Bristol Bay seafood group lays out how drift fishermen can send USDA fuel cost data

The Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association on Monday published a step-by-step guide for drift fishermen who want to send fuel cost records to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's $8 billion Harvest Fuel Relief Program. The program has not yet set payment rules for fishing.

President Donald J. Trump and Agriculture Secretary Brooke L. Rollins announced the program Oct. 19 as one-time payments to farmers this harvest season for temporary market disruptions and higher input costs, according to the USDA announcement.

USDA invited fishermen and other producers outside the main row crops to email data on increased fuel costs to [email protected] so it can consider the data when it sets payment rates. Alaska News previously reported that USDA requested fishermen's fuel cost data while setting no payment terms, that Sen. Dan Sullivan said Alaska fishermen are eligible, and that fishermen were left out of an $11 billion farm rescue.

USDA has not released eligibility requirements, payment rates or application dates for fishing, or a deadline or format for submissions, the association said. Sending data does not make anyone eligible or guarantee a payment.

USDA expects to announce row crop rates in November and will set a method for other commodities later. The association said any payment to fishermen may not come until well into 2027, and that data USDA receives before it settles on a method is the most likely to shape it.

The guide's five-part template covers the operation, fuel purchases, the effect on the business, supporting documents and a signed confidentiality request and certification. It recommends a 2023 to 2025 average as the baseline.

Added cost is the 2026 average price per gallon minus the baseline average, multiplied by 2026 gallons. In the association's example, $7.85 minus $5.70 across 4,000 gallons comes to $8,600.

Because records emailed to a federal agency can be requested under the Freedom of Information Act, the association advises marking each page as confidential commercial information and removing Social Security numbers, full bank and card numbers and crew members' personal information. It warns that knowingly false statements to a federal agency are a crime.

The guide also advises setting up a Login.gov account now, because USDA has said pre-filled applications will be available online to producers with an account linked to USDA. Fishermen do not need to finish every line, the association said: fuel prices and volumes with a few receipts are more useful than no submission. It says it will update the guide as more information comes out.