(SitNews) - On January 18, 2017, Secretary of Commerce Pritzker declared the 2016 Gulf of Alaska pink salmon fishery a disaster under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. Following this declaration, Congress appropriated $56.3 million to Alaska to address losses to the seven management areas in the Gulf of Alaska affected by the fishery failure.

The Alaska Department of Fish & Game announced the opening of the public comment period today. The comment period will close on September 07, 2018 at 5:00 PM (AST) allowing for less than an 8 day comment period.

The State of Alaska in consultation with the Alaska Regional Office of NOAA have developed a draft distribution plan for these funds, that upon finalization will be administered by the Pacific States Marine Commission (PSMFC). Upon receipt of the funds, PSMFC will employ the disaster distribution plan to administer the funds to the affected entities. The State of Alaska's intent is to distribute the federal funds to the affected parties as soon as practical.

There are four categories outlined in the draft spending plan: research, municipalities, fishery participants, and processors. The distribution plan describes each category, eligibility criteria, and methods for allocating disaster funds.

The State of Alaska is soliciting input from the public, affected users, and user groups on these elements of the spending plan.

Again, the distribution plan is open for public comment until 5pm (AST) September 7, 2018. The only apparent method of comment is by filling out an online comment form posted on the Alaska Department of Fish & Game's website.

Submit a Comment Online (scroll down the web page to find the comment form)

Documents

2016 Pink Salmon Disaster Spending Plan (PDF 315 kB) ADF&G..... or if having problems with your browser downloading try:

2016 Pink Salmon Disaster Spending Plan (PDF 315 KB) SitNews

Fishery Disaster Frequently Asked Questions (NOAA) (PDF 88 kB)

Editing by Mary Kauffman, SitNews

Source of News:

Alaska Department of Fish & Game
www.adfg.alaska.gov

 

 

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