On January 3, 2021, the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) reported that 231 staff scientists left the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) between 2016 and 2020. That reflects a 3.8 percent decline in FWS's total scientific workforce.
UCS attributed the losses to low morale and growing concern among federal scientists that the Trump administration was attempting to stifle research and discussion.