The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries is seeking input from the public on a draft spending plan for $4.5 million in federal fisheries relief that Congress approved in the 2021 Consolidated Appropriations Act (CARES Act II). The spending plan must be approved by NOAA Fisheries for the state to receive the funding.
The draft spending plan proposes an approach for disbursement of the funding through direct payments to eligible commercial fishermen and marine aquaculture operators, seafood dealers and processors, and for-hire fishing operators who can document a greater than 35% revenue loss compared to the previous five-year average due to COVID-19.
The draft spending plan and other information pertaining to the draft can be found online on the N.C. Consolidated Appropriations Act Fishery Relief Program (CARES Act II) webpage.
The public may submit comments on the plan in two ways:
- The public may submit written comment through an online form. Click here to comment online.
- The public may submit written comments by mail to:
Draft CARES Act II Fisheries Relief Spending Plan Comments
P.O. Box 769
Morehead City, N.C. 28557
Comments should be posted online or postmarked by 5 p.m. June 20, 2021.
The division will not accept comments submitted by email.
Once the spending plan is approved, the Division of Marine Fisheries will announce an application period.
For questions about this relief, email covid19relief@ncdenr.gov.