Source: USDA, 12/17/20

USDA’s Farm Service Agency has historically supported America’s farmers, ranchers, and agricultural producers. We’ve added U.S. fishermen to our customer base with the Seafood Trade Relief Program, STRP, which has a signup deadline of January 15. According to Jeremy Cates, a fourth-generation lobster, scallop, and halibut fisherman in Cutler, Maine, the program “couldn’t have come at a better time.”

Challenges of the Fishing Industry
Jeremy is no stranger to the inherent challenges of the fishing industry. He bought his first boat at age 12 and genuinely enjoys the hard work of now owning his own fishery. “We are governed by tide, weather, and lobster biology – all of which can be highly unpredictable,” Jeremy explains. “We can’t plan on much during the fall run, except that we will be fishing.”

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