NOAA and its Subcommittee on Ocean Science and Technology (SOST) are seeking seafood sector representatives to join the newly established Ocean Acidification Advisory Board.
The 25-member advisory board was created to advise the U.S. government’s Interagency Working Group on Ocean Acidification (IWG-OA). The board will review and provide recommendations on the working group’s reports and strategic research plan while advising it on best practices for data management. The board is also charged with maintaining mechanisms for engagement with Tribal governments.
The establishment of the board was required by the 2022 CHIPS and Science Act, legislation passed by U.S. Congress that designated NOAA as the lead agency responsible for coordinating the federal government’s response to ocean acidification. The law also requires NOAA to support and steward access to ocean acidification data.
The CHIPS and Science Act also authorized billions of dollars in government spending on ocean acidification research. The legislation provided NOAA Fisheries with USD 21 million (EUR 20 million) for FY 2023, USD 22 million (EUR 21 million) for FY 2024, USD 24 million (EUR 23 million) for FY 2025, USD 26 million (EUR 25 million) for FY 2026, and USD 28 million (EUR 27 million) for FY 2027. The law also authorized USD 20 billion (EUR 19 billion) for the National Science Foundation’s ocean acidification research activities from fiscal years 2023 through 2027.
NOAA and the subcommittee are now looking to fill the board, which is required by law to include representatives from the U.S. seafood sector. The 2022 CHIPS and Science Act requires two representatives from either the shellfish, lobster, or crab industry, one representative from the finfish industry, and one representative from the seafood-processing industry. Other members of the board will be filled by representatives from academia, ocean acidification groups, and other stakeholders.
Nominations to the board are due 18 March 2025, but NOAA will continue to accept applications past the deadline in case of vacancies. Members will serve five-year terms.
Ocean acidification affects ocean sea life, especially commercially valuable shellfish such as oysters and clams, as it makes building and maintaining shells difficult for these animals, according to NOAA.
"Ocean acidification is a global threat to the world’s oceans, estuaries, and waterways. It is often called 'climate change’s evil twin' and is projected to grow as carbon dioxide continues to be emitted into the atmosphere at record-high levels," NOAA said. "Ocean acidification is literally causing a sea change that is threatening the fundamental chemical balance of ocean and coastal waters from pole to pole. Ocean acidification can create conditions that eat away at the minerals used by oysters, clams, lobsters, shrimp, coral reefs, and other marine life to build their shells and skeletons. Human health is also a concern."
