The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has awarded a $10 million grant to the territory for the benefit of its Fisheries Disaster Assistance Program.
Delegate to Congress Stacey E. Plaskett announced the grant via a press statement Tuesday. “Fisheries are subject to a number of factors that can cause sudden and unexpected losses, leading to serious economic impact for fishers and their communities,” Ms. Plaskett said.
“Fisheries are an essential part of coastal economies, providing jobs for fishermen, fish processors, and related maritime support industries. Since fisheries depend on the productivity of the environment, there are natural variations in the number of fish caught each year and in the revenue generated by the fishery. However, fisheries are also subject to a number of factors that can cause sudden and unexpected losses, leading to serious economic impact for fishers and their communities. These factors include events such as hurricanes and typhoons, oil spills, harmful algal blooms, and other types of disasters, both natural and manmade, that cause a commercial fishery to be harmed or fail.
“This grant will benefit the Virgin Islands tremendously with our ongoing rebuilding efforts making the Virgin Islands whole again after experiencing two devastating hurricanes. The United States government and the international community has an obligation to help in the reestablishment of our islands. The grant award is a vital component of that concern.”
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