Florida’s Hurricane Ian, the Makah Tribe’s salmon and treaty troll fisheries, and California’s red sea urchin fishery are among the recipients of $15.8 million in federal disaster funding for fishing communities. NOAA announced the allocation to help address fisheries disasters that struck Florida, California and the Makah Tribe in Washington state between 2019 and 2024.
The money was appropriated by Congress through the American Relief Act, 2025. Fishery disasters can cut off income for fishermen and ripple through the coastal businesses and communities that rely on each catch. NOAA said it used information on lost commercial revenue to divide the funds among the eligible disasters. The agency did not announce individual amounts for each fishery in its summary.
The covered disasters include Florida’s fishery impacts from Hurricane Ian in 2022. Funding also addresses the Makah Tribe’s ocean treaty troll fishery in 2020 and 2021, and its Fraser sockeye salmon fisheries in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2023. In California, the allocation includes the red sea urchin fishery disaster in 2023 and 2024.
The grants can support commercial and recreational fishermen, businesses that take paying customers fishing, shore-side infrastructure, people who rely on fishing for food, and the marine environment. Potential projects include direct help to fishermen and businesses, repairs or improvements to fishery-related infrastructure, habitat restoration, state-run programs to buy back vessels and fishing permits, and job retraining. NOAA said the funds are intended to improve the long-term economic and environmental sustainability of the affected fisheries.
“Coastal communities depend on these fisheries and fishermen to support their local economies,” said Eugenio Piñeiro Soler, assistant administrator for NOAA Fisheries. NOAA Administrator Neil Jacobs said the seafood industry plays a critical role in coastal economies, while warning that fishery disasters can have devastating effects on livelihoods and local businesses.
The allocation is a step toward recovery, but recipients still need to apply. NOAA Fisheries plans to send a non-competitive Notice of Funding Opportunity letter to the disaster recipients, who will then have 120 days to submit applications. The agency advises affected individuals and fishing communities to work with their state or tribal government. Eligible businesses and tribal entities may also be able to seek help through other federal programs, including the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan program, which can provide working capital to small businesses with losses tied directly to a declared disaster.
The funding will not erase the losses caused by years of disruption, but it gives communities a way to support workers, rebuild parts of the fishing economy and help restore the marine resources on which future catches depend.