Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services NAICS 541360

Oct 23, 2025 - Rising Whale Entanglements

• According to a new report from NOAA Fisheries, there were 95 large whale entanglement cases documented in 2024, an increase from 2023 and higher than the historical average. 2024’s entanglement count is above the average annual number of confirmed entanglements over the previous 17 years, which was 71.4. The National Report on Large Whale Entanglements Confirmed in the United States in 2024, released in September, finds that entanglements in fishing gear or marine debris represent an ongoing threat to the welfare and recovery of many whale species, including species that are endangered and approaching extinction (e.g., North Atlantic right whales). Entanglements involving threatened or endangered species can have significant negative impacts on the population as a whole. NOAA's Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan has required some fishermen to use gear, like weaker ropes, that lower the risk of entanglement.
• Trump administration cuts to federal spending threaten to slow or stop geological mapping work by the US Geological Survey (USGS) in nearly two dozen states, The New York Times reported in June. Geologists told NYT that no states have received their 2025 mapping money. Moreover, Trump’s proposed budget would cut funding to the USGS by nearly 40%, crippling its ability to produce geological maps for years to come, according to NYT. Mineral-rich states, including Colorado, Idaho, and Montana – where Trump wants to increase mining and oil and gas activity – all face cuts to local survey offices. Critics say the cuts are counterproductive and that geologic mapping is fundamental to US infrastructure and well worth federal investment. A recent report found that about $2 billion in investments in geological mapping from 1994 to 2009 yielded tens of billions of dollars in value to industries that use them.

• The Trump administration has moved to open 23 million acres of Alaskan Wilderness to drilling by repealing protections imposed by the Biden administration, The New York Times reports. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said the previous administration exceeded its authority when it banned oil and gas drilling in the area known as the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. The petroleum reserve, established over a century ago as an energy warehouse for the US Navy, is estimated to contain more than 8 billion barrels of recoverable oil. The Bureau of Land Management has released a draft environmental assessment to propose reopening up to 82% of the reserve to oil and gas leasing and exploration and development. The proposal comes partly in response to Trump’s January executive order, “Unleashing Alaska’s Extraordinary Resource Potential," the Interior statement said. The area is home to ConocoPhillips’ Willow oil field, approved under Biden.
• Employment by surveying and mapping services firms grew 6% in July compared to a year ago, while the average industry wage rose 8.3% over the same period to a new high of $35.67 per hour, according to the latest US Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Producer prices for engineering services firms, up 2.7% year over year in August and 2.1% in the previous August-versus-August annual comparison, have helped to offset swelling payrolls. However, a slowdown in US oil production due to tariff-induced economic uncertainty and falling oil prices may slow demand from energy producers for geophysical surveying and mapping services. In October, the price per barrel of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil tumbled below the critical $60 mark for the first time since May. When oil prices are low, demand for the industry’s services declines.