Hurricane Recovery Activities

Marine Fisheries

Assistance Programs Aimed at Providing Direct Assistance to those Person Participating in the Commercial Fisheries Industries (Supplemental Appropriation #2)

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) is continuing its effort to provide assistance to the state's fishing industries through a $41 million federal fisheries disaster assistance grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) through the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission (GSMFC).

The LDWF is distributing personal assistance payments for urgent needs to qualified residents who participate in the commercial fishing industries. Louisiana resident commercial fishermen, commercial fishing vessel license holders and wholesale/retail seafood dealers with trip ticket-recorded sales or purchases of seafood between September 1, 2004 and August 31, 2005, and who resided in the 26 LDWF-defined hurricane impacted parishes qualify for personal assistance.

To qualify for assistance you must have trip ticket sales or purchases of seafood during the qualifying period AND have held one or more licenses as follows:

• Shrimp, oyster, crab, and saltwater finfish fishermen;
• Commercial fishing vessel license holders in the shrimp, oyster, saltwater fish and menhaden fisheries;
• Wholesale/retail seafood dealers; and
• Freshwater finfish and wild crawfish fishermen.
  

Louisiana resident charterboat operators who held a LDWF charterboat fishing guide license in fishing year 2004 or 2005 (through August 31, 2005) also qualify for personal assistance payments.

Any questions concerning eligibility, requests for information, etc. should be directed to the SCPDC by calling 1-800-630-3791 (toll-free) or 985 655-1051 (local) or mailing SCPDC at P.O. Box 1240, Gray, LA 70359-9902 or visiting the SCPDC website at www.scpdc.org/fisheriesassistance

News Release

• Click here for the May 14, 2008 LDWF news release
• Click here for the April 30, 2008 LDWF news release