Federal aid coming for fisheries industry

A new $2 trillion stimulus package will provide significant financial relief during the novel coronavirus pandemic for small businesses, including those in the seafood industries, according to the Marine Fish Conservation Network.

The deal includes $300 million specifically to assist workers in fisheries and aquaculture-related jobs impacted by loss of income, said Robert C. Vandermark, executive director of MFCN.

“These industries provide more than a million jobs and contribute more than $60 billon to the U.S. gross domestic product,” Vandermark said. “Coastal communities around the U.S. are made up of family businesses that have provided local, fresh and sustainably caught seafood for generations, and it is crucial that America’s long-standing fishing tradition continues to thrive after the COVID-19 crisis has passed.”

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