Additional financial relief of more than $1.2 million is on its way to eligible members of the fishing industries who sustained income losses from March to December of 2020 due to COVID-19.
The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries issued funds this week to 204 commercial fishermen and marine aquaculture operations and seafood dealers and processors deemed eligible for relief from the federal North Carolina Consolidated Appropriations Act Fisheries Relief Program (CARES Act II). Payments were made in the following categories:
| Stakeholder Category* | Number Compensated |
Award | Percent of
Total Award |
| Commercial Fishermen and Marine Aquaculture Operations | 204 | $780,513.88 | 64% |
| Seafood Dealers and Processors | 35 | $435,239.82 | 36% |
| Total | 239 | $1,215,753.70 | 100% |
*All eligible losses from for-hire operators who applied for relief were fully compensated by a 2022 distribution.
In August 2021, North Carolina was allocated a net amount of $4,385,651 from CARES Act II to provide financial relief through direct payments to fishery-related stakeholder groups affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The federal law required applicants to document total loss of revenue greater than 35% as compared to the average total revenue from the same period of the previous five years to be eligible for relief. Additionally, applicants were required to affirm that this relief, in combination with any other CARES Act-related relief received, would not result in overcompensation for their financial losses in the calendar year 2020.
The initial CARES Act II allocation of more than $4.3 million was distributed by the Division of Marine Fisheries in 2022. After completion of each state’s relief programs, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration distributed leftover money to further assist fisheries participants who were not fully compensated through prior Coronavirus economic relief programs. North Carolina was allocated more than $1.2 million of these additional funds.
No additional funding was issued to for-hire operators because all eligible losses from those who applied for relief were fully compensated in the 2022 distribution.
For questions about the CARES Act II Relief Program, email covid19relief@deq.nc.gov or call 252-515-5543.
