Fishermen applying for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Seafood Trade Relief Program need to get their applications in by Friday, January 15, 2021. The USDA extended the application period in large part to give Alaska fishermen more time because the largest pool of applicants are Alaska fishermen, many of whom were actively fishing through the end of 2020.
The program provided roughly $530 million for disbursement as payments on a per pound basis to fishermen impacted by tariffs on sixteen commercially harvested marine fish species. Fish caught by Alaska and West Coast small boat hook-and-line and fixed gear fishermen such as tuna, salmon, sablefish, geoducks, Dungeness, king and tanner crabs are among the qualifying species.
The Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency is administering the program. As of early December, the Farm Service Agency has disbursed roughly $140 million after processing roughly 6,000 applications with another 2,700 applications in process.
To apply, commercial fishermen must complete a “2020 Seafood Trade Relief Program Application” and submit the application to their local Farm Service Agency office. Eligible applicants must have been active commercial fishermen in 2020 and have harvested specific seafood species in 2019 with a valid federal or state fishing permit or license. Applicants will have to certify the amount of commercial landings in pounds for the 2019 season.
The payment amount per fishermen depends on the amount of pounds harvested. Payment rates reflect the estimated severity of the impact of trade disruption. Sablefish and salmon payments will be $.10 and $.16 per pound, respectively with higher amounts of $.47 per pound for Dungeness crab and $.76 per pound for geoducks. If a fisherman caught 100,000 pounds of salmon, the Farm Service agency would calculate the payment as 100,000 x $.16. There is a $250,000 cap on payments. Fishermen with an average adjusted gross income of $900,000 or more may or may not be eligible and should contact a Farm Service Agency representative for criteria and other information applicable to this income threshold.
In some cases the Farm Service Agency may require fishermen to submit additional documentation for eligibility, including commercial fishing permits, documentation of landings and other forms. Agency personnel processing the applications have found it helpful when fishermen submit processor payment summaries or similar documents with the application. The application includes multiple forms but many of the forms for individual commercial fishermen are for registration purposes and require just basic personal information.
The online application, and other information about the Seafood Trade Relief Program, is available at: https://www.farmers.gov/manage/seafood
There is a Call Center available for fishermen who may need individual support with the application process: (877) 508-8364 and a powerpoint about the program available here: