Governor DeSantis requests for NOAA fishery disaster assistance - FOX 4 News Fort Myers WFTX

PUNTA GORDA, Fla — Hurricane Ian’s almighty tempest surge destroyed a ample information of Southwest Florida’s sportfishing manufacture from boats to docks to food houses.

On Saturday, Governor Ron DeSantis held a property league successful Punta Gorda successful which helium announced that helium is requesting for NOAA Fishery Disaster Assistance to the United States Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo.

“This volition beryllium commercialized fishermen, it volition beryllium wholesale dealers, charter vessel captains, offshore, adjacent shore, inshore fisheries,” said Governor DeSantis. “And determination was harm connected each of those. Now we don’t cognize the nonstop impacts to the industry. And hopefully the impacts aren’t arsenic terrible arsenic worst case, but we don’t truly cognize for sure. But this clearly, a tempest of this magnitude, this is due for this declaration. So, erstwhile this is approved, past that provides these groups and radical successful the manufacture to enactment with NOAA to beryllium capable to get much support.”

As defined by NOAA, A fishery catastrophe refers to a commercialized fishery failure, a catastrophic determination fishery disaster, important harm incurred, oregon a superior disruption affecting aboriginal accumulation owed to a fishery assets catastrophe arising from natural, undetermined, oregon successful definite circumstances man-made causes.

Hurricane Ian did conscionable that. As Fox 4 has been reporting, Hurricane Ian severely damaged Fort Myers Beach’s shrimp vessel fleet. Only 3 of 50 shrimp boats successful larboard astatine the clip of the tempest are present capable to harvest shrimp currently. The remainder are piled up oregon severely damaged from Hurricane Ian’s surge. During University of Florida’s Florida Sea Grant webinar connected Friday, UF Marine Resource Economics Specialist Andrew Ropicki explained however important the shrimp fishery is to the authorities of Florida.

“The Lee County fishery, you are talking astir $13 cardinal per twelvemonth successful dockside revenue,” said Ropicki. “To springiness you an idea, the authorities of Florida arsenic full does astir $52 cardinal per twelvemonth successful full shrimp revenue.”

In summation to the shrimp fleet, Pine Island mislaid 4 of 5 food houses connected the island. These are locations fishermen tin disconnected load their boats and truthful that food tin beryllium sold astatine market.

Earlier this week, Fox 4 spoke with Casey Streeter, a commercialized fisherman and proprietor of Island Seafood Market connected Matlacha. Streeter said sportfishing aft tempest is successful atrocious shape, and if we were to suffer our fishing, past we would suffer a large portion of past successful Southwest Florida.

“Our fishermen connected Pine Island especially, the archetypal infrastructure connected this land was acceptable to get drawback from fishermen to market,” said Streeter. “So the culture, the past of what made this country unsocial successful the archetypal spot is gone oregon volition beryllium gone and I don’t privation to spot that.”

Streeter besides was calling connected for assistance from the authorities and national governments. That assistance is present coming aft Governer DeSantis petition for fisheries catastrophe assistance. Unfortunately, arsenic Streeter explained earlier this week, that assistance could inactive instrumentality immoderate time.

“We request legislature enactment to propulsion our catastrophe declaration through, due to the fact that determination are resources that travel into fisheries erstwhile we person these issues, but they tin instrumentality up to 2 to 3 years,” said Streeter.

UF’s Ropicki said connected Friday if the nationalist is looking to assistance the fishermen impacted by Hurricane Ian, look into bargain Florida caught seafood.

“Really question retired and inquire astir Florida caught seafood,” said Ropicki. “I mean a batch of the manufacture is inactive sidelined, but arsenic they bring accumulation backmost online, get their boats backmost successful the h2o and get backmost retired determination working, what would assistance is request for caller Florida caught seafood.”

Saturday besides marks the archetypal time of Stone Crap Season successful Southwest Florida. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Chairman of the Commission Rodney Barreto says that FWC is alert of infrastructure issues of wherever craps an offload their drawback and is presently moving a solution.

"We cognizant of the information that fisheries, they mightiness not person a spot to instrumentality to merchantability it to," said Chairman Barreto. "So we are going to beryllium talking to the Governor astir that, due to the fact that they request an avenue to merchantability their merchandise and we are going to person to find that. Because it doesn't beryllium close now. But determination are resources retired determination and we privation to marque definite they person entree to it."