1

Transportation and Marketing

Seafood Processors Pandemic Response and Safety 

Block Grant Program

Fiscal Year 2022 Description of Funded Projects – SPRS

Number of Grants Awarded: 25

Amount of Funds Awarded: $49,970,226

For more information, please visit the program’s website: https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/grants/sprs

NOTE: The project descriptions below were provided by the grant recipients. 

Organization Amount Funded Project Title Project Contact

Alabama Department of 

Agriculture & Industries $200,000 Seafood Processors Pandemic Response and Safety Block Grant Program

Contact Name: Hassey Brooks 

Contact Email: Hassey.brooks@agi.alabama.gov

Alaska Department of 

Commerce, Community, 

and Economic 

Development

$30,694,746 Alaska Seafood Processors Pandemic Response 

Relief Program

Contact Name: Laura Vaught 

Contact Email: laura.vaught@alaska.gov

American Samoa 

Department of Marine 

and Wildlife Resources

$792,209 American Samoa’s COVID-19 Assistance for 

Seafood Processors and Dealers

Contact Name: Taotasi Archie Soliai 

Contact Email: archie.soliai@gmail.com
2

Organization Amount Funded Project Title Project Contact

California Salmon Council $510,912 California Seafood Processors Pandemic 

Response and Safety Block Grant Program Effort

Contact Name: David Goldenberg 

Contact Email: dgoldenberg@ucdavis.edu

Connecticut Department 

of Energy and 

Environmental Protection

$200,000 CT Seafood Processors Pandemic Response and 

Safety (SPRS) Block Reimbursement Program

Contact Name: Anthony Petrillo 

Contact Email: tony.petrillo@ct.gov

Delaware Department of 

Agriculture $200,000 FY22 Seafood Pandemic Response and Safety Block Grant Pro-gram

Contact Name: Stacey Hofmann 

Contact Email: stacey.hofmann@delaware.gov

Florida Fish and Wildlife 

Conservation Commission $516,208 Florida Seafood Processors COVID-19 Relief Program

Contact Name: Daniel Ellinor 

Contact Email: Daniel.Ellinor@MyFWC.com

Georgia Department of 

Agriculture $200,000 Georgia Seafood Covid Optional Relief Effort (GSCORE)

Contact Name: Jen Erdmann 

Contact Email: jen.erdmann@agr.georgia.gov

Hawaii Department of 

Agriculture $200,000 Hawaii Seafood Processors Pandemic Response and Safety Grant Program

Contact Name: Todd Low 

Contact Email: todd.e.low@hawaii.gov
3

Organization Amount Funded Project Title Project Contact

Louisiana Agricultural 

Finance Authority $4,229,669 Louisiana Seafood Processors Pandemic Response and Safety Program (LSPPRS)

Contact Name: Michelle Ribera 

Contact Email: Michelle@ldaf.state.la.us

Maine Department of 

Marine Resources $850,184 Maine Seafood Dealer and Processors Covid-19 Response and Safety Grant Program

Contact Name: Meredith Mendelson 

Contact Email: Meredith.Mendelson@maine.gov

Maryland Department of 

Agriculture $222,673 Maryland Department of Agriculture - SPRS Grant Application

Contact Name: Stone Slade 

Contact Email: stone.slade@maryland.gov

Commonwealth of 

Massachusetts, Division of 

Marine Fisheries

$1,104,725 Massachusetts Seafood Processors Pandemic 

Response and Safety Block Grant Program

Contact Name: Stephanie Cunningham 

Contact Email: stephanie.cunningham@mass.gov

Michigan Department 

of Agriculture & Rural 

Development

$200,000 Michigan Seafood Processors Pandemic Relief 

Program 

Contact Name: Nathaniel Engle 

Contact Email: englen@michigan.gov

Mississippi Department of 

Marine Resources $1,606,446

Seafood Processors Pandemic Response and 

Safety (SPRS) Block grant Program – Mississippi 

Department of Marine Resources

Contact Name: Leslie Brewer 

Contact Email: Leslie.Brewer@dmr.ms.gov
4

Organization Amount Funded Project Title Project Contact

New Hampshire 

Department of Fish and 

Game

$200,000 Seafood Processors/ Dealers USDA COVID-19 

Related Expenses

Contact Name: Randy L. Curtis 

Contact Email: Randy.L.Curtis@wildlife.nh.gov

New Jersey Department of 

Environmental Protection $826,807 New Jersey Seafood Processor COVID-19 Assistance Program

Contact Name: Kelly O’Neill 

Contact Email: Kelly.oneill@dep.nj.gov

New York State 

Department of 

Environmental 

Conservation

$200,000 NYSDEC Seafood Shipper, Dealer, Processor 

Pandemic Response and Safety Grant

Contact Name: Maureen Davidson 

Contact Email: maureen.davidson@dec.ny.gov

North Carolina 

Department of Agriculture 

and Consumer Services

$279,234 North Carolina Seafood Processor Pandemic 

Response Program 2021

Contact Name: Ron Fish 

Contact Email: ron.fish@ncagr.gov

Oregon State Department 

of Agriculture $1,532,089

Assistance for Oregon seafood processing 

facilities and pro-cessing vessels in defraying the 

expenses preparing for, prevent-ing exposure to, 

and responding to the COVID-19 pandemic

Contact Name: Erick Garman 

Contact Email: Erick.Garman@oda.oregon.gov

Rhode Island Department 

of Environmen-tal 

Management

$371,412 Seafood Processors Pandemic Response and 

Safety Grant Pro-gram for Rhode Island

Contact Name: Dan Costa 

Contact Email: dan.costa@dem.ri.gov
5

Organization Amount Funded Project Title Project Contact

South Carolina 

Department of Agriculture $200,000 South Carolina Seafood Processors Pandemic Response and Safety Block Grant

Contact Name: Elizabeth F. Dorton 

Contact Email: bdorton@scda.sc.gov

Texas Department of 

Agriculture $353,135 Texas Seafood Processors Grant Contact Name: Mindy Fryer 

Contact Email: mindy.fryer@TexasAgriculture.gov

Virginia Marine Resources 

Commission $1,853,268 Virginia Seafood Processors Pandemic Response and Safety Block Grant Program

Contact Name: Sheri Crocker 

Contact Email: Sheri.crocker@mrc.virginia.gov

Washington State 

Department of Agriculture $2,426,509

Washington Seafood Processors Pandemic 

Response and Safety Grant for costs associated 

with safety protocols and response to the 

COVID-19 pandemic for seafood processing 

facilities and vessels

Contact Name: Laura Butler 

Contact Email: lbutler@agr.wa.gov