Deadline: 21-Sep-20
Government of Canada’s Fisheries and Oceans Canada Department announced the creation of measures to support Canada’s fish harvesters who are feeling the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. These measures are the Fish Harvester Benefit and Fish Harvester Grant.
The Fish Harvester Benefit offers income support to self-employed fish harvesters and share persons. The benefit covers up to 75% of income losses beyond a 25% threshold for the 2020 tax year when compared to 2018 or 2019.
The Fish Harvester Grant is a non-repayable grant to self-employed fish harvesters with a valid commercial fishing licence in 2020 (issued by DFO or their Province or Territory for freshwater commercial harvesters).
Funding Information
- Fish Harvester Benefit: The maximum benefit is $10,164.
- Fish Harvester Grant: The Grant provides a maximum non-repayable support of up to $10,000.
Eligibility Criteria
Fish Harvester Grant
The following are eligible for the Fish Harvester Grant:
- Self-employed commercial fish harvesters (e.g. “owner-operators”, enterprise heads, inshore licence holders or hold limited entry commercial licence eligibility (Pacific)
- Freshwater fish harvesters (subject to provincial agreement to provide licensing information)
- Indigenous harvesters who are designated as Vessel Masters by their community under a communal commercial fishing licence.
Fish Harvester Benefit
The following are eligible for the Fish Harvester Benefit:
- Self-employed commercial fish harvesters (e.g. “owner-operators”, enterprise heads, inshore, licence holders, or hold limited entry commercial licence eligibility (Pacific)
- Self-employed freshwater fish harvesters
- Indigenous harvesters who are designated by their community under a communal commercial fishing licence
- Sharepersons crew.
Who is not eligible?
The following are not eligible for the Fish Harvester Benefit:
- Commercial fish harvesters in the offshore sector
- Recreational fish harvesters, including sport fishing enterprises
- Individuals and companies within the aquaculture sector
- Individuals and companies within the processing sector
- Wage-earning crew
- Anyone who has applied for or received Canadian Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) to support their own wages.
What information will you need to provide?
Individuals applying for the Fish Harvester Benefit need to ensure that they have the following information available:
- Social Insurance Number (SIN)
- Full Name
- The amount of their reported self-employed fishing income for the 2018 or 2019 tax year
- Income Tax Program Account Number if income is reported under a corporation
- Projected estimate of the applicant’s self-employed fishing income for 2020
- Applicant’s full home address
- Phone number
- Bank details for payments (including branch transit number, institution number and account number).
For more information, visit https://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fisheries-peches/initiatives/fhgbp-ppsp/index-eng.html