Please select your home edition
Edition
Maritimo 2023 S600 LEADERBOARD

Are Alaska fishing communities and fishermen prepared for climate change?

by NOAA Fisheries 2 Sep 2023 21:05 UTC
View of marina in Petersburg, Alaska © Marysia Szymkowiak / NOAA Fisheries

Scientists found that more planning is needed to help fishing communities in the Gulf of Alaska adapt and mitigate the potential economic impacts of climate change.

In 2019, commercial fisheries off Alaska produced 5.7 billion pounds of seafood worth $2.0 billion—more than the rest of the United States. It's the largest private sector employer in Alaska, and employs more than over 31,000 fishermen. Commercial fishing provides critical employment opportunities for isolated coastal communities throughout the state. It also provides food security, cultural transmission, and social connectivity.

Gulf of Alaska communities and boroughs, which are highly dependent on fishing to support their local economies. However, social scientists found that 16 of these communities were relatively unprepared to tackle climate change. In general, local planning that included climate adaptation measures to support fishing and support businesses was very limited.

"We found that several communities had identified some mitigation measures to reduce localized greenhouse gasses or address risks related to climate-driven stressors—floods, drought, coastal erosion, avalanches, and landslides. Yet, only five community plans directly address climate change through action strategies," said Marysia Szymkowiak, lead author and social scientist from the Alaska Fisheries Science Center. "Part of the problem is that federal and state support for community climate change planning is inconsistent. This leaves local communities with inadequate resources to fully execute comprehensive planning to address climate change impacts."

Evaluating Rural Community Climate Readiness

Alaska coastal communities stand at the confluence of multiple climate-driven stressors and hazards. They face warming ocean and stream temperatures, ocean acidification, and extreme weather. For instance, warming oceans have been associated with declines in fish sizes, changes in fish stock distributions, declines in some species and increases in others, and changes in coastal habitats. These changes are already impacting human communities via changes in socioeconomic opportunities and potential losses of heritage and cultural practices.

"Community planning is important. It will enable communities to withstand external shocks to their social and economic structure from extreme events like marine heatwaves, which are projected to increase in duration and frequency under climate change. With planning, communities will be better equipped to both mitigate the negative impacts and take advantage of new opportunities that may emerge from climate-driven changes," said Szymkowiak.

Szymkowiak and co-authors Andrew Steinkruger and Kelsi Furman examined different types of planning documents for 16 communities and boroughs. Chosen communities were highly dependent on fishing incomes, with at least 100 active resident fishing permit holders. The communities also represent a diversity of exposure to climate change in commercial fisheries. They experienced both direct impacts to fisheries landings and indirect impacts to working waterfronts, seafood processors, marine support businesses, and local infrastructure.

Szymkowiak and team were interested in learning whether elements included in other successful climate action and adaptation plans were present in the Gulf of Alaska community plans.

"We were also curious whether the communities were taking steps to protect fishing and marine-related businesses."

They found strikingly little direct planning for climate-driven risks or impacts on community and economic development opportunities.

Ways Communities are Preparing for Climate Change

Despite the lack of formal climate adaptation planning, planning documents across various communities identified mechanisms for increasing fisheries resilience. This, in turn, would provide social resilience to climate change. Specifically, scientists examined six dimensions of social resilience and their intersections with fisheries and marine-related strategies in community plans.

  • Socio-cognitive constructs: Processes that shape behavior through social learning
  • Organization: Capacity to coordinate and act collectively
  • Learning; Process of building, sharing, accessing, and valuing information
  • Flexibility: Capacity to change strategies
  • Assets: Resources the people and communities can draw upon including physical, natural, human, social, and financial assets
  • Agency: Capacity to determine whether to change or not

Strategies within Gulf of Alaska community plans that build social resilience for fisheries and marine-related industries include:

  • Protecting fisheries and coastal habitat
  • Exploring shoulder season fishing opportunities
  • Buffering and updating waterfront infrastructure
  • Developing programs for skilled trades to support the fishing industry
In several cases, communities also identified mariculture development as a way to provide flexibility and income diversification.

"Many Gulf of Alaska community plans contain the needed components for effective climate planning even if they don't fully articulate them," said Szymkowiak. "They also have proposed steps to promote social resilience. This provides a solid basis for taking a more holistic approach to better integrate climate change considerations into actionable short- and long-term community agendas."

The authors stressed that "in the absence of political will and funds to aid communities in developing standalone climate plans, planning for climate change can and should occur within existing community planning frameworks."

Complementary Study on Impact of Climate Change on Gulf of Alaska Fishermen

This work builds on a previous study by Szymkowiak and Steinkruger showing that climate change is already affecting fishermen in the Gulf of Alaska. In that study, scientists reviewed 18,422 pages of comments made by 5,715 people. These comments were primarily from Gulf of Alaska fishermen. They were submitted to the Alaska Board of Fisheries from 2010 through 2021.

Specifically, the scientists gained insights on how fisheries participants were affected by climate-driven marine heatwaves throughout this time period. The experience of heatwaves prompted greater discussion of climate change in comments from fisheries stakeholders. However, the use of language about science and policy in these comments pointed to potentially entrenched and polarizing viewpoints about fisheries allocations, regulations, and enhancement through hatcheries. Nevertheless, pathways for bridging fishing identities with climate adaptation are also evident through comments about habitat conservation.

Both studies are part of ongoing work to understand climate-driven impacts, responses, and resilience pathways for coastal communities throughout the Gulf of Alaska.

Related Articles

Harbor Seals consume up to a third of Steelhead
Unchecked predation may undermine recovery actions, study finds Harbor seals consume as many as a third of young steelhead smolts migrating out of the Nisqually River's delta in southern Puget Sound, new research shows. Posted on 21 Sep
The Elwha River restoration
Elwha River restoration project offers valuable insights into the complex ecological processes Elwha River restoration project offers valuable insights into the complex ecological processes involved in dam removal and river recovery. Posted on 16 Sep
Reestablishing connections for fish and tribes
North Santiam River is a high priority for the recovery of Upper Willamette River spring Chinook With $710,000 in funding from NOAA, the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde will remove barriers to the passage of threatened salmon and trout species on their land. Posted on 16 Aug
Progress update on two fishing data initiatives
Fishing Effort Survey study and the collaborative initiative to re-envision the partnership We may be in the dog days of summer, but I am pleased to share that progress continues on two high-visibility recreational fishing data collection initiatives — Fishing Effort Survey study and the collaborative initiative to re-envision the partnership. Posted on 15 Aug
Teams and technology trace Klamath River recovery
By tracking new salmon returns The removal of four dams on the Klamath River will reopen more habitat to Pacific salmon than all previous dam removals in the West combined. Posted on 10 Aug
Successful, coincidental sailfish recapture season
Four tagged sailfish were recaptured within 4 days of each other in the Florida Keys Scientists, with help from recreational anglers, commonly use tags to study highly migratory species. Posted on 31 Jul
Link between shark physical traits and ecology
Accurate drawings provide insight into the lifestyle of sharks A new study on sharks finds that physical traits related to oxygen uptake can be measured from accurate drawings of nearly all sharks. Posted on 30 Jul
Chinook salmon and steelhead continue to decline
Willamette salmon and steelhead retain threatened status under Endangered Species Act Upper Willamette River Steelhead and Chinook salmon should remain listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, NOAA Fisheries has concluded in its 5-year review of the status of the species. Posted on 14 Jul
California steelhead maintain threatened status
Endangered Species Act review shows water use, habitat loss and climate change continue to recovery Northern California steelhead require continued protection as a threatened species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, according to a recent 5-year review by NOAA Fisheries. Posted on 12 Jul
Pacific Bluefin Tuna rebound to new highs
New stock assessment reveals largest recorded biomass since assessments began The recovery of Pacific bluefin tuna has achieved a major milestone—the species exceeded international targets a decade ahead of schedule. The rebuilding of Pacific bluefin tuna reflects a fisheries management success. Posted on 1 Jul
Savvy Navvy 2024Maritimo 2023 M600 FOOTER