New Relief Available to Fishers hit by Tariffs

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If you are a Tribal Fisher impacted by regulatory tariffs, you may qualify for potentially thousands of dollars in relief funds through the Seafood Trade Relief Program (STRP).

The relief to fishers is based on seafood that has been subject to retaliatory tariffs and suffered more than $5 million in retaliatory trade damages across the United States. Eligible species are Atka mackerel, Dungeness crab, King crab, Snow crab, Southern Tanner crab, Flounder, Geoduck, Goosefish, Herring, Lobster, Pacific Cod, Pacific Ocean Perch, Pollock, Sablefish, Salmon, Sole, Squid, Tuna, and Turbot.

The relief will be calculated based on how many pounds of a specific species a fisherman caught in 2019. For example, every 1000 pounds of Dungeness Crab caught by Tribal fisher last year will fetch $470 in relief funds, says Suquamish Tribe Fisheries Administrative Program Manager Kim Kumpf.

“Some Tribal fisherman harvested nearly 20,000 lbs of crab last year, so that’ll be about $9,000 in relief funding,” says Kumpf.

Similarly, Tribal fishers will be able to claim $760 in relief for every thousand pounds of geoduck harvested last year, and $160 for every thousand pounds of salmon.

Tribal Fishers will need to complete a variety of USDA forms to claim the relief funding, says Kumpf. “This is an application for individual fishers to apply directly to the USDA. This is not through, or with, the Suquamish Tribe. This is direct from fisher to USDA,” she says.

Some quick facts about the program:

  • Relief is based on harvested pounds, not income, between Jan 1, 2019 to Dec. 1, 2019.
  • Application deadline: Dec 14, 2020
  • What will you need?
    • Fill out the complete application per directions
    • Provide copy of Fishing ID
    • Provide direct deposit or a canceled/voided check
    • Provide poundage caught per species:
      • Geoduck divers: Contact Aaron Purser (360-394-7122) at Suquamish Seafoods for your poundage totals.
      • Crab, salmon, other species fishers: Contact Kim Kumpf (360-394-8438) at Fisheries for poundage totals.
    • Provide Tax Exempt Form “IRC Section 7873.”  You can download the form here or pick one up from Aaron Purser or Kim Kumpf.

A USDA Call Center is available for fishermen who would like one-on-one support with the STRP application process. Please call 877-508-8364 to speak directly with a USDA employee ready to offer assistance.

To download a PDF with official instructions, along with notes from Fisheries, as well as all the forms needed to apply, click here. The individual forms can also be downloaded on the USDA website here.

Suquamish Tribe Begins Preplanning COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution

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A newly formed preplanning group from the Suquamish Tribe’s Emergency Operations Center gathered online this week to begin early preparations for vaccination distribution to Tribal members and staff in the coming months.

Dubbed the COVID-19 Vaccine Planning Subcommittee, the task group consists of Suquamish Tribe Acting Co-Director Jamie Gooby, EOC Manager Cherrie May, Community Health Nurse Barbara Hoffman, Tribal Attorney Melody Allen, Marion Forsman-Boushie Early Learning Center School Nurse Renee Hommel, EOC Public Information Officer Jon Anderson, and Emergency Management Consultant Eric Quitslund.

The first meeting of the planning group focused on reviewing the Tribe’s Pandemic Response Plan, getting an overview of medical countermeasures, and beginning the work of assessing vaccination priority groups.

“At this point, there are still a lot of unknowns in terms when the first vaccine will be approved, when – and in what quantities – it will be available, and how it will need to be controlled and administered,” said May. “So, this first meeting was really centered on what kind of questions we need to be asking and what potential scenarios we need to be thinking through.”

Also of paramount concern is vaccine safety.

“We will be listening to and consulting with the medical and scientific experts we know and trust,” said Gooby. “That will play a big role in which vaccine Tribal Council ultimately opts to make available and when Tribal government decides to deploy it.”

Currently, there are 11 vaccines now in the final “Phase 3” level of testing, including four underway in the United States. Phase 3 testing for each potential vaccine involves some 30,000 volunteers, who take either the candidate vaccine or a placebo, across dozens of sites around the country.

Vaccines work by training your body’s natural defenses to recognize and fight off viruses.  “If the body is exposed to those disease-causing germs later, the body is immediately ready to destroy them, preventing illness,” according to the World Health Organization.

New rules from the Food and Drug Administration issued on Oct. 6, suggest the earliest the first COVID-19 vaccine might be approved for emergency use is mid to late November, with large-scale availability ramping up over several months after approval.

Complete the Census: Help your Family, Help your Tribe

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Upcoming Forums for Suquamish Tribal Members

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Here’s a rundown of the next online Forums scheduled for Suquamish Tribal members:

Sept. 3 – Enterprise: Suquamish Evergreen Corporation: Agate Dreams and Token

Sept. 10 – Cultural Sharing: Song and Dance

Sept. 17 – PME Casino Resort, Retail, White Horse, Kiana Lodge

 

Forum are held online every Thursday at 4:30pm. Link and login information is sent via the Tribe’s free Suquamish Updates Now (SUN) text service. Suquamish Tribe members can sign up for SUN here.

 

A Special Gift to the Class of 2020 from the Suquamish Tribal Elders

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Recognizing these unprecedented times, the Suquamish Tribal Elders, in cooperation with the Suquamish Tribe Human Services Elders Program, offer this special video gift to the graduating Class of 2020.

Suquamish Tribe Seeking Education Superintendent

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Suquamish Remembers Chief Seattle

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Every year, for as long as anyone can remember, the Suquamish Tribe — alongside friends and allies — has gathered in late August at the grave of Chief Seattle to remember their great ancestor and his many accomplishments.
This year, things must be done a little differently, but we can still gather together to remember. Please join Suquamish Elder Marilyn Wandrey in this special Chief Seattle celebration at his grave site in Suquamish.
Music credit:
Bearon’s Floor Song
Sacred Water Canoe Family
Composed by James Old Coyote

CKA and other local schools to start school year online

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The Chief Kitsap Academy School Board told parents it would begin the upcoming school year with all classes completely online.
The decision comes as other schools in the area – including the Bainbridge Island, North Kitsap and Central Kitsap school districts – have all announced similar plans.
The announcement comes in the wake of a July 27 determination by the Kitsap Public Health District that it was not safe “to open schools for traditional classroom learning in August or September” amidst rising rates of COVID-19 infections throughout the county and state.
In a letter to parents July 28, CKA Principal Lucy Dafoe said the school would hold a series of meetings for students and parents leading into the new school year, which starts Sept. 2.
“There will be an online Educational Forum moderated by Robin L.W. Sigo. We will have grade-level student and parent orientations. We hope to schedule the meetings in-person, socially distanced and held outside,” wrote Dafoe. “We will also have an online orientation if you do not feel comfortable attending in person. We want to make sure everyone has good information as we start distance learning.”
Dafoe encouraged parents to reach out with any questions or concerns.
“We will get more information out to you soon. In the meantime, please turn in enrollment applications so that we have accurate student counts,” said Dafoe.
For those still considering school options for the coming year, CKA – a 6th- through-12th grade school, which led the region in providing online education as the pandemic started – is still accepting applications for new students for the coming term.

Suquamish Government hosts online Q&A forums for Tribal members

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The Suquamish Tribal Government is holding a series of online forums for Tribal members to hear the latest from government departments and ask questions of program leaders.

The forums are held every Tuesday and Thursday, starting at 4:30pm Suquamish Time. These forums are for Tribal members only.

A link to each forum is sent via the Suquamish Updates Now (SUN) text and email service. (If you haven’t signed up for the free SUN service yet, you can do that here.)

Here’s the schedule for the upcoming forums:

July 23
Housing, Community Development, and Land Use

July 28
Health, Wellness, and COVID response, including behavioral telehealth efforts

July 30
Finance and Budget

Aug 4
Fisheries, Natural Resources, Treaty Protection, with a focus on cockles, forestry, and U&A battles

Aug 6
Suquamish Police Department, with a focus on community-oriented policing and de-escalation

Aug 11
Education, with an emphasis on school re-opening plans