Louisiana receives an additional $58 million in fishery disaster funding. Congressman Garret Graves says the money will be used to offset the impacts of the 2019 Bonnet Carre Spillway opening on the seafood industry.
“Shouldering the burden of all this fresh water from 31 states and 2 Canadian provinces, all of this has an impact on our ability to continue producing fisheries for Louisiana and the United States,” said Graves.
Earlier this month, the state had received $14.7 million allocated to Louisiana fisheries to relieve the hardships caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which Graves had previously called abysmal due to the fact that it was only 4.9% of the total $300 million for nationwide relief.
Graves says of the three states receiving funding from the Bonnet Carre Spillway opening, Louisiana is receiving 2/3 of the allocated $88 million.
“We really are one of the most important fishery states in the country by any measure and I think that this allocation clearly represents that,” said Graves.
There is an additional $12 million to be allocated at a different time.
Graves says some in the state’s seafood industry are on their last leg and need the money fast, adding that if the local industry goes away, there will be a bigger reliance on inferior, imported seafood.
“I expect relief within weeks and I think that is going to have big repercussions not just for these fishing men and women, but also for consumers around the country,” said Graves.
Mississippi will be receiving $21 million and Alabama received $8.6 million.
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