[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), which it oversees, are science based and a leading source of research data on the coming effects of Climate Change. It is because of that they are not the darlings of Leave It to Beaver politicians currently piloting.
This looks like science to me. Get rid of it? NOAA image.
The new administration plans to cut NOAA / NMFS budget by 17%. Insiders who make it their business to understand our fisheries business – Bren Smith, Paul Greenberg and Sean Barrett wrote a co-op-ed piece in the New York Times that rifled the proposed fisheries cut. And IntraFish added its conclusions.
This definitely looks like science. We need information to make critical decisions about climate change. NOAA image.
Here are few of the NYT observations and InstraFish.
- Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross is flagrantly uninformed about NOAA and the state of the US and world fisheries.
- It’s because fishermen are working with bodies such as NOAA that the US has some of the most well-managed fisheries in the world.
- NOAA and its bodies are also working to combat fraud and mislabeling fish, which has run riot in our grocery chains and continues soaring to unprecedented levels.
- The United States ranks 17th in the world in aquaculture production, behind Myanmar. If crippled by the Trump Plan, our world position in aquaculture would worsen and significant negative impacts on wild fish populations would be realized.
- The main ingredient in one of President Donald Trump’s favorite McDonald’s items – the Filet-O-Fish may be the very thing he is slashing funds for.
“Cutting NOAA’s budget is a bad idea, both for parents who want their children to realize their full potential and for a president who wants to keep eating his favorite sandwich. And if all that fails to convince, consider this: NOAA tracks storms and wave heights, allowing thousands of fishermen to work safely. Without adequate funding, many could find themselves literally lost at sea.” (NYT).
NOTE: Bonefish & Tarpon Trust’s scientific approach to habitat conservation, genetics research, and responsible angling will help assure that healthy flats fisheries will be part of our legacy to future generations.
