The Fish and Wildlife Service staff shrunk by about 18 percent between April 1, 2024, and the end of this past May, records obtained by an environmental group show.
Largely driven by a combination of retirements, resignations and cuts imposed at the start of the second Trump administration, the agency’s nationwide staffing level fell from 9,957 on the April 2024 roster to 8,179 in May this year. Although some of the departures preceded Trump’s inauguration in late January, these vacancies have not been filled.
The Center for Biological Diversity obtained the Fish and Wildlife Service employment data through a public records request, one of a number intended to pinpoint how federal agencies have fared since Jan. 20. The environmental group says the staff losses in an agency that already considered itself shorthanded will inevitably hinder work in areas like the Endangered Species Act.
“Monarch butterflies, hellbender salamanders and so many more plants and animals are staring down the barrel of extinction while the Trump administration slashes staff dedicated to preserving America’s struggling wildlife,” said Noah Greenwald, endangered species co-director at the center.
