Revisiting the Ocean Observatories Initiative

In early June 2026, the Trump Administration announced plans to dismantle the Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) and remove all in-water equipment from four of its five sites over the course of 15 months. After intense public backlash, the administration reversed its proposal, and the program was reestablished. 

Now, the removed monitoring equipment is being reinstalled, but concerns remain over whether the government is committed to fully restoring the program. 

Reinstalling OOI Equipment

On Saturday, October 3, the oceanographic research vessel Sally Ride was loaded in Newport, Oregon, with mooring buoys housing ocean monitoring instruments to be reinstalled at three locations off the Oregon and Washington coasts. These instruments collect real-time ocean and weather data, which is transmitted to NOAA and made available to the public. These mooring buoys are the first OOI equipment to be reinstalled since their removal earlier this year. Despite this progress off the coasts of Washington and Oregon, other monitoring stations have yet to be scheduled for reinstallation, including four moorings off the coast of North Carolina and three robotic gliders in Alaska and the Irminger Sea.

The National Science Foundation (NSF), the agency that operates the OOI program, has said that the lack of scheduling for reinstallation is a result of rising costs associated with reinstallation and budget limitations.

While reinstallation is underway, the current administration has cut significant funding for other ocean and climate monitoring programs. Budget limitations are also being cited as the reason OOI has not been fully reinstalled. This raises the question: While OOI was saved at the last minute, is it truly safe? 

Ocean Monitoring Needs Stronger Protections 

As coastal community members, subsistence harvesters, and commercial fishermen, Alaskans rely on ocean monitoring systems to make important decisions about their livelihoods and safety. Without these programs, we lack the ability to see the ocean in real-time. Politicians outside Alaska may not understand the broad impacts that losing these programs can have. That is why, as Alaskans, we need to elect officials who understand the importance of ocean monitoring programs and are committed to protecting them.

As you prepare to vote in the general election on November 3, consider candidates’ positions on ocean monitoring and research funding. Remember that without these programs, the burden will fall on fishermen, coastal communities, and future generations who will have to navigate a rapidly changing ocean with less information, less warning, and greater uncertainty. We need to know that these programs will be protected and funded now and for generations to come.

Photo Credit: NOAA