Two Cook Inlet salmon fisheries will receive more than $9.4 million in federal disaster relief that was held up, in part, by technical difficulties. They’re among ten Alaska fisheries getting money, the state’s Congressional delegation announced Friday.
In all, ten fisheries across the state will receive $277 million for disasters dating back to 2018. They include 2020’s Upper Cook Inlet salmon fishery and 2018’s Upper Cook Inlet east side setnet fishery.
Other fisheries that will receive money through the distribution include Bering Sea crab, Kuskokwim River and Norton Sound salmon and Gulf of Alaska pacific cod.
However, Friday’s announcement comes almost six months after U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola called on U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo to address payment holdups caused by a software glitch.
Last year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, started using new accounting software, Business Applications Solution. NOAA is one of the agencies responsible for moving relief funds through the federal government. Peltola says problems with that software have held up disaster relief.
It’s been more than three years since Gov. Mike Dunleavy requested the federal disaster. In that request, he pointed to “drastic declines resulting from unprecedented conditions” as contributing to the disasters.
According to a spending plan adopted by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, more than half of Cook Inlet’s relief money is going to fishermen. Of the roughly $9.4 million, 62% — about $5.8 million — will go to fishermen. Another quarter, about $2.3 million, will go to fish processors. The rest will be split between communities, research and program support.
This round of money, though, only covers two of the five years for which Cook Inlet salmon fisheries received a disaster declaration.
The east side setnet fishery also received disaster declarations for the 2021 and 2022 seasons totaling $11,484,675. Another disaster declaration was made for the 2023 season, but no money’s been set aside yet.
U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, both Republicans, joined Peltola in celebrating the distribution of money last week. They also criticized the significant delays that held up the process, with Murkowski noting that, “for many it might be too little too late.”
Sullivan had similar thoughts. In a separate statement, he said Alaskans shouldn’t have had to wait so long for the relief money to be processed. He called on NOAA to fix its software and said he’s brought forward legislation aimed at ensuring relief funds are paid out in a timely manner.
“We need this funding to expeditiously reach Alaskans so that they can weather these disasters over the long-term and continue to responsibly harvest the freshest, most sustainable seafood in the world,” he said.
A full list of fishery disaster determinations is available on NOAA’s website.
