SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SCOM] — July 29, 2014 — A new collaborative NOAA arctic research program has published its first paper, on the economic impact of Ocean Accidification on Alaska Communities. The paper, to be published in Progress in Oceanography, was done by scientists from the University of Alaska, NOAA's Pacific Marine lab in Seattle, and from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
Ocean acidification is driving changes in waters vital to Alaska's valuable commercial fisheries and subsistence way of life with many of Alaska's nutritionally and economically valuable marine fisheries located in waters that are already experiencing ocean acidification, and that will see more in the near future.
Communities in southeast and southwest Alaska face the highest risk from ocean acidification because they rely heavily on fisheries that are expected to be most affected by ocean acidification, and have underlying factors that make those communities more vulnerable, such as lower incomes and fewer employment opportunities.
The study looked at individual components of the final ocean acidification risk index for each census area and found the communities with the highest risk are in the Southeast and Southwest of the state.
Red king crab and tanner crab, two important Alaskan fisheries, grow more slowly and don't survive as well in more acidic waters. Alaska's coastal waters are particularly vulnerable to ocean acidification because of cold water can absorb more carbon dioxide, and the unique ocean circulation pattern on the Alaska shelf brings naturally acidic deep ocean waters to the surface.
"We went beyond the traditional approach of looking at dollars lost or species impacted; we know these fisheries are lifelines for native communities and what we've learned will help them adapt to a changing ocean environment," said Jeremy Mathis, Ph.D., co-lead author of the study, and an oceanographer at NOAA's Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory in Seattle, and the director of the University of Alaska Fairbanks School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences Ocean Acidification Research Center.
The new study examines the potential effects on a state where the fishing industry supports over 100,000 jobs and generates more than $5 billion in annual revenue and helps maintain the U.S. balance of trade in the global economy. Additionally, approximately 120,000 people or roughly 17 percent of Alaskans rely on subsistence fisheries for most, if not all of their dietary protein. Fishery-related tourism also brings in $300 million annually.
"Ocean acidification is not just an ecological problem-it's an economic problem," said Steve Colt, Ph.D., co-author of the study and an economist at the University of Alaska Anchorage. "The people of coastal Alaska, who have always looked to the sea for sustenance and prosperity, will be most affected. But all Alaskans need to understand how and where ocean acidification threatens our marine resources so that we can work together to address the challenges and maintain healthy and productive coastal communities."
While acknowledging that the most important way to address ocean acidification is by reducing carbon dioxide emissions globally, the research shows that more opportunities can be found to prevent harm to human communities at a local level. NOAA's Ocean Acidification Program and the state of Alaska are also developing tools to help industry adapt to increasing acidity.
The following story originally appeared on SeafoodNews.com, a subscription site. It has been reprinted with permission.