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News: 2008

L.D.W.F. Fisheries Assistance Program for Katrina-Rita Damages Nearing Oct. 31 Application Deadline
Posted: 9/25/08

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is reminding qualified commercial resident fishermen, certain commercial fishing vessel license holders, wholesale/retail seafood dealers and charter boat fishing guides, impacted by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, that the deadline for submitting required forms for federal fisheries economic assistance is Oct. 31, 2008.

The South Central Planning and Development Commission (SCPDC) is receiving and processing all information about this assistance program and anyone who is qualified to receive assistance and has not received a packet should contact the SCPDC as soon as possible by calling 1-800-630-3791 (toll-free) or 985-655-1051 (local) or mailing SCPDC at P.O. Box 1240, Gray, LA 70359-9902 or visiting the SCPDC Web site at www.scpdc.org/fisheriesassistance. Any questions concerning eligibility, requests for information, etc. should also be directed to the SCPDC.

The LDWF is providing $28.2 million in assistance to the state’s commercial fishing and charter boat industries through a $41.3 million federal fisheries economic assistance grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration through the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission.

Louisiana resident commercial fishermen, certain commercial fishing vessel license holders and wholesale/retail seafood dealers with trip ticket recorded sales or purchases of seafood during the twelve-month period (Sept. 1, 2004 - Aug 31, 2005) prior to Hurricane Katrina as well as Louisiana resident charter boat operators who held a LDWF charter boat fishing guide license in the qualifying period (Sept. 1, 2004 – Aug 31, 2005) qualify for some level of personal assistance. The LDWF requires trip tickets to collect commercial landings and associated information by trip.

Approximately $26.9 million is available for fisheries economic assistance payments to qualified participants under this program. To date, LDWF has received completed forms from 4,437 eligible participants and processed assistance payments totaling $10.4 million to 2,359 of these participants. An additional 1,120 participants have been contacted by SCPDC and advised that they submitted incomplete information and provided with additional information and instructions. Approximately 2,900 eligible participants have failed to respond and LDWF suggests that anyone in touch with these qualifying participants urge them to contact SCPDC as soon as possible.

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