Pacific Salmon in the Arctic: Harbingers of Change

Author(s):  
K.M. Dunmall ◽  
J.D. Reist ◽  
E.C. Carmack ◽  
J.A. Babaluk ◽  
M.P. Heide-Jorgensen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  

<em>Abstract.</em>—The Arctic-Yukon-Kuskokwim Sustainable Salmon Initiative (AYK SSI) is a research program in Alaska focused on learning from the knowledge and understanding of local indigenous fishing communities. From the mid-1990s, Alaska Natives have urged that local and traditional/indigenous knowledge be recognized as a serious body of ecological insights and stewardship traditions. This paper provides a survey of milestones in Alaska, from the early definitional debates and the rise of systematic methods for documentation, to the growing body of substantive information. The discussion on local and traditional knowledge at the AYK SSI Symposium in February 2007 provided an opportunity to assess achievements and identify obstacles. Participants underscored the continuing challenges of the diverse cultural context for joint research by biologists and local communities, directing attention to foundational questions of trust and respect. Local residents celebrated the great promise for local and traditional/indigenous knowledge to contribute to our shared scientific understanding of salmon and to promote respectful and effective systems of stewardship, but they were also acutely perceptive of the barriers to improved synthesis and mutual learning. The concluding section of this paper explores implications for the on-going research agenda of the AYK SSI, particularly the need for an on-going consultative process to insure that local communities and researchers are mutually aware of methodologies available and the substantive contributions made by local and traditional knowledge research. In this way, the on-going development of research in this area can draw more fully on the struggles and accomplishments of the preceding decade.



<em>Abstract.</em>—The legacy of Pacific salmon <em>Oncorhynchus </em>spp. can be described as the genetic resources that are the product of past evolutionary events and which represent the future evolutionary potential of the species. A key step in conserving this legacy is identifying conservation units—major chunks of biodiversity that collectively comprise the evolutionary legacy. A variety of methods exist for defining conservation units, but all should follow a two-step process. Step One is describing the (often hierarchical) structure of biodiversity within each species—that is, the evolutionary relationships among populations and metapopulations or larger conservation units. In theory, this is an objective, data-driven exercise. Step Two involves considering questions such as, “Which level in the hierarchy is best for identifying conservation units?” and “How much biodiversity do we need to conserve?” These questions do not have a single ‘correct’ answer; instead, they must be informed by societal values. In Step Two, therefore, it is important to articulate clear program goals to provide a context for addressing these difficult questions. But defining conservation units is only part of a coherent, long-term conservation strategy; evolution is dynamic, whereas simply conserving certain fixed types promotes stasis. Therefore, equally important is the conservation of evolutionary <em>processes</em>, which are the dynamic relationships between salmon and their ecosystems that help shape their evolutionary trajectories. Evolutionary processes include patterns of connectivity, dispersal, and gene flow; sexual selection and natural selection; and interactions with physical and biological features of the habitat. Conserving evolutionary processes requires consideration of the same two steps outlined above. Reflecting on the long-term goals of the Arctic-Yukon-Kuskokwim Sustainable Salmon Initiative will help to focus efforts to identify important units for conservation and vital evolutionary processes for Alaska salmon.



2021 ◽  
Vol 288 (1954) ◽  
pp. 20210020
Author(s):  
Anne Kathrine W. Runge ◽  
Jessica Hendy ◽  
Kristine K. Richter ◽  
Edouard Masson-MacLean ◽  
Kate Britton ◽  
...  

The domestic dog has inhabited the anthropogenic niche for at least 15 000 years, but despite their impact on human strategies, the lives of dogs and their interactions with humans have only recently become a subject of interest to archaeologists. In the Arctic, dogs rely exclusively on humans for food during the winter, and while stable isotope analyses have revealed dietary similarities at some sites, deciphering the details of provisioning strategies have been challenging. In this study, we apply zooarchaeology by mass spectrometry (ZooMS) and liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry to dog palaeofaeces to investigate protein preservation in this highly degradable material and obtain information about the diet of domestic dogs at the Nunalleq site, Alaska. We identify a suite of digestive and metabolic proteins from the host species, demonstrating the utility of this material as a novel and viable substrate for the recovery of gastrointestinal proteomes. The recovered proteins revealed that the Nunalleq dogs consumed a range of Pacific salmon species (coho, chum, chinook and sockeye) and that the consumed tissues derived from muscle and bone tissues as well as roe and guts. Overall, the study demonstrated the viability of permafrost-preserved palaeofaeces as a unique source of host and dietary proteomes.



2011 ◽  
Vol 68 (4) ◽  
pp. 718-737 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Healey

Anadromous Pacific salmon ( Oncorhynchus spp.) are vulnerable to climate change in both freshwater and marine habitats. I use a qualitative model to assess the cumulative effects of climate change across life stages and generations of Fraser River sockeye salmon ( Oncorhynchus nerka ) and other salmon species. The effects of climate change most relevant to Fraser River sockeye include warming of freshwater and marine habitats, altered hydrology in spawning rivers, reduced productivity in nursery habitats, and changed distribution and phenology of predator and prey species. The weight of evidence indicates that these changes will negatively affect growth and survival of Fraser River sockeye at all life stages. Effects on one life stage will also carry forward to heighten adverse effects at subsequent life stages and across generations so that the cumulative impact is greater than the impact on individual stages. Salmon can adapt to climate change but probably not enough to sustain productivity. In the south, focus of policy and management on conserving and enhancing resilience is needed to retain some salmon production. At the same time, Arctic habitats are becoming accessible to salmon. Management in the Arctic should protect potentially productive habitats from development and facilitate their colonization by Pacific salmon.



ARCTIC ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 72 (3) ◽  
pp. 273-288 ◽  
Author(s):  
Courtney Carothers ◽  
Todd L. Sformo ◽  
Shelley Cotton ◽  
John C. George ◽  
Peter A.H. Westley

One of the most pervasive signals of global climate change is altered patterns of distribution with trends towards poleward shifts of species. While habitat loss and destruction has severed connections between people and salmon in many locales, salmon fisheries in the high Arctic are just beginning to develop. To explore these emergent connections, we gathered local knowledge about Pacific salmon and emerging subsistence salmon fisheries in the Beaufort Sea region through ethnographic research in Utqiaġvik (formerly Barrow) and Nuiqsut, Alaska. Between 2010 and 2013, we interviewed 41 active fishermen and Elders who generally agreed that harvests of Pacific salmon species have been increasing in recent years, beginning in the 1990s and early 2000s. About 46% of active fishermen and Elders who discussed salmon abundance perceived an increasing trend over time. Another 43% characterized salmon abundance as cyclical or perceived no directional trend over time. The remaining fishermen (all from Nuiqsut) expressed their perception of decreasing salmon and fish abundance overall related to oil and gas development impacts to their local lands and waters. Given these mixed perceptions and harvests being an imperfect proxy for abundance, it remains unclear whether salmon populations are expanding in Arctic river systems. However, research participants have identified new stream systems not currently documented in the scientific literature where salmon are present and thought to be spawning. In both communities, we found that many fishermen and Elders often do not differentiate Pacific salmon species. Fishermen in both communities are developing new knowledge of salmon and increasing their use of salmon as a subsistence resource, yet uncertainties in the current data and local knowledge combine to generate equivocal evidence that salmon abundance is increasing. This lack of a clear increase in salmon abundance provides nuance to a simple story that warming has led to the increases of salmon in the Arctic. Despite the uncertainty regarding abundance, it is clear we are witnessing an emergence of new salmon fisheries in the high Arctic, perceived to be one among a suite of environmental and social changes currently being experienced in this region.



Author(s):  
Zander Kaleb Einar Chila ◽  
Karen Dunmall ◽  
Tracey Proverbs ◽  
Trevor Lantz ◽  
Aklavik Hunters and Trappers Committee ◽  
...  

Rapid climate change is altering Arctic ecosystems and significantly affecting the livelihoods and cultural traditions of Arctic Indigenous peoples. In the Inuvialuit Settlement Region (ISR), an increase in the harvest of Pacific salmon indicates largescale changes influencing Inuvialuit fisheries. In this project we recorded and synthesized Inuvialuit knowledge of Pacific salmon. We conducted 54 interviews with Inuvialuit fishers about the history of Pacific salmon harvest, how it has changed in recent decades, and concurrent changes to local environments and fish species. Our interviews show that historic, incidental salmon harvest in the ISR ranged from infrequent to common among western communities, but was rare or unprecedented among eastern communities. Participants in all six communities reported a recent increase in salmon harvest and attributed this shift to regional environmental change. Fishers were concerned that salmon would negatively affect their cultural traditions and preferred fish species. Given uncertainty about the effects of salmon on local fisheries, research on salmon diets in the Arctic, their subsidies to Arctic freshwater systems, and the likelihood of their establishment is vital.



Author(s):  
Mark C. Serreze ◽  
Roger G. Barry




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