Fisheries Disaster Assistance
Fisheries are susceptible to various factors that may result in abrupt and unforeseen losses, for which support may be available to the affected fishing industry. Hurricanes, oil spills, floods, algal blooms, drought, and other environmental causes have produced fishery failures.
The U.S. Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) provides funds appropriated by Congress for events declared as fishery disasters. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) plays a key role in determining whether an event should be deemed a fishery disaster and allocating federal funding to affected fishing communities.
In 1995, Louisiana was one of several states that received federal disaster assistance for the first time to assist commercial fishermen who sustained losses due to hurricanes and tropical storms. Since then, Louisiana’s commercial fishing industry has suffered extreme damage caused by natural disasters.
In recent years, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) was appropriated over $85 million to assist with recovery efforts from declared fishery disasters. For more information about specific grants available to the commercial and/or charter fishing industry, please click the links below:
