2019 Alaska Norton Sound Red King Crab
Disaster Relief Distribution Status

On June 29, 2021, the U.S. Secretary of Commerce made a disaster determination for the 2019 Norton Sound red king crab fishery under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act in response to a March 12, 2020, request from Governor Dunleavy. On May 6, 2022, NOAA Fisheries allocated $1,433,137 million to address losses to the Norton Sound management area affected by the fishery failure. The State of Alaska, in consultation with stakeholders and NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service, drafted a spend plan and forwarded the plan to Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission (PSMFC), the administrator of the federal grant for the disaster funds.

The application period opened in June 2024, and distribution of direct payments to permit holders and processors was completed November 2024. Relief payments for captain and crew members are regrettably delayed pending approval of a spend plan clarification submitted by ADF&G to NOAA Fisheries on January 31, 2025. Due to the low return rates of crew member applications, ADF&G provided an alternative methodology for calculating crew payments. Without this adjustment, crew members would have received payments significantly higher than permit holders, which is not in line with typical crew contracts or settlements. The spend plan amendments are still under review by federal agencies for approval which is needed before relief payments can be issued to permit holders and crew members. Please follow updates on the PSMFC website: https://relief.psmfc.org/

The spend plan allocated funds to help partially restore losses to fishery participants impacted by the 2019 Alaska Norton Sound Red King Crab fishery disaster and for research. Research funds will be distributed after a competitive bid for scientific research projects.

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