Trump weighs in against US fishery management body - again

The White House is proposing further sweeping cuts to the NOAA’s funding. Trump’s main target appears to be NOAA’s role in protecting the environment and fighting climate change, but it is feared the dismantling of certain projects will also seriously disrupt seafood management.

NOAA is a regulatory agency, covering everything from climate to marine and coastal issues such as aquaculture.

The US government’s draft budget for 2027 proposes cutting funding to NOAA by $1.6 billion (£1.2 bn).

The US government has criticised the NOAA’s educational grants, claiming they have been used to "radicalise students against the market economy," promote diversity and equity initiatives (DEI), and spread "unfounded environmental alarmism."

It also points out that NOAA funds organisations such as Ocean Conservancy and One Cool Earth , which it says work against the interests of the American seafood industry.

The proposal is largely consistent with Trump’s proposal from last year, when it was proposed to cut NOAA’s budget by $1.3 billion by 2026.

Trump wants Congress to approve the cuts. The environmental organization Ocean Conservancy, which is specifically mentioned in the White House’s justification, is strongly attacked in the proposal.

“The proposed cuts to NOAA run counter to the clear, bipartisan support Congress demonstrated earlier this year to protect funding for this critical agency,” said Katherine Tsantiris, the group’s Director of Government Relations.

 She warned that the cuts would weaken weather forecasts, disrupt fisheries and aquaculture management, and slow ocean research, with serious consequences for America’s security, economy, and international standing.