The first deadline for fishermen in Southeast Alaska to apply for relief funds for the disastrous 2020 salmon season is this Saturday, August 24.

Due to the exceptionally low yields, a federal disaster was declared for the state’s fisheries. The U.S. Department of Commerce at the time attributed the low yields to a series of marine heat waves in the 2010s, and in 2022 the federal agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration paid the state of Alaska about $56 million for those losses.

According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s proposed budget, about $27 million of that is earmarked for a fishery disaster in Southeast Alaska – the 2020 sockeye, chum, coho and pink salmon runs. Other fisheries receiving money include Norton Sound, the Yukon and Kuskokwim River areas and Chignik. Another portion of the money will go directly to the state Fish and Game Department for fisheries research projects and program support.

There are two deadlines for those who qualify: The deadline for commercial permit holders and seafood processors is August 24. The deadline for fishing crew members affected by the disruption is September 28.

After that September deadline, there is a two-week review period for flawed applications. The state Department of Fish and Game says those who qualify can expect to receive a payout by the end of this year.

Click here to apply. For more information, visit the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission website or email [email protected].