Mills announces $16M in pandemic relief for Maine seafood businesses
Photo / Renee Cordes
Starting Friday, $16 million in new federal relief is available to Maine wholesale seafood dealers and processors, including those along Portland's working waterfront, shown here.
Gov. Janet Mills on Thursday said nearly $16 million in new federal funding will help Maine's wholesale seafood dealers and processors recover from the pandemic and add infrastructure in preparation for future market disruptions.
The funds include $10 million announced last November allocated from the American Rescue Plan Act, plus an additional $5 million from the federal Consolidated Appropriations Act and $850,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Seafood Processors Pandemic Response and Safety Block Grant Program
The Mills administration dedicated additional federal funding to the program to maximize resources for Maine's seafood dealers and processors struggling with pandemic challenges, according to Thursday's announcement.
Applications for the Maine Seafood Dealer and Processors COVID-19 Response and Resilience Program open Friday and will run through April 28. The Maine Technology Institute will administer the program on behalf of the Maine Department of Marine Resources.
“Maine seafood dealers and processors are key to our state’s coastal economy, providing thousands of good-paying jobs in one of our most iconic industries and generating billions of dollars in economic activity for Maine,” Mills said. “My administration will work hard to help them not only recover from the pandemic but also make needed investments that will position them for success in the future.”
To be eligible for a grant under the program, businesses must have held a wholesale seafood dealer, lobster processor, seaweed buyer, worm dealer or elver dealer license since April 1, 2020, among other requirements.
Eligible uses of the funds include: payroll costs and expenses; rent or mortgage payments for business facilities; utilities payments; purchase of personal protective equipment required by the business; business-related equipment purchases; investments to strengthen businesses’ ability to mitigate pandemic-related market disruptions; or expenses incurred to replenish inventory or other necessary operating expenses.
“The program is very important to all the dealers and processors right now,” said Ron Trundy, manager of the Stonington Co-Op. “With these funds, we can better adapt our business infrastructure to handle the serious financial burden of supply chain and work force problems brought on by the pandemic.”
MTI President Brian Whitney said his agency is pleased to play a role in helping deploy the vital funds.
"These grants will enable the state to provide support to as many marine food processing businesses as possible and provide much needed capital to stabilize and aid them in their recovery and growth," he said.
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