National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientists and other employees in Seattle are among the estimated 880 agency staff fired Thursday across the U.S., according to Sen. Maria Cantwell’s office and union representatives.
It is not yet clear the scope of the cuts in Seattle as NOAA has declined to respond to requests to detail the scale of the layoffs.
NOAA employs some 12,000 people, including staff at the Alaska and Northwest Fisheries Science Centers, the Emergency Response Division and National Weather Service in Seattle.
Cantwell, D-Wash., was among the critics of the cuts, saying their effects would be far-reaching.
“The firings jeopardize our ability to forecast and respond to extreme weather events like hurricanes, wildfires, and floods — putting communities in harm’s way,” Cantwell said in a statement. “They also threaten our maritime commerce and endanger 1.7 million jobs that depend on commercial, recreational and tribal fisheries, including thousands in the State of Washington.”
Cantwell added the cuts would be a “direct hit” on the economy because “NOAA’s specialized workforce provides products and services that support more than a third of the nation’s GDP.”
Trump and his billionaire adviser Elon Musk have largely targeted probationary workers in federal layoffs, which includes recent hires and those who have been recently promoted.
NOAA was a specific target in Project 2025, a conservative blueprint for the second Trump administration. The document contained a call to “break up NOAA,” criticizing the agency as “one of the main drivers of the climate change alarm industry.”
The Emergency Response Division based in Seattle, which responds to oil spills and other hazardous material releases, has lost one person, said Carl Childs, president of the Emergency Response Division chapter of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers Local 8A.
Nick Tolimieri, president of the fisheries chapter of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers Local 8A, previously estimated about 34 probationary employees at the Alaska and Northwest fisheries science centers were at risk. Tolimieri confirmed Thursday the firings had begun.
It is unclear if the firings have affected the National Weather Service office in Seattle.
“Per long-standing practice, we are not discussing internal personnel and management matters. NOAA remains dedicated to its mission, providing timely information, research, and resources that serve the American public and ensure our nation’s environmental and economic resilience,” Susan Buchanan, a weather service spokesperson, said in an email.
NOAA operations in Seattle include wide-ranging ocean research. Scientists provide research to support management of West Coast and Alaska groundfish and salmon fisheries, and to inform the protection and recovery of endangered species like southern resident killer whales. The scientists look at how ecosystem changes or fisheries management changes may impact West Coast communities that rely on fishing.
The two centers together employ about 600 nonsupervisory employees across all locations.
Probationary staff at the Alaska and Northwest science centers include a range of fishery ecologists, oceanographers, and administrative and facilities hires. Their firings may reduce the centers’ ability to perform field surveys, stock assessments, prioritize salmon restoration and understand how changing climate and other conditions will impact future fisheries.
“… we are deeply concerned about our ability to continue our mission of sustainable fisheries management in the face of drastic cuts to the NOAA Fisheries workforce and budget,” according to a letter from the union signed by Tolimieri and submitted to the Pacific Fishery Management Council Thursday before the firings began.
“To continue our work to support you, to support healthy and productive fisheries for years to come, we need your help,” the letter stated. “We ask you to sound the alarm about the consequences you and your communities may face if we are prevented from fulfilling our mission.”
