Long Branch, NJ – Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) today announced that New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection will receive $826,807 for the New Jersey Seafood Processor COVID-19 Assistance Program. The funding comes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Seafood Processors Pandemic Response and Safety Block Grant Program (SPRS).
The money will be used to reimburse seafood processors, dealers, and processing vessels for eligible COVID-19 expenses incurred between January 27, 2020 and December 31, 2021. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Marine Fisheries Administration is currently working with the New Jersey Department of Agriculture and the New Jersey Department of Health to finalize the details of the grant application.
“New Jersey’s fishing industry was hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. This funding will help ensure that our seafood processors have support to maintain their operations,” Pallone said. “I’m grateful for the hardworking men and women who make up this important part of our state’s economy.”
Pallone sent a letter to President Biden, Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, and Department of Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo in March 2021 requesting that the federal government consider the specific hardships coastal states have faced during the pandemic. Pallone also fought for and secured over $20 million from the CARES Act for losses that certain fishing businesses incurred as a result of the pandemic.
Original source can be found here.
