The Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) has provided more details on hundreds of NOAA Fisheries staffers fired by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump in February – a move that has left many offices across the country struggling with lower staff levels.
The layoffs occurred in February as part of the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) efforts to bluntly shrink the size of the federal workforce. Led at the time by billionaire and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, DOGE took control of NOAA early in the president’s second term and quickly fired hundreds of probationary employees. Other federal workers accepted a buyout from the Trump administration, which offered financial incentives to government employees in return for deferred resignations to take place later in the year.
The Trump administration did not provide any details on who had been let go from NOAA or how lowered staff levels would impact the agency’s missions – including its efforts to conserve marine resources and manage commercial fisheries.
In March, CBD issued a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for more information about the layoffs, arguing that DOGE was not following government transparency guidelines.
“The incredible ocean animals that Americans adore are in serious danger as Musk plays power games with hard-working marine scientists,” CBD Oceans Director Miyoko Sakashita said at the time. “Unbelievably, they fired an orca-saving employee of the year, and the public deserves to know what other animals, marine sanctuaries, and conservation programs are paying the price for DOGE’s cuts. Getting rid of the experts carrying out important conservation work has devastating and unlawful consequences for both wildlife and people.”
In response to the FOIA request, CBD was provided with documents detailing the positions of those who lost their jobs in February at NOAA Fisheries. While anecdotal reports had shown that NOAA Fisheries offices were struggling to complete work following the layoffs, the new documents show just how many staffers those offices lost in a matter of days. In total, 545 NOAA Fisheries employees were laid off or accepted the buyout offer across 20 offices.
Many of those fired were marine biologists and fisheries management specialists; More than half of the workers fired or let go – 288 people – worked in directly supporting marine ecosystems and wildlife, according to the Center.
“The Trump administration’s disdain for whales, dolphins and our entire natural world is hitting the oceans hard,” Sakashita told SeafoodSource. “Targeting the people who work to keep sea creatures like salmon and sea otters healthy will backfire in disastrous ways, as we get less and less prepared for climate chaos. The loss of this marine wildlife expertise is incalculable.”
NOAA Fisheries’ science centers were hard hit by the layoffs, with each losing dozens of employees, ranging from biologists to IT specialists. The Northeast Fisheries Science Center lost nearly 50 employees, as did the Alaska Fisheries Science Center. The Southeast Fisheries Science Center lost 56 employees.
While the document dump only included position titles of those let go, CBD said it expects to receive more information from the FOIA request.
“We also expect to receive additional information in the future about these firings, including descriptions of workplans, timelines and projects for the employees who were fired,” Sakashita said.
The Trump administration has continued its push to shrink NOAA’s workforce since February. In its fiscal year 2026 budget request, the Department of Commerce proposed shrinking NOAA’s workforce by 17 percent, removing about 2,000 employees. It’s unclear how many of those positions had already been eliminated by layoffs or resignations.
White House Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought has also threatened to use the ongoing government shutdown to let more employees go permanently. While government employees deemed nonessential are typically furloughed when appropriations lapse and the government shuts down, Vought sent a memo telling agencies they can issue reduction-in-force notices to employees who don’t align with “the President’s priorities” during the shutdown. Despite vocal support from the president to fire federal employees during the shutdown, the White House has so far withheld on carrying out any more mass layoffs.
