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Amata Welcomes Over 2.5 Million CARES Act Grant For American Samoa Fishermen

Statement

Date: May 7, 2020
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Agriculture and Food Health and Health Care Economy and Fiscal

Thursday, Congresswoman Aumua Amata is welcoming a $2,553,194 CARES Act grant for coronavirus relief for American Samoa's fishermen.

The news is part of a national announcement by Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross allocating $300 million in fisheries assistance. Congress provided this funding in Sec. 12005 of the CARES Act, to States, Tribes, and Territories with coastal and marine fishery participants who have been negatively affected by COVID--19.

"Thank you to our hardworking fishermen who provide fish to feed the country," said Aumua Amata. "Food security is a very real part of national security. Our fishing industry is important and challenged by interruptions and costs because of the pandemic. Thank you to President Trump and Secretary Ross for this assistance."

NOAA announced the agency will use these allocations to make awards to address direct or indirect fishery-related losses as well as subsistence, cultural, or ceremonial impacts related to COVID-19.

Fishery participants eligible for funding--including Tribes, commercial fishing businesses, charter/for-hire fishing businesses, qualified aquaculture operations, processors, and other fishery-related businesses--should work with their state marine fisheries management agencies, Territories, or Tribe to understand the process for applying for these funds.

More information will be posted on the Department of Commerce's NOAA Fisheries COVID-19 Updates webpage soon.

Summary of allocations*:

Entity

Allocation of

Sec. 12005 Funding

Alaska

$50,000,000

Washington

$50,000,000

Massachusetts

$28,004,176

Florida

$23,636,600

Maine

$20,308,513

California

$18,350,586

Oregon

$15,982,827

Louisiana

$14,785,244

New Jersey

$11,337,797

Texas

$9,237,949

New York

$6,750,276

North Carolina

$5,460,385

Federally Recognized Tribes on the West Coast

$5,097,501

Virginia

$4,520,475

Hawaii

$4,337,445

Maryland

$4,125,118

Pennsylvania

$3,368,086

Alabama

$3,299,821

Rhode Island

$3,294,234

New Hampshire

$2,732,492

American Samoa

$2,553,194

Georgia

$1,921,832

Connecticut

$1,835,424

Mississippi

$1,534,388

South Carolina

$1,525,636

Delaware

$1,000,000

Puerto Rico

$1,000,000

United States Virgin Islands

$1,000,000

Federally Recognized Tribes in Alaska

$1,000,000

Guam

$1,000,000

Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands

$1,000,000

Total

$300,000,000


Source
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