($405,778)
- 2021/2022 Louisiana Saltwater Finfish, Oyster and Shrimp ($7,450,423)
- 2022 Alaska Yukon River Salmon Fisheries ($1,594,841)
NOAA Fisheries used commercial revenue loss information to allocate funding across the eligible disasters. The agency also considered traditional uses of the fisheries resources that cannot be accounted for in commercial revenue loss alone, such as cultural and subsistence uses.
“The impacts of fishery disasters are a great concern for the communities that depend on these fisheries to support the lives and livelihoods of their local economies,” said Janet Coit, Assistant Administrator for NOAA Fisheries. “With climate change further stressing our fisheries and ecosystems, it is essential that we work together to mitigate the impacts of disasters, restore fisheries and help prevent future disasters.”
Congress provided fishery disaster assistance funding in the 2022 and 2023 Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriations Acts. Positive determinations make these fisheries eligible to receive a funding allocation from those appropriations. These funds will help improve the impacted fisheries’ long-term economic and environmental sustainability. Funds can assist the impacted fishing communities including commercial fishermen, recreational fishermen, charter businesses, shore-side infrastructure and subsistence users.
Activities that can be considered for funding include fishery-related infrastructure projects, habitat restoration, state-run vessel and fishing permit buybacks, job retraining and more. Some fishery-related businesses impacted by the fishery disasters may also be eligible for assistance from the Small Business Administration.
In the coming months, NOAA Fisheries will work with the states and tribes receiving allocations under this announcement to administer these disaster relief funds. Fishing communities and individuals affected by these disasters should work with their state and/or the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission as appropriate.
See a summary of fishery disaster determinations, including this announcement, and learn more about fishery disaster assistance.
The Commerce Department justified the award in a June 5, 2023 letter to Governor Tate Reeves.
Thank you for your letter requesting a determination of a commercial fishery failure due to a fishery resource disaster for Mississippi’s 2020 oyster and shrimp fisheries.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has evaluated information from the impacted fisheries. Upon further review, I have found that the request for a commercial fishery failure due to a fishery resource disaster for the 2020 oyster and shrimp fisheries meets the requirements under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA).
In order to have a positive determination, there must be a commercial fishery failure from an allowable cause. This disaster was due to the ongoing impacts of the 2019 Bonnet Carré freshwater flooding event, which resulted in loss of access to harvest these fisheries. This is an allowable cause under the MSA. The commercial fishery revenue losses were in the range of 35 to 100 percent, and NMFS concluded that these losses qualify as a commercial fishery failure.
This funding is helpful, but it does not make the impacted businesses whole. It should not take years for disaster funds to trickle in. I will keep working to reform the fisheries disaster declaration process so the funds can be delivered to communities in a shorter timeframe. I am committed to helping Mississippi recover no matter how long it takes.
The spillway's opening destroyed 90% of the oyster harvest and 50% of the shrimp harvest.
11 comments:
Broken record, I know -- borrowed Chinese money our kids will have to pay back.
Chicken feed from the same government that killed our fishery. Pathetic!
More deficit spending, but it's "free money," right? Did Ukraine approve?
But the politicians refuse to do anything about challenging the full on attack on recreational red snapper fishing. The commercial fishing lobbyist are in their pockets DEEP.
Why did they leave out the crayfish industry?
I'm tired of paying $12.00 a pound for crayfish.
I go fishing from time to time. Where do I sign up for the cash?
@1:26 PM So you want the rest of us taxpayers to subsidize your crayfish purchases?
This is not right. Ukraine and Iran need this money, right Joe?
And no one has mentioned the damage to the gulf s seafood industry that the city of jackson has caused with its released and unwarranted methods of letting raw sewage run into the Pearl River. You all know this affects millions of people not just in Mississippi don’t you? It’s a felonious act to allow a young black Marxist to have his way and let all of us pay the price. I would say what his punishment should be but we all know we can’t say that. Just think about this statement when you go eat your “fresh” seafood full of jackson urine and boo boo and all of the contaminates from hospitals and, I hate to say funeral homes. I know that’s not what anyone wants to hear but it has to flow somewhere. All we are doing is killing ourselves. And the little wannabe civil rights activist gets away with it.
To be distributed to the fishermen and businesses affected, right?
Exactly how does this work? If there is too much fresh water the fishermen get paid. If there is too much salt water the fishermen get paid. Is there ever just the right mix?
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