Ocean science safe

by WILL COOPER
NEW YORK – THE United States House of Representatives has passed a budget bill maintaining funding for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) through September 2026, a move praised by environmental groups as crucial for the health of America’s oceans, climate, and coastal communities.

NOAA provides essential services that affect every American—from weather forecasting and climate modelling to fisheries management and ocean conservation.

These programmes support emergency responders, coastal economies, and scientific research that underpins sustainable use of marine resources.

Jeff Watters, vice president for external affairs at Ocean Conservancy, emphasised the broad impact of NOAA’s work: “NOAA delivers services and science that touch each and every one of us, providing immense benefits to our communities and our country. Put simply, we could not function without it. We can’t look at NOAA as a series of budgetary line items. It’s a cohesive whole taking care of our ocean, coastal and marine resources, and weather and climate modelling systems.”

Meredith Moore, director of Ocean Conservancy’s fish conservation programme, added that sustaining NOAA’s budget is vital for U.S. fisheries.

“NOAA Fisheries ensures that U.S. fisheries are healthy and well-managed for the benefit of all Americans. Maintaining NOAA’s budget will help ensure that fishing communities and families can continue to enjoy healthy, sustainably caught fish. Without NOAA, we lose the foundational science and management to keep seafood on Americans’ dinner plates and protect a cornerstone of many coastal economies—from Maine and Florida to Alaska and California.”

Environmental experts warn that failing to safeguard the oceanic environment could have catastrophic consequences.

Declining fish stocks, degraded coral reefs, and plastic pollution threaten biodiversity, coastal livelihoods, and global food security.

Rising ocean temperatures and acidification, driven by climate change, exacerbate storms, flooding, and coastal erosion, putting millions of people at risk.

Maintaining NOAA’s funding is therefore more than a budgetary decision; it is a safeguard for public safety, the economy, and the planet.

As Watters notes, “This bill only gets us to September. It is essential that recognition of NOAA’s importance continues into the next round of appropriations.”

For over 50 years, Ocean Conservancy has worked to unite science, policy, and public engagement to protect the ocean, tackling challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and plastic pollution.

NOAA remains a critical partner in that mission, ensuring a healthy ocean and thriving communities for generations to come.

– CAJ News