For-hire CARES Act Fisheries Relief

For-hire fishing businesses can check this page for application status and other updates related to CARES Act Fisheries Relief.

Round Two Funding for For-hire businesses

Round Two applicant list and application status for Charter Boat: Round Two Charter Boat CARES Act Fisheries Relief Application Status 

Round Two applicant list and application status for Head Boat: Round Two Head Boat CARES Act Fisheries Relief Application Status

Program Overview: 
The Round Two CARES Act Fisheries Relief Program is now closed. ASMFC mailed payments to eligible recipients on October 7, 2021.

Charter Boat Relief Program

Basic Program Eligibility:
1. Must have held a 2020 and 2019 Massachusetts Charter Boat permit.
2. Must have suffered greater than 35% revenue loss due to the Covid-19 pandemic under this permit during March 1–June 30, 2020, OR March 1–December 31, 2020, compared to the prior 5‐year average during the same timeframe.
3. Must meet a threshold of at least 50 for-hire fishing trips in 2017, 2018, or 2019.
4. Must be 18 years of age or older at the time of application.
5. Must be in good standing with the State and Federal Government.
6. Must be a Massachusetts resident. A non‐resident who fishes entirely out of Massachusetts and is not eligible to receive CARES Act Sec. 12005 for-hire fishing aid from another state may qualify for the Massachusetts program. 
7. Assistance from this and other COVID-related relief must not make the applicant “more than whole” regarding their 2020 revenue. Your 2020 for-hire fishing revenue under your permit combined with applicable federal COVID-related relief cannot exceed your typical annual for-hire fishing revenue under your permit based on the prior five years’ average.

Tiering & Payment Share:
• Using information available to DMF, potential Charter Boat Sector applicants were tiered according to vessel size (small is <28’; large is ≥ 28’) and annual for-hire fishing activity level (ineligible is < 50 trips/yr; active is ≥ 50 trips/yr). Each eligible applicant received a share as shown below.
• If you were found eligible in Round One, you were pre-qualified for Round Two. Round Two recipients received their assigned share unless that amount made them “more than whole”. In this case, you received your “maximum payment value”, as identified during the application process.  
• The total number of shares was calculated after applications from all four sectors (Seafood Processing, For-hire, Aquaculture, and Commercial) were qualified and appeals resolved. The For-hire Charter shares are shown below. 

Vessel Size/Activity	Share	Amount
Small or Large; < 50 trips	0	$0
Small; ≥ 50 trips	0.5	$7,937.76
Large; ≥ 50 trips	1.0	$15,875.52

Head Boat Relief Program

Basic Program Eligibility:
1. Must have held a 2020 and 2019 Massachusetts Head Boat permit.
2. Must have suffered greater than 35% revenue loss due to the Covid-19 pandemic under your permit during March 1–June 30, 2020, OR March 1–December 31, 2020, compared to the prior 5‐year average during the same timeframe.
3. Must meet a threshold of at least 10 for-hire fishing trips in 2017, 2018, or 2019.
4. Must be 18 years of age or older at the time of application.
5. Must be in good standing with the State and Federal Government.
6. Must be a Massachusetts resident. A non‐resident who fishes entirely out of Massachusetts and is not eligible to receive CARES Act Sec. 12005 for-hire fishing aid from another state may qualify for the Massachusetts program. 
7. Assistance from this and other COVID-related relief must not make the applicant “more than whole” regarding their 2020 revenue. Your 2020 for-hire fishing revenue under your permit combined with applicable federal COVID-related relief cannot exceed your typical annual for-hire fishing revenue under your permit based on the prior five years’ average.

Tiering & Payment Share:
• Using information available to DMF, potential Head Boat Sector applicants were tiered according to vessel size (small is ≤ 40’; medium is 41’ to ≤ 65’; large is 66’+) and annual for-hire fishing activity level per calendar year (inactive is <10 trips; limited is 10 to ≤ 40 trips; active is 41+ trips). Each eligible applicant received a share as shown below.
• If you were found eligible in Round One, you were pre-qualified for Round Two. Round Two recipients received their assigned share unless that amount made them “more than whole”. In this case, you received your “maximum payment value”, as identified during the application process.  
• The total number of shares was calculated after applications from all four sectors (Seafood Processing, For-hire, Aquaculture, and Commercial) were qualified and appeals resolved. The For-hire Head Boat shares are shown below. 

Vessel Size/Activity	Share	Amount
Small, Medium, or Large; Inactive	0	$0
Small; Limited	0.0625	$2,065.10
Small; Active	0.25	$8,260.38
Medium; Limited	0.15625	$5,162.74
Medium; Active	0.625	$20,650.95
Large; Limited	0.25	$8,260.38
Large; Active	1.0	$33,041.52

Additional Resources

Round One Program Summary for For-hire CARES Act Fisheries Relief

For-Hire Round 2 Working Group Meeting Presentation

For-Hire Round 2 Working Group Meeting Summary

Questions

If you have any questions about this for-hire fishing relief program, please email us at [e-mail].