The authority has given the public to weigh in the issue of commercial fishing in the Arctic. The Arctic Ocean is the earth’s smallest and least explored ocean. For Alaska, the Arctic waters straddle the North Slope, with the Chukchi Sea and Beaufort Sea on either side of Barrow. It is observed that the ice in the Arctic is melting fast and that unveiled all kinds of unexplored opportunities for resource development in this unexpected frontier, including fishing.
Doug Mecum, head of the Alaska region of NOAA’s Fisheries Service in Juneau, said that historically there have been no commercial fisheries in our Arctic seas. After two years of dilly dallying, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council has given its unanimous stamp of approval to adopt a plan that strictly defines parameters before any fishing occurs in U.S. portions of the Arctic.
Dr. Chris Krenz, Arctic Project Manager for Oceana in Juneau, informed that Arctic region is changing very rapidly, and it is good to have a better understanding of how climate change and ocean acidification are going to affect U.S. Arctic waters. Krenz also credits the NPFMC’s collaborative approach in developing the Arctic fishing plan.
Krenz told that this is people coming together and thinking about how things are changing rapidly in the environment, what our future needs are, and really taking a proactive yet precautionary approach to ensure that our fisheries are sustainable into the future. The Bristol Bay Fishing Report will continue through July, thanks to funding by the fishermen’s Regional Seafood Development Association. After that, Mason said he may continue to provide coverage of fishery meetings in Anchorage for KDLG.
