$124M in disaster relief set for Alaska, elsewhere

Here's the press release from NOAA.

As best we can tell, these are the affected Alaska fisheries and the sums we can expect someday:

• 2023-24 Bering Sea snow crab fishery, $75.2 million

• 2022 Chignik salmon fishery, $18.5 million

• 2023 Upper Cook Inlet eastside setnet salmon fishery, $5.8 million.

Washington watch

A huge year-end funding bill includes $300 million in a section titled "fisheries disaster assistance."

The bill is meant to avert a government shutdown, but some GOP lawmakers and President-elect Trump don't like it.

Third snow crab season to receive disaster aid

Federal officials have allocated another large sum of money as disaster relief for the troubled Bering Sea snow crab fishery.

This latest sum of $39.5 million covers the 2023-24 season.

Previously, officials allocated much larger amounts for Alaska crab fisheries, including:

• $96.6 million for the 2022-23 Bering Sea snow crab and Bristol Bay red king crab fishery disasters

• $94.5 million for the 2021-22 Bering Sea snow crab and Bristol Bay red king crab fishery disasters.

The snow crab fishery has been closed the past two seasons due to weak stocks, and we're expecting word soon on whether the closure will extend to a third season.

Federal disaster dollars reportedly inch closer

Here's a press release from Alaska's congressional delegation.

Please help?

As expected, this season's pink salmon bust is beginning to spawn calls for assistance.

State Rep. Sarah Vance, R-Homer, chair of the House Special Committee on Fisheries, has sent a letter asking the governor to seek federal fishery disaster relief for Prince William Sound and other areas.

What about disaster funding for trollers?

The Alaska Trollers Association has posted an update.

Cook Inlet setnetters in line for disaster dollars

The federal government today announced disaster funding for the 2021 and 2022 Upper Cook Inlet eastside setnet salmon fisheries.

Speeding up disaster relief

Alaska's congressional delegation is sponsoring legislation to expedite federal aid following fishery disaster declarations.

More disaster relief

The U.S. commerce secretary today announced the allocation of more than $42 million to address fishery disasters nationally, including nearly $1.6 million for the 2022 Yukon River salmon fisheries.

Disaster relief for crabbers advances

Staggered by recent fishery closures, the Alaska crabbing industry has been waiting patiently for federal disaster relief to arrive.

Now, we see a significant step toward that end.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has finalized a spend plan for more than $190 million in congressionally appropriated disaster funds covering the 2021-22 and 2022-23 Bristol Bay red king crab and Bering Sea snow crab fisheries.

The spend plan divvies the money among crabbers, processors, and communities. It also allocates — over the grumbles of many industry players — 12 percent of the money, or $22.5 million, to research.

Finalizing the spend plan does not mean relief checks are about to hit mailboxes. No, some additional steps remain in the process.

The spend plan has been forwarded to the Portland, Oregon-based Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission for administration.

The city of Unalaska, the main port for the crab industry, is expecting a share of up to $5.5 million, the city manager said in a recent memo.

"We are hopeful that the funds will be disbursed either in late 2024 or early 2025," the memo said.

Disaster dollars for crab and salmon fisheries

Several Alaska fisheries are in line for a piece of more than $220 million in federal disaster funding.

Peltola wants $250 million in crab disaster relief

Here's the press release.

Crab industry's cry for help

Crab harvesters, processors and communities staggered by the closure of Being Sea king and snow crab fisheries want Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy to request federal disaster relief.

St. Paul to seek federal disaster relief

St. Paul interests explain why the Bering Sea snow crab closure is so devastating to the Bering Sea island community.

$131.8 million in disaster relief coming

Federal officials recently announced the allocation nationally of $144 million for fishery disaster relief.

Of the total, $131.8 million is coming to Alaska. Here's a rundown of the affected fisheries:

• 2019 Norton Sound red king crab fishery: $1,433,137

• 2020 Norton Sound, Yukon River, Kuskokwim River, Chignik, and Southeast Alaska salmon fisheries, and 2021 Yukon River salmon fishery: $55,928,849

• 2018 Upper Cook Inlet eastside setnet and 2020 Upper Cook Inlet salmon fisheries: $9,404,672

• 2018 and 2020 Copper River and Prince William Sound salmon fisheries: $34,326,265

• 2019-20 Eastern Bering Sea Tanner crab fishery: $12,935,199

• 2020 Gulf of Alaska Pacific cod fishery: $17,772,540

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game says it will develop spend plans for the funding.

In the past, fishery disaster spend plans have provided funds for research, and for direct payments to fishermen, processors, communities, and others.

When will the money be distributed? Probably no time soon, if past experience is any guide.

Disaster relief plans proposed

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has posted distribution plans for federal disaster funds.

The state is inviting public comments on the proposed plans, which cover two fisheries:

2018 Gulf of Alaska Pacific cod
2018 Chignik sockeye salmon

Disaster aid OK'd for cod, Chignik salmon fisheries

Alaska's congressional delegation says $24.4 million in disaster relief has been approved for the 2018 cod crash and $10.3 million for the 2018 sockeye failure at Chignik.

More details in this press release.

What's the best use of disaster funds?

Several groups from the Yukon-Kuskokwim and Cook Inlet regions have been tabbed to help fashion a spending plan for $20.8 million in federal disaster relief coming to Alaska in response to poor Chinook salmon runs. Details here.

Ocean Beauty wins Philippines food aid contract

Ocean Beauty Seafoods has won a state contract to supply a large volume of canned Alaska pink salmon for disaster relief in the Philippines.

Ocean Beauty edged out three other processors — Icicle, Peter Pan and Trident — with a low bid of $246,758.

The state invited bids for a minimum of 6,048 cases of pink salmon, with each case containing two dozen 14.75-ounce cans.

The fish is going to Cebu, Philippines, where a devastating typhoon as well as a strong earthquake struck last year.

Alaska's salmon industry has a huge inventory of canned salmon onhand, thanks to last year's record pink salmon harvest.

The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute is paying for the Philippines donation with "industry assessment funds," spokesman Tyson Fick says.

Washington watch

Here are a couple of interesting notes out of Washington, D.C.

• Congress has passed a giant appropriations bill that includes $75 million for fisheries disaster relief in several states including Alaska. Federal officials in 2012 declared a disaster in Alaska due to poor Chinook salmon returns to the Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers, as well as Cook Inlet. It's not yet clear how much of the $75 million Alaska will receive, or how the money will be spent.

• The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced it will buy canned pink salmon again this year. That's good news for Alaska's salmon industry, which faces a big challenge in marketing last year's record catch of more than 215 million pinks. The USDA has purchased as much as $8.4 million worth of canned pink salmon every year since 2011 for use in food aid programs. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, says Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack recently made a $20 million buying commitment.