Maine Sea Grant researcher Justin Stevens collects a water sample. The federal government is discontinuing a $4.5 million grant program for Maine Sea Grant, a University of Maine System spokesperson said Saturday. Photo courtesy of Maine Sea Grant

Members of Maine’s congressional delegation are calling on the Trump administration and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to reverse what they called a “reckless decision” that has wiped out funding for one of the state’s key coastal resource programs.

Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, and Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-1st District, co-signed a letter they sent to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnik and provided to the Portland Press Herald on Tuesday expressing their “outrage and deep disappointment” following the announcement that NOAA was rescinding $4.5 million in funding that covers Maine Sea Grant’s base operations for four years.

“We demand that NOAA immediately reconsider this reckless decision. The termination of funding will have catastrophic consequences for the University of Maine, Maine Sea Grant’s twenty employees, our marine industries, and the broader coastal economy,” Pingree and King wrote.

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, also has been in contact with Trump administration officials to advocate for the program.

The loss of funding comes after President Donald Trump threatened to cut Maine’s federal funding in the wake of a confrontation with Gov. Janet Mills over the state’s refusal to ban transgender athletes from competing in girls’ sports.

“You’d better do it. You’d better do it, because you’re not going to get any federal funding at all if you don’t,” Trump said to Mills during the National Governors Association’s winter meeting in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 21.

“It seems pretty clear the president now has a personal vendetta against our state, and is willing to go to any length to settle the score — no matter how petty, and regardless of the toll,” Pingree said in a written statement Saturday, when the funding cut was announced.

Of the 34 Sea Grant programs nationwide, Maine’s is the only one that has lost its funding thus far.

Though the grant termination comes as Trump and billionaire Elon Musk, who leads the new Department of Government Efficiency, have focused on cutting government spending, King and Pingree believe Maine is being targeted.

“It is worth noting that we are unaware of any similar terminations at other Sea Grant programs, leading us to believe that Maine’s program has been unfairly singled out,” King and Pingree wrote in the letter.

Collins, the state’s only Republican official in Congress, met with Maine Sea Grant Director Gayle Zydlewski and other program advocates Tuesday — having conversations she hopes will inform the next steps forward.

“Eliminating the Maine Sea Grant program would cause devastating harm for Maine’s coastal communities,” Collins said. “I have been in contact with Trump administration officials since this decision was announced last weekend, and I am continuing to advocate for the reversal of this decision.”

Maine Sea Grant runs programs for research, workforce development, marine science education and economic growth on coastal Maine and the working waterfront. It’s the first major cut to NOAA, and it is the first program under the University of Maine-System that has lost all of the funding it needs for base operations.

A TIDAL WAVE AT THE FISHERMEN’S FORUM

The University of Maine System, which oversees Maine Sea Grant, was notified last week that NOAA, directed by the Trump administration, was withdrawing funding after 54 years of partnering with the program since it was founded.

In a termination letter that was provided to the Press Herald, NOAA official Timothy Carrington wrote that the activities of Maine Sea Grant are “no longer relevant to the administration’s priorities and program objectives.”

Maine Sea Grant employees were notified Saturday morning, on the third day of the annual Maine Fishermen’s Forum, which Maine Sea Grant played a role in founding 50 years ago.

The Press Herald reached out to administrators from the 33 other programs Tuesday. The 14 that responded said they hadn’t lost funding. Even so, some administrators said they are preparing for potential cuts.

The news sent shock waves through the fishermen’s forum Saturday. One Maine Sea Grant employee burst into tears as they exited the staff meeting, and employees did not put up the Maine Sea Grant booth.

The Maine Lobstermen’s Association said that it supports cutting unnecessary spending, but that Maine Sea Grant was the wrong place to do that.

“Maine Sea Grant is an important partner in supporting coastal communities, sustainable fisheries, and preserving our way of life,” the MLA said in a written statement Saturday. “While we appreciate the importance of cutting fraud and waste from government spending, eliminating vital programs like Maine Sea Grant could have a negative impact on both our economy and our environment,” the association said in a written statement Saturday.

According to Pingree and King, Maine Sea Grant generates $23.5 million of economic activity annually on $1.5 million in funding — roughly $15 million of economic activity for every federal dollar that is invested. They wrote that Maine Sea Grant supported more than 330 businesses and 560 jobs in 2023. The organization also helped Maine’s working waterfront communities pick up the pieces after two major storms in 2024 that decimated the coast.

“These activities not only contribute to the state’s economy but are essential in helping Maine’s coastal communities remain resilient in the face of ongoing challenges,” King and Pingree wrote.

FISHING FOR FUNDING

Sebastian Belle, executive director at the Maine Aquaculture Association, said many Maine fishing associations are banding together to urge the Trump administration to reverse course.

“We are trying to help the current administration understand that this may have been a very short-sighted decision and have unintended consequences on the business community — that is counter to the current administration’s interest in making America more competitive,” Belle said. ” The elephant in the room is that 80% of the seafood which is consumed in this country is imported from other countries. We are very far behind the other countries because we don’t have supports from the government to bolster aquaculture and fisheries products.”

Ben Martens, executive director of the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association, believes that the Trump administration doesn’t fully understand what Maine Sea Grant is and what it does.

“This is pure hope, but I’d like to believe that cutting funding for Maine Sea Grant was an oversight we will see rectified,” Martens said.

Rep. Jared Golden, D-2nd District, is also reviewing the concerns from Maine Sea Grant and Maine fishermen.

“The congressman is continuing to work with Maine stakeholders and the administration on this issue,” spokesperson Mario Moretto said.

Moretto would not comment further about Golden’s stance.

King and Pingree, however, were clear about where they stood.

“We expect an immediate response and a serious reconsideration of this ill-advised decision,” they wrote. “The impact of your actions will not go unnoticed, and we will not stop fighting for the future of Maine Sea Grant and its vital work in our communities.”