The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has pulled the plug on the University of Maine’s multi-million-dollar Maine Sea Grant.
The current four-year grant is entering its second year.
“It has been determined that the program activities proposed to be carried out in Year 2 of the Maine Sea Grant Omnibus Award are no longer relevant to the focus of the Administration’s priorities and program objectives,” a letter NOAA sent late Friday night to the university said.
Termination of the funding is immediate, the letter said.
It is the latest fallout for Maine from the cuts the Department of Government Efficiency led by Elon Musk has made in the last few weeks. NOAA was one of several agencies DOGE targeted to find savings and cut the federal government. About 800 staff members were laid off at NOAA this week.
The announcement came during the state’s annual Fishermen’s Forum.
The UMaine agreement with NOAA, which is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, went into effect on Feb. 1, 2024. The university would have received $4,523,123 through Jan. 31, 2028, including $1,499,374 this year. It required a non-federal match, which came from the university’s budget, according to Sam Warren, chief external and government affairs officer for the University of Maine System.
The program pays salaries for 20 employees at the university, Warren said Saturday. Maine Sea Grant is one of 34 such programs across the country. There was no information available Saturday on their fates.
“Thanks to Maine Sea Grant support, Maine’s fishermen, coastal communities and marine economy are experiencing employment and earnings growth, and are increasingly well-positioned to lead and innovate for a more resilient future,” said Maine Sea Grant Director Gayle Zydlewski. “This notice is devastating for our team and countless partners, the University of Maine and the entire state.”
