Scientists at U.S. weather forecasting agency ordered to get clearance before talking to Canadian counterparts

Travelling for international meetings or even joining a call with Canadian counterparts has become impossible for some U.S. government scientists, under new directives since U.S. President Donald Trump took office. 

Canadian ecologist Aaron Fisk says he recently tried to set up a virtual call to discuss plans with American colleagues, including a government scientist, around sampling fish.

"We tried to have a quick meeting with one of our collaborators … and they were denied access," Fisk said. 

Given that the Great Lakes — and their aquatic life — straddle both sides of the border, having American scientists suddenly barred from meetings has had deep impacts.

That, combined with funding freezes, is drastically altering the way science works in North American, at least for now.

Fisk, who is the Canada Research Chair in Changing Great Lakes Ecosystems at the University of Windsor, receives funding from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for his work. 

NOAA, a federal agency, provides scientific information, research and forecasting including daily weather reports, hurricane tracking, climate modelling, and marine monitoring. 

Fisk says the total U.S. research funds he's had frozen add up to more than $700,000 US, or about $993,000 Cdn.

That's left two of his Great Lakes research projects on hold — one related to studying the movement of fish and one that used autonomous underwater vehicles to study how climate change is affecting Lake Erie. 

CBC News has seen emails sent to NOAA employees, directing staff to get senior approval on "all upcoming international engagements" up until the end of March 2025.

The new guidance from the NOAA policy team states that limits on "international engagements should be applied broadly" to include all NOAA-funded international travel, travel within the U.S. for international meetings, as well as all virtual meetings about an international topic, policy or scientific collaboration. 

Virtual meetings are also required to be submitted for review if they touch on an array of topics including: climate, energy, offshore wind, ocean mapping and exploration, competitive seafood, aquaculture, ocean plastics, the World Meteorological Organization, Arctic security and Arctic energy. 

Emails with international counterparts that are scientific in nature and involve the exchange of scientific data must also be submitted for review. 

CBC News has agreed to protect the identity of the sources who shared this information because they fear retaliation.