arctic fisheries in focus

“The Arctic region is warming, faster on average than the rest of the planet,” noted Ambassador David Balton, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Oceans and Fisheries, U.S. Department of State, in a March 2009 interview with FAO Radio of the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization.

For more information

Managing Resources for a Changing Arctic

More than 180 delegates from eight nations met in Anchorage Oct. 19-21 to discuss conservation of fish stocks and the potential for future fisheries management in the Arctic Ocean.

“For the first time in history, fisheries managers, diplomats and scientists joined to discuss fisheries and ecosystems in the circumpolar Arctic,” said Mead Treadwell, senior fellow at the Institute of the North and chair of the U.S. Arctic Research Commission. “The conversation that begins here should never end. We need to arrive at a common scientific understanding of the interdependent resources in this region.”

Presentations Now Available

Download Conference Program (English)

Download Conference Program (Russian)

A forum for discussions about change

With scientists, policy makers and stakeholders in attendance, the International Arctic Fisheries Symposium provided a forum to discuss the impact of climate change on fish stocks and the new accessibility to the central Arctic with ice retreat. The conferees discussed possible common management regimes with special consideration for migratory, transboundary and straddling species; and heard concerns about subsistence issues.

In his closing remarks, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State David Balton observed that more cooperative research is needed before decisions will be made for future fisheries. Although those decisions may remain on the horizon, Balton commented that the symposium allowed “for a mix of people from very different perspectives to come together and talk about a common set of issues.”

Next steps

The Institute of the North will develop proceedings to include a list of those attending, PowerPoint presentations and the text of keynote speakers. Reference materials will also be uploaded to the symposium website (http://www.nprb.org/iafs2009/index.htm), which will continue to provide resources for those involved in the ongoing discussion.

“Participation from representative nations led to an informed and powerful network developing between attendees,” said Nils Andreassen, managing director of the Institute of the North. “It was clear that there is the energy and enthusiasm for continuing this conversation.”

Related story: Oceans ambassador calls for use study in Arctic, Anchorage Daily News, 10/22/09

Keynote speakers

  • Alaska Governor Sean Parnell
  • Senators Lisa Murkowski
  • Senator Mark Begich
  • U.S. Ambassador David Balton

International fisheries experts who spoke at the event

  • William Cheung, University of East Anglia, United Kingdom
  • Tomas Heidar, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Iceland
  • Lene Kielsen Holm, ICC Greenland
  • Kjartan Hoydal, Northeast Atlantic Fisheries Commission
  • Terje Løbach, Directorate of Fisheries, Norway
  • Harald Loeng, Institute of Marine Research, Norway
  • Erik Molenaar, University of Utrecht, the Netherlands
  • Andrey Pedchenko, State Research Institute on Lake And River Fisheries (GOSNIORKH), Russian Federation
  • Oleg Rykov, Russian Federation
  • Reidar Toresen, Institute of Marine Research, Norway