The Secretary of Commerce determined that a commercial fishery failure due to a fishery resource disaster occurred in the 2021 and 2022 Yurok Tribe Chinook Salmon Fishery. The determination is in response to requests from Chairman Joseph L. James of the Yurok Tribe.
Secretary of Commerce, Gina M. Raimondo, working with NOAA Fisheries, evaluates each fishery resource disaster request based primarily on data submitted by the requesting official. A fishery disaster determination must meet specific requirements under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. For example, there must be economic impacts and an unexpected large decrease in fish stock biomass or other change that results in significant loss of access to the fishery resource resulting from specific allowable causes due to the fishery resource disaster event.
This positive determination makes these fisheries eligible for disaster assistance from NOAA. Fishery participants may also qualify for disaster assistance from the Small Business Administration. The Department of Commerce has fishery disaster assistance funding available and in the near future will determine the appropriate allocation for these disasters.
