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Protecting the U.S. Arctic

The Arctic has always captured the public’s imagination. This vast region of extremes is shaped by only two seasons. Months of winter darkness with sub-zero temperatures give way to the midnight sun—a fleeting but luxuriant summer where abundant food supports flourishing populations of fish and wildlife.

Arctic waters sustain more than 150 species of fish, including ecologically important populations of Arctic cod, Pacific herring, Pacific sand lance, Arctic flounder, and several types of cisco and whitefish. These fish, along with crabs, mollusks and krill, provide the foundation of the Arctic marine food chain that supports extraordinarily wildlife populations of global significance including polar bears, walruses and ice seals, along with bowhead, beluga and gray whales.

walrus swimming in Bering Sea

Walrus in the Bering Sea

© B. Christman, NOAA

Climate change and potential industrial development jeopardize the future of all Arctic marine species. The rapid melting of pack ice is fundamentally altering natural systems and opening new opportunities for commercial development. Arctic nations are racing to claim newly ice-free territory and secure rights to expand commercial fishing, offshore oil and gas development and industrial shipping. Precautionary, science-based principles must be in place before industrial development in the Arctic proceeds to prevent irreparable damage to the health of these unique ecosystems.
 
In the next decade, we will face an historic choice: whether to recklessly exploit America’s Arctic, or to protect and sustainably manage our last great frontier.

Arctic Fishery Management Plan: In August 2009, the Obama administration approved this plan closing nearly the entire U.S. Arctic Ocean to commercial fishing until scientific research demonstrates that such activities will not harm the fragile ecosystem or local communities. The Alaska fishing industry, community leaders and conservation groups support the moratorium. This approach can be a precedent for other development such as oil and gas drilling and shipping.

U.S. Arctic Comprehensive Conservation & Energy Plan: Large swaths of the U.S. Chukchi and Beaufort Seas have been made available for leasing to oil companies, and seismic exploration and other activities are rapidly increasing there. These decisions have been made without a sufficient scientific understanding of their potential effects or a comprehensive plan for Arctic resources. A short window of opportunity exists to plan for development in a rational, science-based manner that integrates local and traditional knowledge.