Changing seas

 

Alaska and Bering Sea marine ecosystems show strong signals of climate-driven variation. Summer sea-ice has been retreating with almost 15 percent since the 1980's. Moreover, large-scale shifts in the abundance and distribution of many important fish have appeared.
We will dive into two: salmon and Alaskan Pollock, worth several hundreds of million dollars and providing jobs for over 20.000 fishermen in this region.

Alaskan Pollock, an abundant white fish in the Bering and Arctic Seas, is of particular interest for Europe and the Netherlands. Since 2005 this white fish has been certified by the Marine Stewardship Council, the regulatory body overseeing the sustainable harvesting of fish.

Pollock is often used in fish sandwiches, fish & chips, fish sticks and imitation crab products. The Dutch multinational Unilever is one of the main suppliers of the European market. Two years ago certification was met with sharp criticism of powerful NGO's, claiming the regulatory body ignored an 80 percent drop in Gulf of Alaska Stellar sea lions and declining Pollock stock populations.
What has happened since then? We're going to find out and talk with native fishermen and their representatives.