The former head of NOAA said mass layoffs at the agency implemented by the Trump administration could upset the economic stability of the U.S. commercial fishing industry.
“That's a USD 320 billion [EUR 305 million] annual industry, and it's hard to be the best in the world in an industry like that if you can't support the industry with things as fundamental as stock assessments,” former NOAA Administrator Richard Spinrad said during a 28 February press conference. “By the way, there are 2.3 million jobs associated directly with NOAA’s management of the commercial fishing industry.”
Since taking office in January, U.S. President Donald Trump has worked swiftly to cut spending on programs that don’t align with his administration’s priorities. After encouraging federal employees to resign with the promise of a payout, the Trump administration and the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have restricted federal hiring and begun mass layoffs at government agencies.
Democrat lawmakers warned that the Trump administration had set their targets on NOAA after DOGE gained access to NOAA premises and systems at the beginning of February, citing rumors of layoffs and budget cuts. Those layoffs began at the end of February.
Spinrad, who resigned in January before Trump took office, joined Democratic lawmakers in Congress along with other former NOAA leaders to denounce the mass layoffs, arguing that the staffing cuts will affect the agency’s scientific missions, including managing the nation’s commercial fisheries.
“I travel in my job around the world; we have the best managed fishery in the whole world; that is due to NOAA,” former NOAA Director of Policy Sally Yozell said during the press conference. “NOAA sustainably manages our fishery, so that it can be there from generation to generation and makes sure that we have seafood that is fresh and available. Without that, we're going to be just throwing the lifeline to China, which does not fish with sustainability in mind.”
“We are the gold standard for sustainable fisheries,” Yozell added. “For decades, our research, our science, and policy are literally the backbone for this economic sector.”
U.S. Representative Jared Huffman (D-California), who has been vocal in criticizing interference of NOAA’s mission, said that fishers he’s heard from are worried that the layoffs will hurt them.
“I was just meeting with the shellfish industry; these folks are absolutely apoplectic because they're a highly regulated industry that depends ... on NOAA for mission-critical science because things like ocean acidification, which is being driven by climate change, are going to determine whether they can even grow shellfish,” Huffman said. “So, an entire industry is working super closely with scientists at NOAA in an existential effort to keep alive and get ahead of these climate impacts. I met yesterday with commercial fishermen who are apoplectic because things like stock assessments and other critical signs that they depend on in a highly regulated industry just to operate are frozen and in a complete state of limbo.”
