The working waterfront at Slaughter Beach in Sussex County.

Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 Relief Funding Application Period to Open Feb. 1 for 45 Days

Delaware saltwater fishery-related businesses that suffered severe revenue declines in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic can apply to the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control for financial relief from Feb. 1, 2022 through March 17, 2022. Delaware was awarded $2,959,612 of the 2021 Consolidated Appropriations Act, (CAPA) funds to provide financial relief to fishery-related businesses that had a greater than 35% decline in net revenue during the March 1 through Dec. 31, 2020 COVID-19 impact period compared to historic average net revenue.

Delaware saltwater fishery-related businesses eligible to apply for these CAPA funds are:

• Commercial fishing
• Shellfish aquaculture
• For-hire recreational fishing (includes charter and head boats)
• Bait and tackle shops (revenue must come from the sale of saltwater bait and tackle, and 75% of the shop’s revenue must come from those sources
•  Seafood dealers
• Seafood processors

Eligible businesses can apply to DNREC for the funding by completing an affidavit on which the applicant will self-certify the business’s net revenue decline. An eligible business must demonstrate on the self-certification affidavit that its net revenue during the 2020 COVID-19 impact period decreased by more than 35% compared to the business’s average annual net revenue during 2015 through 2019.

For businesses in operation less than five years, but for at least one full year during 2015 through 2019, the net revenue loss during the COVID-19 impact period will be compared to the business’s average annual net revenue for its years of operation. The maximum amount of funding distributed to an individual fishery-related business will depend on the number of applicants and the amount requested by each applicant relative to total available funding, with a minimum award of $100.

The CAPA application affidavit and additional CAPA information are available via https://de.gov/commfish or by calling the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife Fisheries Section at 302-739-9914.

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities, and educates Delawareans about the environment. The DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife conserves and manages Delaware’s fish and wildlife and their habitats, and provides fishing, hunting, wildlife viewing and boating access on nearly 68,000 acres of public land. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Media Contacts: Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov; Nikki Lavoie, nikki.lavoie@delaware.gov

DOVER – DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife will host an Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) public hearing on Draft Addendum V to the commission’s Interstate Fishery Management Plan for American Eels at 6 p.m., Thursday, May 17 in DNREC’s Auditorium, 89 Kings Highway, Dover, DE 19901.

Since the ASMFC implemented Addendum IV in 2014, member states including Delaware have raised concerns about the management program. Currently, the yellow eel fishery is managed to meet an annual coastwide landings cap of 907,671 pounds, and evaluated against two management triggers: (1) the coastwide cap is exceeded by more than 10 percent in a given year; or (2) the coastwide cap is exceeded in two consecutive years, regardless of the percent overage. If either trigger is met, state-by-state quotas are required. In 2016, landings exceeded the coastwide cap by less than 10 percent. If landings in 2017 exceed the coastwide cap, state-by-state quotas must be implemented. Some member states are concerned about these provisions, given the uncertainty in the landings data.

The ASMFC initiated Draft Addendum V to address these concerns, and to consider a number of possible changes to the current management program: the coastwide cap, management triggers, state-by-state allocations, and quota transfer provisions for the yellow eel commercial fishery, as well as the current Maine glass eel commercial quota and the aquaculture provisions of the plan. If approved, the proposed alternatives to the current management program would be implemented starting in the 2019 fishing season.

Since the four management issues related to the yellow eel fishery – coastwide cap, management trigger, state-by-state allocations, and quota transfers – are linked, the public is encouraged to specify their preferred alternatives for each issue.

Anglers and other interested groups are encouraged to provide input on Draft Addendum V, either by attending the public hearing or providing written comment. Public comment will be accepted until 5 p.m. Friday, June 15, and should be mailed to Kirby Rootes-Murdy, Senior FMP Coordinator, 1050 N. Highland Street, Suite A-N, Arlington, VA 22201; faxed to 703-842-0741, or emailed to comments@asmfc.org, subject line: Draft Addendum V.

The draft addendum is posted online at http://www.asmfc.org/files/PublicInput/DraftAddendumV_PublicComment_April2018.pdf, or on the Commission website, www.asmfc.org, under Public Input.

For more information about the Dover ASMFC hearing, please contact DNREC’s Fisheries Section at 302-739-9914.

Media contact: Joanna Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Vol. 48, No. 111

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