President Donald Trump’s regulatory freeze has caused chaos and uncertainty in several profitable American fisheries, increasing the risk of a delayed start to the fishing season for some East Coast cod and haddock fleets and causing Atlantic bluefin tuna overfishing.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is a federal agency that oversees coastal fisheries for America’s $320 billion fishing industry.
Under a 1976 law, NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service develops management plans for 45 fisheries, setting quotas and determining the start and close of fishing seasons, in consultation with federal government scientists and local fishermen.
Trump’s announcement on January 20 of a 60-day regulatory freeze hampered this process for a number of those fisheries, postponing important meetings and creating uncertainty regarding the release of new regulations.
A lawmaker from Massachusetts, industry associations, and federal government employees have stated that the freeze permitted overfishing of Atlantic bluefin tuna in waters off North Carolina, which may result in lower quotas for fishermen in New York and New England when the fish migrate further north this summer.
“There’s just a lot of confusion right now, both internal and external,” stated Ben Martens, executive director of the industry association known as the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association.
“I’m getting calls from fishermen asking what’s going to happen.”
A senior NOAA official who was among those let go told reporters that 163 probationary employees, or around 5% of the NOAA workforce that deals with fisheries, were let go last month.
These personnel included administrative support staff, fish biologists, and fisheries management specialists.
From keeping an eye on stock health to offering advice on yearly catch regulations; those positions are part of the regulatory process.
Fishermen who depend on migratory fish or use smaller vessels may be particularly affected by opening delays, even if new laws can be implemented once the freeze lifts.
“BREAK OR MAKE”
“If the window of opportunity to go fishing is reduced or changes significantly, it can make or break a fishery,” stated Noah Oppenheim, principal of Homarus Strategies, a company that provides advice to organizations and commercial fishers nationwide.
In an interview with reporters, 13 NOAA employees and two industry groups discussed the effects of regulatory delays and employment layoffs from Alaska to the Atlantic.
Following a court order, twelve NOAA employees were dismissed and reinstated on March 17; nevertheless, they were placed on administrative leave.
Every federal agency has been instructed by the Trump administration to submit plans for additional staff reductions.
There has never before been a report on the impact of the regulatory freeze on the fishing season or the extent of job losses at NOAA’s fisheries arm.
Widespread effects of job losses and the suspension of federal government regulations can be seen in the U.S. fishing fleet, which employs 39,000 commercial fishermen.
Bill Keating, a Democratic representative from Massachusetts, sent two letters to NOAA claiming that the mid-Atlantic bluefish tuna fishery was overfished this month because NOAA failed to issue the regulation to close the fishery after fishermen filled the quota in mid-January.
Keating’s first attempt to contact NOAA’s congressional liaison was unsuccessful because that person had been fired, and his second attempt to alert the interim administrator was not answered, according to his office.
After 125% of the catch quota was taken, NOAA closed the mid-Atlantic fishery on February 28.
However, New York bluefin fisherman John McMurray says he is unsure of the amount of the valuable fish that will be available for him to catch when the season begins in June.
“I find it difficult to accept that we won’t face consequences for that up here in New York and New England,” he remarked.
During his first term, Trump exempted hunting and fishing from a regulatory freeze; however, his current administration has not made any announcements regarding this exemption.
According to the White House, lowering regulations will promote job creation and fight inflation.
“No fishing, no work.”
A disorderly approach to the harvest might destroy fishing populations, according to professional fisherman John Ainsworth, who has been fishing for squid and other seafood off Rhode Island since 1990.
When will the seasons begin without the federal managers for the squid fishery, who are scheduled to be slaughtered? He inquired, “When will they determine the amount of the quota caught?
A small portion of New England’s $400 million scallop industry also faces only a partial opening on April 1, and the New England Fishery Management Council, an advisory group, has warned that some New England fisheries will open late due to regulatory process delays.
Martens, of the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association, told reporters that the Northeast’s $41 million groundfish fishery, which includes cod, haddock, and flounder, is on track to miss its traditional May 1 opening date unless NOAA or the Secretary of Commerce take emergency action.
Alaska’s halibut and black cod (or sablefish) fisheries will open on schedule on March 20, but only after Republican Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski had direct conversations with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, she said on X.
NOAA staff worked through the weekend to finish the rule-making process so the season could open, according to Behnken, executive director of the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association. “No fishery means no work,” she said.
The fishery management council meeting was disrupted, which caused delays in preparations for the Pacific Coast salmon fishing season, according to a NOAA staffer.
Fish biologist Rebecca Howard was dismissed from her position at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center on February 27 while conducting population surveys of groundfish, pollock, cod, and shellfish.
Fish and crab quotas are determined using the data to guarantee a sustainable take.
Fishing enthusiasts like Christopher Willi depend on these stock evaluations.
According to him, fishermen cannot manage themselves.
“The federal government must handle it,” stated Willi, who owns a restaurant and works as a charter fishing guide on Block Island, off Rhode Island’s coast.
“If NOAA doesn’t regulate, monitor, and maintain these quotas along with stock assessments, it will become a free-for-all and you will find that existing stocks are being depleted.”President Donald Trump’s regulatory freeze has caused chaos and uncertainty in several profitable American fisheries, increasing the risk of a delayed start to the fishing season for some East Coast cod and haddock fleets and causing Atlantic bluefin tuna overfishing.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is a federal agency that oversees coastal fisheries for America’s $320 billion fishing industry.
Under a 1976 law, NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service develops management plans for 45 fisheries, setting quotas and determining the start and close of fishing seasons, in consultation with federal government scientists and local fishermen.
Trump’s announcement on January 20 of a 60-day regulatory freeze hampered this process for a number of those fisheries, postponing important meetings and creating uncertainty regarding the release of new regulations.
A lawmaker from Massachusetts, industry associations, and federal government employees have stated that the freeze permitted overfishing of Atlantic bluefin tuna in waters off North Carolina, which may result in lower quotas for fishermen in New York and New England when the fish migrate further north this summer.
“There’s just a lot of confusion right now, both internal and external,” stated Ben Martens, executive director of the industry association known as the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association.
“I’m getting calls from fishermen asking what’s going to happen.”
A senior NOAA official who was among those let go told reporters that 163 probationary employees, or around 5% of the NOAA workforce that deals with fisheries, were let go last month.
These personnel included administrative support staff, fish biologists, and fisheries management specialists.
From keeping an eye on stock health to offering advice on yearly catch regulations; those positions are part of the regulatory process.
Fishermen who depend on migratory fish or use smaller vessels may be particularly affected by opening delays, even if new laws can be implemented once the freeze lifts.
“BREAK OR MAKE”
“If the window of opportunity to go fishing is reduced or changes significantly, it can make or break a fishery,” stated Noah Oppenheim, principal of Homarus Strategies, a company that provides advice to organizations and commercial fishers nationwide.
In an interview with reporters, 13 NOAA employees and two industry groups discussed the effects of regulatory delays and employment layoffs from Alaska to the Atlantic.
Following a court order, twelve NOAA employees were dismissed and reinstated on March 17; nevertheless, they were placed on administrative leave.
Every federal agency has been instructed by the Trump administration to submit plans for additional staff reductions.
There has never before been a report on the impact of the regulatory freeze on the fishing season or the extent of job losses at NOAA’s fisheries arm.
Widespread effects of job losses and the suspension of federal government regulations can be seen in the U.S. fishing fleet, which employs 39,000 commercial fishermen.
Bill Keating, a Democratic representative from Massachusetts, sent two letters to NOAA claiming that the mid-Atlantic bluefish tuna fishery was overfished this month because NOAA failed to issue the regulation to close the fishery after fishermen filled the quota in mid-January.
Keating’s first attempt to contact NOAA’s congressional liaison was unsuccessful because that person had been fired, and his second attempt to alert the interim administrator was not answered, according to his office.
After 125% of the catch quota was taken, NOAA closed the mid-Atlantic fishery on February 28.
However, New York bluefin fisherman John McMurray says he is unsure of the amount of valuable fish that will be available for him to catch when the season begins in June.
“I find it difficult to accept that we won’t face consequences for that up here in New York and New England,” he remarked.
During his first term, Trump exempted hunting and fishing from a regulatory freeze; however, his current administration has not made any announcements regarding this exemption.
According to the White House, lowering regulations will promote job creation and fight inflation.
“No fishing, no work.”
A disorderly approach to the harvest might destroy fishing populations, according to professional fisherman John Ainsworth, who has been fishing for squid and other seafood off Rhode Island since 1990.
When will the seasons begin without the federal managers for the squid fishery, who are scheduled to be slaughtered? He inquired, “When will they determine the amount of the quota that is caught?
A small portion of New England’s $400 million scallop industry also faces only a partial opening on April 1, and the New England Fishery Management Council, an advisory group, has warned that some New England fisheries will open late due to regulatory process delays.
Martens, of the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association, told reporters that the Northeast’s $41 million groundfish fishery, which includes cod, haddock, and flounder, is on track to miss its traditional May 1 opening date unless NOAA or the Secretary of Commerce take emergency action.
Alaska’s halibut and black cod (or sablefish) fisheries will open on schedule on March 20, but only after Republican Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski had direct conversations with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, she said on X.
Laptops 1000NOAA staff worked through the weekend to finish the rule-making process so the season could open, according to Behnken, executive director of the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association. “No fishery means no work,” she said.
The fishery management council meeting was disrupted, which caused delays in preparations for the Pacific Coast salmon fishing season, according to a NOAA staffer.
Fish biologist Rebecca Howard was dismissed from her position at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center on February 27 while conducting population surveys of groundfish, pollock, cod, and shellfish.
Fish and crab quotas are determined using the data to guarantee a sustainable take.
Fishing enthusiasts like Christopher Willi depend on these stock evaluations.
According to him, fishermen cannot manage themselves.
“The federal government must handle it,” stated Willi, who owns a restaurant and works as a charter fishing guide on Block Island, off Rhode Island’s coast.
“If NOAA doesn’t regulate, monitor, and maintain these quotas along with stock assessments, it will become a free-for-all and you will find that existing stocks are being depleted.”
