Deadline to Apply for Fishermen COVID Assistance Is Sunday

If you are a fisherman or work in some other fisheries industry, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries wants to help you.

LDWF is accepting applications from fisherman and other fisheries workers for $12.4 million in federal coronavirus federal relief funds. The money will be available to people in fisheries industries who were financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The application process will close at 11:59 p.m. CDT on August 29. All application submitted before the deadline will be considered.

To be eligible, applicants must meet this criteria:

• Must be a “Fishery Participant." This includes persons, fishing communities, aquaculture businesses, processors, or other fisheries-related businesses. Gear and vessel suppliers, repair facilities, retailers, restaurants, and bait and tackle operations are not viewed as fisheries-related businesses. In addition, freshwater fisheries, including wild crawfish, are ineligible.
• Must have incurred economic revenue losses greater than 35 percent as compared to the prior 5-year average revenue. New businesses and entrants in 2020 with no prior revenue history are ineligible.
• Must reside in Louisiana.

“These federal funds are another step in alleviating some of the financial impacts of the pandemic on our state,” Governor John Bel Edwards said in a press release. “While we know these funds are not a cure-all, we are grateful for the relief they will provide to our hardworking fishing community.”

“This is more crucial aid for our fishing community," LDWF Secretary Jack Montoucet said. "While it will not totally bail out all of those hard workers, it does provide much-needed financial help to them.”

Click here to access the application.