May 20, 2025 — As the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump works to reduce staff and resources at NOAA Fisheries, a government watchdog has suggested more staff may be needed to improve the nation’s fisheries disaster assistance program.
The federal government’s fisheries disaster program was established to provide financial relief to the commercial fishing sector when it suffers a qualifying disaster, such as a sudden drop in population or the closure of a fishery for ecological reasons. However, the program has been frequently criticized by both commercial fishers and U.S. lawmakers for its lack of transparency and how long it takes the government to award disaster relief. According to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), a Congressional watchdog organization, it took NOAA Fisheries between 1.3 years and 4.8 years to distribute funding for the 56 most recent fishery disaster determination requests.