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MDMR staff available for in-office assistance for CARES Act applications

21-58-CWS | November 2, 2021

BILOXI, Miss. – Mississippi Department of Marine Resources (MDMR) staff will be available Nov. 8 – 10 from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. to assist those needing help completing their application for the second round of Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. This will be held at the MDMR offices located in the Bolton Building at 1141 Bayview Avenue in Biloxi. Applicants may call 228-374-5000 to schedule an appointment.

 

Applications for commercial and charter fisheries participants opened Oct. 20, 2021, on the MDMR website at www.dmr.ms.gov/cares-act-two-assistance/ and the application will be open for 30 days.

 

Applicants must be a Mississippi resident 18 years or older and have possessed a valid Mississippi resident commercial fishing, dealer-processor or charter boat license during the July 1, 2019 – June 30, 2021, license year. Out of state license holders must provide Mississippi identification in the application. Applicants may only apply in one category and, if applying as a business, it must be domiciled in Mississippi and registered with the Mississippi Secretary of State.

 

Participants must not be debarred, not on the government “do not pay list” and in good standing the with federal and state government. Also, participants cannot have previously been made whole by other CARES Act funds.

 

The following information will be needed for the application process: contact information, email address, all applicable 2019-2020/2020-2021 fishing year license numbers, social security number or employer ID tax number and applicable revenue loss information. If using direct deposit, a check routing number and account number are also needed.

 

The process will require applicants to provide qualifying licenses and affidavits for self-certification of economic revenue losses greater than 35%. The affidavit will require additional acknowledgements and self-certification with penalties outlined for false information. A W-9 form, incorporated into the application, will also be required for payment and retained by the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission.

 

The revenue loss should cover any consecutive time frame of at least 28-days between January through June 2020 or July through December 2020, as compared to a prior five-year average of the same period. Individuals or organizations that have not been in the qualifying fisheries or seafood business for five years prior can provide an affidavit for revenue losses for the actual time frame they have been in business if that period is at least one year prior to 2020.  Each participant may apply for any or all periods where they had loss greater than 35%, for at least 28 days, as compared to a prior five-year average of the same period, with the following provisions:

 

  • Mississippi residents who missed MDMR’s first CARES Act program in 2020 due to the fast-paced schedule for disaster recovery fund distribution may apply for losses in the 2021 program for January through June 2020. No participant will receive compensation exceeding their reported loss. Those participants will need to reapply through a separate application for any losses documented for July through December 2020.
  • Mississippi residents who qualified in MDMR’s first CARES Act program in 2020 but did not receive complete compensation for their reported losses January through June 2020 will automatically be included again in the 2021 program revisiting that period (January through June 2020). No participant will receive compensation exceeding their reported loss. Those participants will need to reapply through a separate application for any losses documented for July through December 2020.

 

Applications close Friday, Nov. 19, 2021, at 11:59 p.m. No late applications will be considered and there will be no appeals if the deadline is missed. Funding allocation has been structured so that all applications submitted before the deadline will be considered.

 

For assistance submitting an application, contact the MDMR at 228-374-5000. For questions regarding the status of an application or payment, or if an email with completed individual application information is not received, contact Traci Floyd at 228-523-4068 or CARESAct@dmr.ms.gov.

 

Please note, the demonstrated need may far exceed the funds available for disbursement. The distribution of Mississippi’s CARES Act appropriation of nearly $3 million will be administered by the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission to assist commercial and charter fisheries participants.

The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources is dedicated to enhancing, protecting and conserving marine interests of the state by managing all marine life, public trust wetlands, adjacent uplands and waterfront areas to provide for the optimal commercial, recreational, educational and economic uses of these resources consistent with environmental concerns and social changes. Visit the DMR online at dmr.ms.gov.

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