A snow crab underwater
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US Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo has announced the allocation of $39.5 million to address a fishery resource disaster that happened in the Alaska Bering Sea Snow Crab Fishery from 2023 to 2024.
The funding will assist Alaskans affected and help the community to prevent future disasters, and protect jobs, recreation and cultural connections thriving.
The areas of assistance may include habitat conservation and restoration, collection of fishery information, capacity reduction efforts, development and repair of fisheries-related public infrastructure, and other activities.
"As climate change continues to have severe impacts on the fisheries and ecosystems that are vital to Alaska's economy, the Department of Commerce remains committed to providing disaster relief across the state," stated Raimondo.
In June, the Secretary already announced the allocation of USD 12.2 million to address fishery resource disasters that occurred in Alaska and Puget Sound, Washington, in 2021 and 2022.
NOAA Fisheries based the allocation of funds on the revenue loss from the commercial fishing and processing sectors.
Compared to previous allocations, this one has been "significantly" smaller due to the limited remaining funding appropriated by Congress for fishery disasters, the organism explained.
On the other hand, it is possible that Congress will approve additional funds for fishery disaster relief. In that case, the Secretary will review the appropriation and make a decision.
Finally, NOAA Fisheries, the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission, and the state of Alaska are committed to ensuring that legal and grant requirements are met in their spending plan.