October 28, 2014 — The state’s application for the second phase of federal fishery disaster aid includes about $3 million for an expanded group of federal permit holders and another $3 million that represents the first direct assistance to crew members.
If approved by NOAA Fisheries, the state’s application for the $8.3 million in federal funds also will provide financial assistance to state-water permit holders, charter and for-hire fishing operations, shore-side businesses and groundfish sector administrations, according to Mary Griffin, commissioner of the state Department of Fish and Game.
“Our goal is to begin initiating payments before the end of the calendar year,” Griffin said Monday.
The state already has distributed about $6.5 million of the $14.8 million Massachusetts received as its share of the $75 million in fishery disaster funds Congress appropriated in January.
The initial phase paid $32,500 each to about 200 federal permit holders in Massachusetts.
Some provisions of the state’s grant application for the second phase — which heavily focuses on expanding assistance to permit holders and crew — include:
About $3 million for federal limited permit holders by expanding the pool of beneficiaries beyond the initial criteria — those who caught at least 5,000 pounds of groundfish in any one year from 2010 to 2013 — to include 2009.
“We heard from a lot of people who weren’t able to make the transition to the catch-share system,” Griffin said.
The state also seeks assistance for state-water permit holders and smaller commercial fishing enterprises that operate at a lower level, such as rod-and-reel permit holders. Under the state’s application, those who landed at least 3,000 pounds of groundfish in any one year from 2010 to 2013 will be eligible for some assistance.