By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
The application period opened today for grants to fishermen harmed by “retaliatory tariffs by foreign governments.”
The news release announcing the program did not specify the “foreign governments,” but the main one is China, a major market for Alaska seafood, which enacted tariffs in retaliation for tariffs on Chinese goods enacted by President Trump.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Seafood Trade Relief Program has set aside $530 million for the nationwide financial relief program. The application period runs from today through December 14.
“The Seafood Trade Relief Program ensures fishermen and other U.S. producers will not stand alone in facing unjustified retaliatory tariffs while President Trump continues working to solidify better and stronger trade deals around the globe,” Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said in a news release.
Fishermen who target such Alaska species as salmon, herring, Pacific cod, geoduck, sablefish and pollock are among those eligible for grants. Also covered are commercial fishermen in fisheries for Atka mackerel, flounder, goosefish, lobster, Pacific Ocean perch, sole, squid, tuna, and turbot.
Crew members of the F/V Lisa Jean pull the seine net off the deck and onto a trailer at Crescent Harbor Wednesday afternoon. To offset low seafood prices this season, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced last week that fishermen can sign up to receive money from the $530 million USDA Seafood Trade Relief Program. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson)
The amount of relief is provided on a per-pound basis, based on catches from 2019. The per-pound payments are as follows, for species commonly fished in Southeast Alaska:
Herring - 4 cents per pound
Salmon - 16 cents per pound
Sablefish - 10 cents per pound
Dungeness and tanner crab - 47 cents per pound
Geoduck - 76 cents per pound.
Although the price per pound for various species of salmon varies greatly - as do volumes caught - only one relief price is listed per pound for all salmon.
As to how the price per pound in relief was determined, USDA said they were “calculated using USDA’s assessment of the expected trade damage by the 2019 landings for each species.”
Halibut is not included on the list of eligible species because most of U.S.-caught halibut is consumed domestically, a local processor told the Sentinel.
There is no mention of relief for processors.
Relief for the other species, per pound, is as follows: king and snow crab, 47 cents; Atka mackerel, 10 cents; flounder, 15 cents; goosefish, 10 cents; lobster, 50 cents; pollock, 1 cent; sole, 15 cents; squid, 20 cents; tuna, 13 cents; and turbot, 15 cents.
The application is available at:
www.farmers.gov/seafood
There is also a lengthy Q&A link, which may be viewed at: https://www.farmers.gov/sites/default/files/2020-09/Seafood-Trade-Relief-Program-STRP-FAQs.pdf
The application is a single page, and includes questions about “seafood type,” pounds of seafood, and “actual production (ownership share).”
To be eligible, fishermen must have a valid federal or state license or permit, and “sell or transfer their catch to another party.” The party must be a permitted or licensed seafood dealer. Or the catch may be processed at sea and sold by the same entity that harvested or processed the product.
Those applying can’t exceed $900,000 in their adjusted gross income – using the average for the 2016, 2017 and 2018 tax years. The limit does not apply if 75 percent or more of the applicant’s income comes from seafood production or related activities, the Q&A section says.
In general, seafood “grown in controlled conditions” is not eligible, with an exception for salmon and geoduck.
The news release said applicants apply through a USDA Farm Service Agency office. Erin Sturdivant is the County Executive Director for Alaska’s “southern county” for the USDA Farm Service Agency. Her contact, in Palmer, is erin.sturdivant@usda.gov; and her number is 761-7754. A USDA representative said the fax number for the office, where applications can be sent is:
907-761-7789
The Sentinel’s calls and emails seeking additional information were not returned by press time today.
There is also a toll-free number for help with the application process for the Seafood Trade Relief Program at 877-508-8364.
The Q&A section recommends preparing for the application process, if new to the USDA, by having information available, including personal information such as a tax identification number, direct deposit information to enable payment, and “adjusted gross income compliance certification to ensure eligibility.”
On a question of when payments to fishermen will be made, the USDA said “program approval is handled at the local level and FSA county offices process applications as they receive them.” The distribution time-lines will vary according to areas.
A final question in the Q&A section asks how the program will help fishermen.
“STRP will provide commercial fishermen with direct financial assistance that gives them the ability to absorb sales declines and increased marketing costs associated with retaliatory tariffs.”
Perdue said in the news release: “Many nations have not played by the rules for a long time, and President Trump is the first President to stand up to them and send a clear message that the United States will no longer tolerate unfair trade practices.”
