Will we have a Chesapeake Bay Office next month, much less next year? It’s an open question. New light is being shed on an internal memo from the White House Office of Management and Budget (the OMB) that leaked late last week and is now being reported on by multiple news outlets. The memo proposes major cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and that includes radical reductions to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to the tune of approximately 30 percent, from $1.1 billion to $789.3 million.
Marine species management would be shifted to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under this scheme, with the NMFS shifting its priorities to permitting energy development projects such as offshore drilling. What will happen to the Chesapeake Bay Office, which is run by the NMFS? As of now it’s unspecified, but maintaining it under the auspices of “permitting energy development” doesn’t seem likely.
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation calls the Chesapeake Bay Office “a key partner in Chesapeake Bay restoration.” Established in 1992, among the Office’s works include sustainable fisheries, oyster restoration, and habitat science. The Office is a partner in the Chesapeake Bay Program and is a leader in fisheries and habitat work.
Among the other cuts potentially impacting the Chesapeake Bay:
- Eliminating all Sea Grant funding
- Eliminating all foundational climate modeling programs
- Eliminating all Coastal Zone Management grants
- Eliminating the National Coastal Resilience Fund
- Eliminating the National Center for Coastal Ocean Science research on coastal ecosystems and algae blooms
If you love fishing on the Chesapeake and you want to see it’s waters improve rather than degrade, now is the time to contact your representatives and senators and ask them to fight for the Bay.