Grants Will Provide Support to Storm-impacted Fishing Industry in 9 Counties
New York – September 21, 2015 – (RealEstateRama) — Governor Cuomo announced $3.6 million in grants are available to businesses in New York’s fishing industry affected by the impacts of Superstorm Sandy. Funded through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the grants will reimburse sectors of New York’s fishing industry that suffered a loss of revenue due to the storm.
“The regions affected by Superstorm Sandy are home to significant commercial and recreation fishing industries that are critical to New York’s economy,” Governor Cuomo said. “With another round of these common-sense grants, we are furthering our efforts to support this vital industry and help it fully recover.”
The Department of Environmental Conservation, in collaboration with the Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery, will administer the Superstorm Sandy Fishery Disaster Relief Program. Businesses in Bronx, Kings, Nassau, New York, Queens, Richmond, Rockland, Suffolk and Westchester counties are eligible to apply.
“Governor Cuomo was successful in obtaining federal funding for this grant, which will offer some much-needed financial relief to New York’s hard-hit fishing industry,” DEC Acting Commissioner Marc Gerstman said. “We are committed to helping this industry that is so vital to the coastal economy rebuild its businesses.”
“New York’s fishing industry was one of many sectors to be severely impacted by recent storms,” said Interim Executive Director of the Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery Lisa Bova-Hiatt. “Through these grants, we will assist individuals and businesses in need, while upholding the State’s commitment to its multitude of small businesses.”
DEC will accept applications through December 15. Funding will be distributed to eligible applicants following the close of the application period.
Eligible applicants include businesses in the following sectors: bait and tackle; for-hire fishing boat operators; marinas; commercial harvesters; commercial seafood dealers, shippers or processors; and aquaculture facilities.
Fishing businesses in eligible counties must complete an application and provide documentation to demonstrate more than $5,000 in revenue or gross income loss as a result of Superstorm Sandy, and have at least $15,000 in annual earnings in one of the eligible fishery sectors.
Applicants can apply online at https://apps.cio.ny.gov/apps/cfa/. Several public information meetings to explain the grant program and to provide application assistance will be held in Long Island, New York City and the lower Hudson Valley. More information on the meetings to be scheduled in the coming weeks and for more information about the program or for assistance with filling out the application is available on DEC’s website at: http://www.dec.ny.gov/pubs/102594.html. For additional information, applicants can also contact DEC at (518) 402-8044 or FisheryGrant (at) dec.ny (dot) gov, or the Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery (GOSR) at 1-855-NYS-SANDY (1-855-697-7263) or info (at) stormrecovery.ny (dot) gov.
Established in June 2013, the Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery coordinates statewide recovery efforts for Superstorm Sandy, Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee. Through its NY Rising Housing Recovery, Small Business, Community Reconstruction and Infrastructure programs, GOSR invests $4.4 billion made available through the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development’s Community Development Block-Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) Program to better prepare New York for future extreme weather events.
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