The heads of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have assured Congressmember Alan Lowenthal that it will not close down its regional office of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) that is located in Long Beach, a move praised by those who felt the proposed move could potentially harm the efforts set forth in protecting California’s marine life.

The federal budget cutters of the Obama administration proposed last Wednesday a multitude of consolidations within NOAA that included the possible merging of the two West Coast administration offices of the NMFS. NMFS currently has two West Coast offices, one in Long Beach covering the southwest and one in Seattle covering the northwest. It was assumed that since NOAA owns the buildings in Seattle–and in order to meet the needs of the staff cuts–that the offices would be consolidated with the Seattle location becoming new west coast headquarters.

{loadposition latestnews}Critics of the plan felt this would hinder California’s ability to monitor local fisheries and water issues through its own resources and locally elected California officials–and criticism that was sharply antithetical to the language of the cut, which claimed many of the issues of both fisheries “overlap” and the “merger will improve coordination in areas where there is currently joint decision making.”

Many feel California itself faces unique fisheries issues–and a bloated Fisheries Service based in Seattle could potentially shift the focus of NMFS away from California, despite huge local needs involving the allocation of Central Valley water and saving the Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay Delta.

“My constituents are worried that a consolidation of offices would reduce their access to Fisheries management and services,” said Lowenthal at a House Natural Resources subcommittee hearing regarding the issue. “I would like to know: can you assure me that the Long Beach office will stay open? And, that California, with over 1,000 miles of coastline, will continue to have access to the essential Fisheries resources this Long Beach office provides.”

Lowenthal, who sits on the Natural Resources’ Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans and Insular Affairs, soon announced a guarantee that the Long Beach office would not be closing from NOAA Acting Administrator Dr. Kathryn Sullivan, who was testifying on the 2014 NOAA budget.

“I can assure you that the Long Beach office will remain open and that we will work closely with you and your constituents as we work through the detailed implications of this plan,” Sullivan said.

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