Gov. Kay Ivey announced Wednesday a plan to help Alabama’s seafood industry, which is struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ivey said Alabama received almost $3.3 million in Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) funding to provide economic relief to qualifying applicants in the state’s seafood industry who have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The state will receive an additional $8.65 million in federal fisheries disaster relief funds related to extreme freshwater flooding in 2019 that hurt fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico.

“The gulf and its fisheries are vital to Alabama’s economy by providing jobs for fishermen, processors and others in the seafood industry,” Ivey said in the statement. “We are thankful to provide this much needed relief to those affected in our coastal communities.”

The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) is working with NOAA Fisheries to determine final eligibility guidelines for those seeking to receive relief funding.

“Once we receive documentation regarding the guidelines, the state will develop a spending plan and submit it to NOAA for approval,” said ADCNR Commissioner Christopher M. Blankenship. “When approved, we will announce the application period and the requirements for eligibility to the public.”

Ivey said the eligibility requirements and application process will be finalized and implemented in the coming months.

Information about other federal financial assistance programs available to fisherman and other seafood industry related businesses can be viewed at www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/noaa-fisheries-coronavirus-covid-19-update.