Scientists believe that Arctic Ocean could become a major new resource in the polar region’s warming waters. The U.S. North Pacific Fishery Management Council has proposed a ban on Arctic fishing until researchers can fully assess the impact of climate change and the retreat of sea ice on fish populations widely believed to be moving northward. It is said that the proposed ban was quickly hailed by environmentalists as a prudent and proactive response to the potential bonanza for northern fishing fleets.
According to the council the environment in the Alaskan Arctic is changing, with warming trends in ocean temperatures and changes in seasonal sea ice conditions potentially favouring the development of commercial fisheries. It also argued that the U.S. government should close the Arctic to commercial fishing so that unregulated fishing does not occur.
Michael Byers, a University of British Columbia expert in polar politics, opined that Canada needs to at least consider similar measures to protect and foster a potentially lucrative Arctic fishery. He notes that securing sustainable aboriginal access to Arctic fish resources is important not just for equity reasons, but because privileging Inuit fishermen could also strengthen Canada’s sovereignty claims in the Far North.
The U.S. fisheries council, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, has sent its recommendation for a moratorium to the federal Commerce Department. Council chairman Eric Olson urged approval of the “precautionary, protective approach” to safeguarding Arctic fish stocks until new populations can be fully studied. It is said that the proposed U.S. moratorium would cover a vast stretch of Arctic waters off of Alaska’s north coast, including much of the Beaufort Sea east of Alaska’s maritime boundary with the Yukon.
