How could recent cuts to NOAA impact U.S. fisheries?

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) provides key services, including weather forecasts and alerts, that millions of Americans rely on. It’s also important to know that this federal agency is responsible for ensuring that U.S. fisheries operate sustainably. 

NOAA Fisheries is an office within NOAA that helps keep people safe, our oceans healthy, and American seafood sustainable. U.S. fisheries provide healthy, nutritious food and support millions of livelihoods—in 2022, U.S. fishing industries generated $321 billion in sales and supported nearly 2.3 million jobs. These benefits were made possible through decades of hard work by fishermen, NOAA Fisheries and others to restore sustainability in U.S. fisheries, many of which were once on the brink of collapse.  

But these hard-earned gains are under threat as NOAA, including NOAA Fisheries, is under threat as the Trump administration is calling for mass layoffs and significant budget cuts. Removing or limiting access to these resources undermines the strides made by American fisheries in sustainability and jeopardizes livelihoods, marine ecosystems, and the health and prosperity of our communities.

What is NOAA Fisheries?

NOAA provides tools and support to U.S. fisheries and aquaculture through its office known as NOAA Fisheries or the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). NOAA Fisheries includes 12 headquarters offices, 5 regional offices, 6 science centers, and over 20 laboratories around the United States and U.S. territories.  

Critically, NOAA Fisheries also works with eight regional Fishery Management Councils for U.S. fishery management. These management councils are: North Pacific, Pacific, Western Pacific, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean, South Atlantic, Mid-Atlantic, and New England. The Councils manage key U.S. fisheries, like Alaskan pollock and Atlantic sea scallop. 

What does NOAA Fisheries do?

NOAA Fisheries manages fish stocks in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), which is over 4 million square miles and generally refers to the ocean waters between 3 and 200 nautical miles offshore.  

Under the mandates of the nation’s primary federal fisheries law, the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA), NOAA Fisheries assesses and predicts the status of fish stocks, sets science-based catch limits, minimizes bycatch, protects habitat, and more. NOAA Fisheries uses 10 national standards to ensure sustainable and responsible management.  

The agency also supports the recovery of protected marine species under the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act. 

NOAA Fisheries also benefits communities by conducting socio-economic research to assess community resilience and vulnerability. The agency integrates community expertise into decision-making processes and collaborates with community-centered organizations, including the National Sea Grant College Program. 

These are just a few important services NOAA Fisheries provides. More can be found online at fisheries.noaa.gov.  

Regional Fishery Management Councils

NOAA Fisheries works directly and extensively with tribes and stakeholders in U.S. fisheries, including commercial and recreational fishermen, industry representatives, conservation organizations, scientists, and more. Much of this collaboration happens within NOAA Fisheries' eight regional fishery management councils.  

The councils were originally created by the MSA and allow management decisions to be made collaboratively and transparently by fisheries stakeholders. Focused on their respective regions, councils prepare fishery management plans and actions to prevent overfishing, rebuild struggling fish stocks, and promote sustainable fishing practices.  

NOAA Fisheries is ultimately responsible for approving or disapproving council recommendations based on compliance with the MSA and other applicable law. 

Regulatory hurdles imposed by the Trump administration are already disrupting this fishery management process, including delayed starts for cod and haddock on the East Coast and overfishing of Atlantic bluefin tuna.  

NOAA Fisheries and Resilience

With warming waters, ocean acidification, sea level rise and more, U.S. fisheries—and the communities that depend on them—must adapt to new ecological, social, management and economic challenges. To ensure our fisheries and fishing communities continue to thrive in changing conditions, it is critical to promote resilience in science and management practices. 

Many resources, tools, data and expertise from NOAA Fisheries allow fishermen, managers and communities to respond effectively to changing environmental conditions. The MSA provides a strong foundation for supporting healthy fish populations through its requirements to prevent overfishing and rebuild overfished stocks—but additional, immediate action is needed to safeguard U.S. fisheries and fishing communities in the face of climate change. Reducing NOAA’s core functions, budgets and staffing threaten further progress to ensure our fishery resources and communities can adapt and thrive in the face of changing oceans.