PORTLAND, Maine (AP) Maine’s top fisheries official says more than 2,000 Maine fishermen are expected to receive federal coronavirus aid before the end of the year.

Maine Department of Marine Resources Commissioner Patrick Keliher says the state received 2,700 applications for the aid, which will total $19 million. He says some 2,100 will receive direct payouts before Jan. 1.

Keliher says the remaining 600 applicants are still in the auditing process.

The pandemic has disrupted the seafood industry, which is one of the most important sectors of Maine’s economy. The state is America’s largest producer of lobsters.