WASHINGTON – Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced May 18 an allocation of $88M in fishery disaster funding to the Gulf Coast (GC) states of Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi fresh-water flooding and causing a catastrophic fishery disaster due to the 2019 unprecedented opening of the Bonnet Carre Spillway along the Mississippi River in Louisiana. “The Department of Commerce stands with our U.S. fishing communities, especially in times of hardship,” said Ross. “These funds will help industries and individuals recover from this disaster, and build resilience for the future.” Fisheries play a major role for coastal economies. But when a natural disaster event occurs beyond the control of fishery managers, resulting in sudden negative economic impact, federal funds can be used to address the impact to commercial fishermen, recreational fishermen, charter businesses, subsistence users, processors, shore-side infrastructure, and the fishing ecosystem and environment. Activities that can be considered for funding include infrastructure projects, habitat restoration, state-run vessel and fishing permit buybacks, and job retraining. (Source: Department of Commerce 05/18/20) https://www.commerce.gov/news/press-releases/2020/05/secretary-commerce-allocates-88-million-fishery-disaster-funding-gulf More than $21.3M is on its way for fishermen, aquaculture businesses and seafood processors in South Mississippi, U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker and U.S. Rep. Steven Palazzo announced. (Source: Sun Herald 05/18/20)
Shipbuilding and maritime related news from the Central Gulf Coast region
