CARES Act Allocates Funds to Local Fisheries

CALIFORNIA一 The California Department of Fish and Wildlife is in the process of creating a spending plan for a $15 million allocation from the CARES Act for California’s fishing-related industries.

On March 29, NOAA Fisheries announced the second allocation of $255 million from the CARES Act for commercial fishing, charters, aquaculture operations, cultural and ceremonial users, processors, and other businesses relating to fishing throughout the United States.

“This is the second round of CARES fishery funding,” said Craig Shuman, CDFW marine region manager. “We went through a process last summer and allocated funds to fishermen or people who fish in California, this is to protect those businesses that incurred a loss of 35 percent or more due to COVID.”

Shuman said that the first spend plan was based on individuals who held licenses through the department. Applications were sent out to those who held a license and then the applicants that met the criteria were given the amount that they paid for the license, and then the leftover funding was split evenly among the applicants.

The previous round of funding was about $18.5 million. There were 11,000 applications sent out and roughly 1,700 unique individual businesses who were affected by COVID-19 received funding.

The CDFW and the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission will be working with business leaders in different sectors to revise the spending plan for the funding, they are also considering small group discussions and public webinars to determine the best use of the funding.

“We haven’t developed a spending plan yet, once we get that plan approved, we will work on the application process and the deadline to find the balance to let folks get in the application but not letting it drag on too long,” said Shuman.

The spending plan will have to be submitted to the NOAA before applications can be sent out.

The CDFW requests that potential recipients make sure their information is correct in the CDFW system and update their information accordingly.

“If you hold a California commercial fishing license, guide license, aquaculture permit, or commercial fish business permit, you may be eligible for funds,” said Shuman in an email. “To make certain you are notified when applications become available, it is important that you ensure your contact information, including email, is correct in our system.”

To update information, follow the steps below provided by the CDFW.

Online License Sales and Services Address Verification Instructions

Commercial Fishing License: If you are reviewing an individual profile, follow steps 1-5.

Commercial Boat Registration: If you are reviewing a vessel profile, follow steps 1-9.

Commercial Fish Business: If you are reviewing a fish business profile, follow steps 1-5 and 10-13.

1. Visit www.ca.wildlifelicense.com/InternetSales/.
2. Click the “Customer Login/Register” tab. (For mobile devices, click the menu icon towards the top left and select “Customer Login/Register.”)
3. Enter the individual’s (or business owner’s, if reviewing a vessel owned by a business) Date of Birth and Last Name and click “Next.”
4. Under “Select Official Document ID Type,” select an appropriate ID registered with the account from the dropdown menu (e.g., GO ID, State ID, Passport, Green Card, Military ID, or Foreign Government ID), enter the requested information, and click “Next.”
5. Verify that your mailing address under “Contact Info” is accurate.

 

Individual Profile Update: If you would like to update the individual customer profile address, click the “Edit Customer Profile” button, update the necessary information, and click “Save.” (For mobile devices, click the menu icon towards the top left, then click “Edit Customer Profile,” update the necessary information, and click “Save.”)

6. Click the “Add Customer” tab and then click “Start” to retrieve the vessel profile. (For mobile devices, click the menu icon towards the top left and select “Add Customer,” then click “Start.”)
7. Select “Vessel” from the drop-down menu and click “Start.”
8. Enter the Vessel GO ID and FG Boat Number (do not include the letters “FG”). Note: The Vessel GO ID and FG Boat Number are located under the barcode of your license/permit. Once entered, click “Next.”
9. Verify the mailing address under “Contact Info” is accurate.

 

Vessel Profile Update: If you would like to update the vessel profile address, click the

“Edit Customer Profile” button, update the necessary information, and click “Save.” (For mobile devices, click the menu icon towards the top left, then click “Edit Customer Profile,” update the necessary information, and click “Save.”) Note: Uncheck the “Use Owner Info” box to update the address.

10. Click the “Add Customer” tab and then click “Start” to retrieve the business profile. (For mobile devices, click the menu icon towards the top left and select “Add Customer,” then click “Start.”)
11. Select “Business” from the drop-down menu and click “Start.”
12. Enter the Business GO ID (located under the barcode of your license/permit). Enter the business mailing address Postal Code (zip code) and click “Next.”
13. Verify the mailing address under “Contact Info” is accurate.