Oceana Says Any Cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Will Undermine U.S. Oceans and Coastal Economies
Press Release Date: February 4, 2025
Location: WASHINGTON
Contact:
Megan Jordan, Erin Vande Ven | email: mjordan@oceana.org, EVandeVen@oceana.org | tel: 202.868.4061, 303.829.3877
WASHINGTON — With President Trump looking to scale back government resources, Oceana is sounding the alarm on potential fallout if there are cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s budget, personnel, or mission.
NOAA is a world-renowned science agency that positions the United States as a leader on global issues including oceans and weather. NOAA provides critical services including managing our national fisheries, monitoring and forecasting our weather, charting our oceans, operating satellites that inform decision making, and protecting our coastal communities and infrastructure.
“The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) touches our lives every day — no matter where you live,” said Oceana’s Vice President for the United States Beth Lowell. “Withdrawing resources from NOAA will have a ripple effect that sacrifices the communities, jobs, and coastal economies that rely on healthy oceans. And the National Weather Service, part of NOAA, provides daily weather forecasts and lifesaving storm alerts that protect our communities across the country and mariners at sea. Millions of Americans depend on thriving oceans and productive fisheries for their jobs, businesses, and seafood dinners, and our oceans depend on NOAA. President Trump, his administration, and Congress must safeguard our waters for all who depend on well-managed oceans, and that requires the full support of NOAA.”
Some potential ocean-related consequences from cutting NOAA resources:
- U.S. fisheries set the bar as some of the best managed, most abundant fisheries in the world, but without effective management U.S. waters could be overfished, depleted, and empty;
- Increased imports of illegally sourced or mislabeled seafood into the United States will unfairly disadvantage U.S. fishers;
- Endangered or threatened marine wildlife like North Atlantic right whales and loggerhead sea turtles could go extinct;
- With a lack of information about severe weather events to convey timely and life-saving information, more lives and property could be lost in disasters; and more.