Climate change and subsistence fisheries in northern Alaska

Residents of northern Alaska are acutely aware of the impacts of global climate change. Melting sea ice, coastal erosion, storm surges, unpredictable weather, inland drying, animal migration shifts, resource distribution and abundance changes all pose new challenges for life in the Arctic. Recent studies have documented the importance of understanding climate change impacts on land use change, freshwater availability and quality, social-ecological resilience, community resettlement, and indigenous lifeways. Few studies have specifically addressed current or potential impacts of climate change on subsistence fisheries in Alaska. Given the dependence of northern communities on subsistence fishery resources, it is imperative to better understand the current and potential impacts of climate and related ecological changes on these fisheries. This paper will provide initial results of two studies documenting observations related to climate change in the Arctic Slope and Northwest Alaska. Ethnographic research conducted with Inupiat experts will explore the effects of these changes on subsistence fishery practices and related management implications. This paper reflects on methodological considerations for the collection and use of traditional and local ecological knowledge to better understand resources shifts and related effects on subsistence-based economies and cultures.