Government aid given to Alaska fishermen

PALMER -- Alaska fishermen struggling to make a living faced with decreasing salmon prices may now receive federal aid. The Trade Adjustment Assistance program instituted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in August will provide financial aid to Alaska fishermen competing with an increased volume of imports and inflating costs.

The Trade Adjustment Assistance program stipulates that farmers are qualified to gain government aid if the national average price for their crop or commodity is less than or equal to 80 percent of the national average price over the last five years. For example, if the national average price per pound of frozen Alaska salmon fillets was 60 cents during the years of 1998-2002 and was 45 cents in 2003, salmon fishermen in Alaska would qualify for federal aid since their commodity was only valued at 75 percent of the national five-year average in 2003.

The administrator of the USDA Farm and Foreign Agriculture Service, in response to an aid application from the United Fishermen of Alaska, determined on Nov. 6 that the landed price of salmon in Alaska had decreased by 34.6 percent in the year of January-December 2002. This data means that salmon fishermen holding licenses and permits in Alaska may apply for aid from TAA during 2004. The deadline for these applications is Jan. 20, 2004.

Plans for the federal aid include a direct cash payment to fishermen qualified to receive it. "At this point, the program that we're dealing with calls for a reimbursement of three cents per pound of salmon," said Jimmy LaVoie, program specialist for the Farm Service Agency in Alaska. There is a total of $90 million in the TAA fund intended for distribution among qualified applicants; LaVoie also said Alaska fishermen are expected to share this money with Maine blueberry growers, Washington salmon fishermen, and sellers of shrimp and catfish in many southern states.

Recent years have seen not only a decrease in the national average prices for frozen salmon filets, but also an increase in operating costs and an increase of more than 30 percent in the number of boats licensed to operate as catcher-sellers. LaVoie mentioned the huge increase in recent years of the popularity of farmed salmon, especially salmon originating from fisheries in Chile, as perhaps the primary factor in the increasing difficulties faced by Alaska salmon fishermen. As farmed salmon continues to flood the market with low-cost, mass-produced fish, independent fishermen are forced into increasingly smaller niche markets. The recent aid offered by TAA may help Alaska's struggling fishermen to get back on their feet.

Local fishermen wishing to apply for federal aid or seeking more information about TAA are encouraged to contact the Farm Service Agency at 761-7750, or Jean-Louis Pajot (202-720-2916) at the Department of Agriculture.