Major job cuts at key US ocean regulator

President Donald Trump, in his rapid cull of the American civil service, has targeted the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) which, among its many responsibilities, regulates fish farming and fishing and develops long term policy.

Another of its main functions is weather forecasting and monitoring sea conditions.

Big lay offs were announced on Friday with up to 1,000 people being laid off. More are expected to follow.

The cuts come as Elon Musk, as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), continues to reduce the federal workforce in a bid to save billions of dollars. His initiative has attracted widespread criticism in the US.

NOAA employs around 12,000 people on a broad range of maritime issues, and it includes hundreds of seafood related scientists.

Some employees were reported to be given less than two hours to leave the office, according to a source with direct knowledge who asked to remain anonymous for fear of reprisal.

The impacts of the cuts at NOAA, say experts and agency employees who spoke on the condition of anonymity out of fear of reprisal by the Trump administration, could be profound.

The agency has around 12,000 employees that work on a broad range of topics, from conditions in the upper atmosphere to fish in the depths of the ocean. It is still not clear what departments have been the worst affected by the sackings.

The new administration has been warned that slashing jobs at the NOAA could have national security and economic impacts that could affect US seafood development.