Aleutians East Borough posts form to help fishermen gather fuel data for USDA relief

The Aleutians East Borough posted a spreadsheet Monday to help commercial fishermen organize their fuel costs and fuel use before emailing them to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's [email protected] inbox. The form notes that the inbox is monitored "for informational purposes only" and that fishermen "will still need to resubmit information through the official application process," which has not opened yet.

USDA announced the $8 billion Harvest Fuel Relief Program on Oct. 19. The program will make one-time payments, and USDA's Farm Service Agency will run it. As Alaska News reported Oct. 20, USDA asked fishermen to send fuel-cost data but did not say how much they might get. USDA expects to release payment rates for row crops this month.

The next day, Sen. Dan Sullivan said Alaska fishermen are eligible and urged them to "begin compiling and submitting data on their vessels' fuel consumption and costs to help USDA determine relief payments." His press release said USDA was still developing the program and had not yet announced an application period. It said USDA encouraged fishermen to set up Login.gov accounts in the meantime.

The Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association cautions that any payment to fishermen could come well into 2027. It says sending data now is voluntary and guarantees neither eligibility nor payment, because USDA has not finalized how it will figure payments or who in the fishing sector qualifies. Alaska News previously covered that group's guide for drift fishermen.

The borough's form asks for vessel name, home port, length, engine horsepower, gear type, season length, species caught and fuel type. It asks for fuel-use rates for this year and last, and says three years of fuel use would help. It also asks about costs tied to a tender operator and invites comments on how higher fuel costs have affected each fisherman. Receipts and invoices are welcome, but the form says estimates are "ok for now."

Gathering the data now, the form says, will help fishermen be ready when the application opens.