Consolidated Appropriations Act — Fisheries Assistance Program (CAA-FAP): Fishing data requests must be received by Sept. 20th
In accordance with the federal Consolidated Appropriations Act, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental management’s Division of Marine Fisheries (RIDMF) is administering a second round of fisheries disaster relief in response to COVID-19. The funds are meant to provide assistance, in the form of direct payments, to eligible fishery participants in four specified sectors to address direct and indirect COVID-19 impacts. The four sectors are: commercial fishing, commercial aquaculture, seafood processing/wholesale (dealers), and for-hire.
Eligible applicants must demonstrate they had a greater than 35% loss in revenue in the sector-specific reference periods in 2020 relative to their average revenue during the same period from 2015-2019. The sector-specific reference periods are as follows:
Commercial Aquaculture: March 1 – May 31, 2020
Commercial Fishing: April 1 – July 31, 2020
For-Hire (Party and Charter): May 1 – December 31, 2020
Seafood Processing/Wholesale: March 1 – May 31, 2020
The application period opened Monday Sept. 13th and will close Monday Sept. 27th. Applications (combined with Affidavits) are available on the CAA-FAP Marine Fisheries webpage http://www.dem.ri.gov/programs/marine-fisheries/Fisheries-CARES-Act.php. Hard copies of the application are also available at the following locations:
- DEM’s Office of Technical & Customer Assistance, 235 Promenade St., Providence, RI
- DEM’s Division of Coastal Resources, 301 Great Island Road, Narragansett, RI
- DEM’s Division of Marine Fisheries, 3 Fort Wetherill Road, Jamestown, RI
Additionally, an Excel worksheet is available for download with the application to help with calculation of both percent loss and claim value.
To help support the application process, RIDMF has created a streamlined data request process for applicants to obtain their commercial fishing landings data digitally. Persons wishing to obtain data in support of their applications must submit a fully completed form, available here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdVEucCydiR5NDh_xxq37a_bTjm6w58XZBxHdcmpNd5WbvZ5g/viewform [docs.google.com]
Data requests will be processed on a rolling basis and must be submitted by or before Sept. 20th, 2021. Please note that RIDMF may not be able to fulfill data requests that do not provide complete answers to all questions. To avoid delays associated with incomplete data requests, please answer all questions completely.
Fully completed and notarized applications must be submitted in hard copy, i.e., hand delivered, during the application period, Monday through Friday, 8:30 am – 4:00 pm to any of the three offices set forth above. Neither mailed submission nor electronic submissions of application forms will be accepted. Please read and follow the directions on the application closely. No applications will be accepted or considered if submitted after the application deadline.
For more information on, this Fisheries Assistance Program, including the Rhode Island Spend Plan and the Regulations governing the program, please see: http://www.dem.ri.gov/programs/marine-fisheries/Fisheries-CARES-Act.php
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