PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • March 8, 2025
The vast majority of Maine’s commercial fishermen supported President Donald Trump. Yet he has determined that programs supporting their communities and businesses are “no longer relevant to the administration’s priorities.” Elon Musk has fired more than 100 workers at NOAA’s National Weather Service, which provides the forecasts integral to mariners’ safety at sea. They terminated scientists, including those who assess fish populations. Less science means more uncertainty, tighter catch limits and fewer fish coming across the dock. Then Maine Sea Grant found itself on the front lines of a “ready, fire, aim” offensive. This decision had nothing to do with legitimate policymaking or government efficiency. It didn’t even have to do with fishing. It had everything to do with sending a message that dissent will not be tolerated. ~ Michael Conathan, former Republican U.S. Senate staffer and managing director of an ocean policy consulting firm in Portland