The U.S. Department of Commerce is giving the Aleutian Islands community of King Cove $888,789 for harbor improvements.
Within the Commerce Department, the Economic Development Administration provides grants and other assistance to economically distressed communities. They said in a statement Tuesday the money is meant to support the region’s fishing industry.
The money is earmarked for a new boat hoist at the city’s harbor.
King Cove has roughly 700 residents. The town just took a hit when its only fish processing plant, Peter Pan, announced it would not be processing cod this season, effectively shuttering the fishing community’s chief economic driver.
U.S. Representative Mary Peltola said she was “delighted” King Cove was getting the federal funds, and that it would “provide a boost for the fishing industry.”
The federal government has recently invested millions in Alaska’s coastal communities, including over $43.3 million for a new dock in Cold Bay, just over the pass from King Cove. That grant was announced in November.
King Cove is required to match the boat hoist grant with an additional $888,789, bringing the total investment for the project to $1.7 million.
