Photo courtesy of NOAA Fisheries
US fishing industry makes desperate plea: Where's our $300 million in aid?
'We strongly urge the Department of Commerce and NOAA to provide transparency,' the group representing thousands of fishermen said.
The US seafood industry continues to be in the dark concerning how to access the $300 million (€274 million) granted to it in late March as part of a $2 trillion (€1.8 trillion) coronavirus relief package passed by US lawmakers.
On Thursday, Seafood Harvesters of America, an organization representing thousands of US fishermen, wrote US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross asking that the Commerce Department and NOAA "clearly articulate their distribution process for the $300 million in fisheries assistance funds to ensure it is public and transparent."
"We also request the funds be expeditiously disbursed to the eligible recipients once this process is developed," the letter stated.
The trade group is "concerned about the lack of transparency" and has no insight into how NOAA is planning to distribute the emergency funds.
"Many of the domestic and international markets commercial fishermen depend on for the sale of their catch have been drastically reduced or have disappeared altogether," the letter stated.
Seafood companies have also largely been left out of the coronavirus crisis lending program, which also launched in early April.
By Rachel Sapin