The National Marine Sanctuary Foundation (NMSF) is facilitating letters to the U.S. Congress on behalf of NOAA marine sanctuary staff after hundreds of NOAA employees have been fired as part of the Department of Government Efficiency’s federal job cuts.

The loss of scientists, enforcement officers and conservation specialists will:

• Force visitors centers to close, harming local tourism, recreation and education opportunities.

• Jeopardize NOAA’s disaster response, for example, to abandoned vessels, oil spills and fragile coral reef ecosystems. 

• Halt marine debris removal programs in sanctuaries, allowing pollution to harm water quality for everyone—from local communities to wildlife.

• Delay or halt permitting for critical marine business in sanctuary waters, which could interrupt commercial and recreational fishing and scientific research.

More staff cuts are expected at NOAA.

If you’d like to support NOAA marine sanctuary staff by sending a letter to Congress, click here.