The money is an important step in reimbursing the many costs associated with the pandemic, according to Lori Steele with the West Coast Seafood Processors Association.
“Expenses like equipment, PPE, COVID-19 testing, quarantining, retrofitting the processing facilities,” Steele says. “So the expenses were on the order of millions of dollars.”
The money was secured by U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden. It’s part of a larger investment by the US Department of Agriculture.
Approximately $50 million is going to 24 different states to support the seafood industry. In Oregon, the money will be distributed by the state's agriculture department.
In Southern Oregon, processors are located in Brookings, Coos Bay and Charleston. California and Washington also received funding from the USDA.