Staff Cuts Hit Hard at NOAA Fisheries’ Science Centers

Beginning in February 2025, the Department of Commerce laid off 545 staff at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)'s Fisheries, including 234 employees at NOAA Fisheries' regional science centers. The Center for Biological Diversity, which obtained information about the firings through a Freedom of Information Act request, stated that "getting rid of the experts carrying out important conservation work has devastating and unlawful consequences for both wildlife and people."