The United States Department of Agriculture issued a Secretarial Disaster Designation for Suffolk County on May 18, following Gov. Kathy Hochul's request to provide relief to the aquaculture industry, the governor's office announced last week. The designation allows affected farms in Suffolk and Nassau Counties to apply for disaster assistance and low-interest emergency loans.
In February, heavy snowfall, numerous weeks of freezing temperatures, and extensive ice formation across coastal waters significantly impacted Suffolk's aquaculture grower operations, which are mostly small and family-owned, with producers facing an estimated combined $2.4 million loss. Some oyster farmers were prevented from accessing shellfish growing areas and conducting normal harvesting and farm operations. Access to vessels and aquaculture sites were blocked for extended periods, and ice accumulation across waterways caused damage to aquaculture gear and vessels. Many growers faced a more than 30-percent loss in production, according to a survey conducted by industry partners and local officials, on top of the cost of repairing damage to equipment and vessels.
Richard A. Ball, the state agriculture commissioner, and Amanda Lefton, the commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation, toured a number of affected businesses on Long Island in April to better understand the extent of the damage.
Aquaculturists in eligible counties have eight months from the date of the disaster declaration to apply for relief programs. Farmers can contact their local office of the U.S.D.A.'s Farm Service Agency, which can be found at farmers.gov.
The D.E.C. has encouraged the aquaculture industry to continue to submit landing reports to its office to assist with a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Federal Fisheries Disaster Designation evaluation for last winter's severe weather.
