NOAA staff departures: union warns 20–25% losses at West Coast science offices could slow surveys, assessments
Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts
Subscribe
Summary
A union representative told the Pacific Fishery Management Council that recent departures, hiring freezes and canceled contracts have reduced staff at Northwest and Southwest Fisheries Science Centers by roughly 20–25%, creating immediate pressure on surveys, contracts and stock assessment timelines.
The council heard testimony from the union representing Northwest and Southwest Fisheries Science Center employees that recent staff departures, hiring freezes and paused contracts have sharply reduced capacity at NOAA Fisheries and could reduce the agency’s ability to complete key survey and assessment work on schedule.
Melissa Head, a union representative for IFPTE Local 8‑a, told the council “Since January 20, we lost about 20% of staff at the Northwest and Southwest Fishery Science Centers and over 30% of staff at the West Coast region to terminations, retirements, and deferred resignations.” She said the center has lost “about 25% of its supervisory and non‑supervisory staff since this time,” and that many contracts and grants that supported center operations “have been canceled, descoped or not renewed.”
Head said the loss of long‑time employees and contracts affects a range of activities the council relies on, including the bottom trawl survey, dispatch of gear‑service contracts and support for routine partner programs such as port monitoring, ageing labs and observer support. She told the council that contract delays have already caused backlogs that threaten timely execution of survey work and that reduced administrative capacity has slowed grant support.
Northwest Fisheries Science Center staff told the council they share those concerns but also described work underway. Acting center science director Jeremy Russin and division director Craig Russell said several surveys are in the field: the 2025 West Coast groundfish bottom trawl survey is underway, the Southern California rockfish hook‑and‑line survey is planned for September and the new integrated West Coast pelagic survey (combining hake and coastal pelagics sampling) departed June 11. The center asked for patience as staff work through new contracts, vessel logistics and personnel shortages.
Russin and Craig said the center will continue to evaluate, prioritize and align its workload with the council and regional office, and that early coordination will be needed if further departures or contract disruptions occur. Union and council members said they will continue to press for funding and staffing that support the surveys and stock assessments the council uses to make management decisions.