South Carolina shrimpers weigh costs, vote in crucial US midterms
Shrimpers worry about fuel costs, tariffs and Trump's proposed cuts to the agency that provides vital weather data.
Mount Pleasant, South Carolina – For Mark Marhefka, the weather can be the difference between a profitable fishing trip and a dangerous one.
As a shrimper and fisherman for 49 years, Marhefka relies on forecasts, weather buoys and data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to decide when it is safe to take his boats offshore. With storms and warm water temperatures disrupting this year’s fishing season, he worries that President Donald Trump’s proposed funding cuts could further reduce the services fishermen depend on.
“They’ve already started cutting back on NOAA, and they’re looking to do more in this next fiscal year,” Marhefka, who owns Abundant Seafood, told Al Jazeera. “It’s definitely something that we need to fight against.”
When asked whether the war in Iran was contributing to higher prices, he said he didn’t know enough about the issue to say. Instead, he pointed to Trump’s efforts to increase domestic energy production as a reason he thinks Republicans are better placed to address fuel costs.