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Skilled Hawaiian seafood fishers and processors and traders who have lost business due to the COVID-19 pandemic can now apply for a portion of the state’s $ 3.6 million in federal CARES funding.
Commercial fishing in Hawaii, like most of the state’s industries, struggled during the coronavirus pandemic, as restaurants and shops were closed for extended periods of time, tourism stalled, and the amount of fish sold by fishermen reduced.
Last year, Hawaii was allocated approximately $ 4.3 million for the country’s fisheries during the first of two rounds of funding under the CARES Act. The $ 3.6 million provided this year is part of a second round of funding and is being distributed by the Pacific States’ Marine Fisheries Commission.
Applicants can apply for funding until September 30th. They must have suffered a revenue loss of more than 35% in four weeks during the pandemic, compared to a five-year average from 2015 to 2019.
As with the first round of assistance, the funding has been further broken down by sector and based on their respective economic values, according to a spending plan drawn up by the State Department of Land and Natural Resources and its Division of Aquatic Resources together with other stakeholders.
Most of the aid – about $ 2.1 million – will go to Hawaii’s longline fishery, which is worth about $ 100 million annually.
The fishery lost about $ 35 million in 2020 compared to the five-year average from 2015 to 2019. Bigeye tuna and yellowfin tuna are the most commonly caught species in the fishery, and fishermen caught and sold fewer of both in 2020 compared to 2019.
Eric Kingma, executive director of the Hawaii Longline Association, said approximately 90% of the longline fleet will be eligible for federal aid. The fishery has rebounded this year due to a shortage of imported ahi and high demand and relatively low catches, he added.
“The last year has been really tough. This year has been better, but the amounts (of fish) the longliners brought in weren’t really high either, â€Kingma said. “I think many ships are still recovering from the difficult year of last year.”
Fish processors and traders have the second largest share of federal aid at $ 579,000, while charter fisheries have $ 418,000 allocated; commercial non-longline fishing, $ 376,000; and subsistence fishing and others, including aquarium fishermen and residents with fishing businesses outside of the state, $ 100,000.
There are nearly 3,000 licensed commercial non-longliners in Hawaii who reported landings from 2015 to 2019, although only active fishermen who averaged $ 7,000 per year fish turnover during that period are eligible for assistance.
That equates to roughly 450 to 500 of the “serious” non-longliners, according to David Sakoda, program manager for the Division of Aquatic Resources, who added that commercial non-longliners appear to have declined during COVID-19, although fishing effort may have increased.
“Fewer licenses have been issued or renewed, so we think fewer people fish commercially … and then more people fish except for a living or sharing,” he said.
Non-commercial fishing in Hawaii appeared to have increased during at least part of the pandemic.
There are only about 140 licensed longliners and about 190 fishing charter companies in Hawaii based on the 2019 numbers used in the spending plan.
Sakoda said revenue for fishing charter companies fell to essentially zero for a full year during the Hawaiian tourism stalemate, before increasing dramatically since the spring.
“There was a time when there was a 100% shutdown, but it started again in March or April. And most of the capacity has been 100% full since May, â€he said.
The grants applicants receive depend on their loss of income entitlements and the total claims in their respective sectors.
Applications can be completed online on the PSMFC website at psmfc.org.
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