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.
The administration’s proposed 2027 budget would cut funding for ocean monitoring and terminate a programme supporting regional ocean observations. But the weather is only one of the pressures facing South Carolina shrimpers as they head to the polls on Tuesday for the US midterm elections. Rising fuel prices, equipment costs and competition from imported shrimp are weighing on people who make their living from the water.
Marhefka believes Democrats could address these pressures better than Republicans. John Henry Middleton, an 81-year-old fisherman who has been shrimping for about 50 years, is an undecided voter. He says he is frustrated with both parties, arguing that politicians make promises but fail to work together on issues affecting common people.
His concerns as he heads to the ballot box on Tuesday include the cost of living and whether he will have enough money to support himself in retirement. He said he has paid taxes and worked for decades, but still has to work at 81. Kevin S, who declined to give his last name, works at Geechee Seafood on Shem Creek and said he plans to vote Republican on Tuesday.
He said many people in the fishing industry lean Republican because they see government regulation as an obstacle to making a living. A lot of red tape, a lot of extreme permits,” he told Al Jazeera, adding that some fishing permits can cost thousands of dollars. Kevin added that rising fuel prices have increased the cost of running his business, but he doesn’t closely follow the factors driving those increases.
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. He also believes many blue-collar workers share this view, but emphasised that industry support for Republicans does not necessarily mean enthusiasm for the party.
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