ISER researchers Tobias Schwörer, Kevin Berry and Marie Lowe are part of an interdisciplinary team of researchers looking at how increased ocean acidification (OA) may impact Alaska salmon fisheries and adaptation measures available to fisheries stakeholders and policymakers.
Experts predict that Alaska will experience ocean acidification faster and more intensely than other regions of the globe, mainly due to cold water’s ability to absorb more CO2 than warm water. Yet, little is known of the impact of OA on Alaska’s $5.8 billion seafood industry and the people who rely upon healthy oceans for their livelihoods, subsistence, and nutrition.
Over the past three decades, harvesters have continued to invest in ever-larger and more powerful boatrs to participate in the state’s limited entry salmon fisheries.
credit: Norm van Vactor
ISER researchers, along with lead principle investigator David Finnoff (University of Wyoming), Eric Ward (NOAA Northwest Science Center), Todd Miller (NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center), Markus Horning (Alaska SeaLife Center), Darcy Dugan (Alaska Ocean Observing System – Alaska Ocean Acidification Network) , Jeff Hetrick (Alutiiq Pride Shellfish Hatchery), and Joseph Krieger (NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center) received a $1.1 million, 3-year grant, to use an integrated multi-disciplinary approach to research the impacts of OA on salmon as a test case for examining what scientific information is critical for minimizing the risk of OA on Alaska’s fisheries.
The research team is working closely with an advisory committee that includes salmon biologists, oceanographers and salmon managers from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
Researchers will look at how salmon management can respond to future ocean change by pre-emptively avoiding bad outcomes for fisheries. Research conducted elsewhere has shown that ocean acidification can affect salmon’s ability to navigate back to freshwater they originated from and ultimately lead to higher energy demand. Whether salmon will be able to meet higher energy demand may depend on the effect OA has on salmon prey and its energy content.
A lab experiment with juvenile pink salmon will measure growth under future ocean conditions and the potential for cumulative effects. Results will inform an economic model of the fishery.
Throughout the project period, researchers will hold a series of workshops to better understand harvesters, processors, and managers’ information needs and adaptation capacity. The research will address how fisheries can pro-actively mitigate carbon emissions. Recent research has shown that for every pound of fish caught in North America, the fishing fleet emits 1.7 pounds of CO2. “We need to be part of the solution,” Schwoerer said.
