Ocean Issues in Alaska: - From Fisheries Management to Public Safety and Security

Challenges facing the USCG in its domains of operation around Alaska—the Arctic Ocean, the North Pacific Ocean, the Bering Sea, the Chukchi Sea, and the adjacent communities—include the following: 1 1. [...] Climate Change The Arctic Ocean and surrounding seas are experiencing dramatic changes: atmospheric and ocean warming, significant reduction in sea ice coverage and thickness, ocean acidification, declining salinity, changes in the distribution and abundance of marine life, and increasing storm damage impacting the long coast and communities in western Alaska. [...] Similarly, the United States, nine other Arctic and non-Arctic nations, and the European Union agreed in 2021 to close the Central Arctic Ocean to commercial fishing for at least 16 years to allow time to collect and analyze the information needed to manage fisheries in the region. [...] Search and Rescue, Marine Safety The USCG has been doing an outstanding job in emergency response and rescue in Alaska, despite the daunting scale of the region and the frequently challenging conditions there. [...] (The IMO Code for Ships Operating in Polar Waters has specific regulations for commercial ships operating in Arctic and Antarctic waters, and this code applies to waters north of 60 degrees north latitude in the Bering Sea.) The Coast Guard also has broad authority and responsibilities implementing the elements of two Arctic treaties: the Arctic Search and Rescue (SAR) Agreement (2011) and the Agr.