Fisherman seeking a waiver on loan payments from the Alaska Division of Investments this year due to the pink salmon run disaster can speed up the process with a call to the agency’s toll free number, 1-800-478-5626.
Rep. Louise Stutes, R-Kodiak, said she spoke with the agency after learning that harvesters interested in getting the waiver are being required to fill out a lengthy questionnaire as part of the process.
The agency, in turn, agreed to assist fishermen over a toll free phone line in completing the questionnaire.
It is most important that the waiver request is made prior to the due date of the loan, Stutes said. Then when the individual receives the questionnaire packet, that person should simply call back on the toll free phone number, and someone in the Division of Investments will walk them through the information they need to provide, she said.
Stutes, who chairs the House Fisheries Committee, asked the state of Alaska in late August to declare the pink salmon run a disaster, and to seek federal disaster aid from the federal government.
A state decision on that matter has not yet been reached.
