Beaufort Sea LME

The Beaufort Sea Large Marine Ecosystem is situated off the coast of Canada and of northern Alaska, in the United States of America. Characterized by its extreme sub-Arctic environment, it is driven by major seasonal and annual changes in Arctic climate conditions and is covered with ice for most of the year. The Beaufort Gyral Stream forms a clockwise drift pattern.

Determining the amount and type of sea ice in the polar oceans is crucial to improving our knowledge and understanding of polar weather and long term climate fluctuations. These views from two satellite remote sensing instruments; the synthetic aperture radar (SAR) on board the RADARSAT satellite and the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR), illustrate different methods that may be used to assess sea ice type. Sea ice in the Beaufort Sea off the north coast of Alaska was classified and mapped in these concurrent images acquired March 19, 2001 and mapped to the same geographic area.

Twenty-one species of fish are harvested commercially, including Arctic cisco (Coregonus autumnalis), broad whitefish (C. nasus), least cisco (C. sardinella), and Dolly Varden char (Salvelinus malma). Several species (including the Dolly Varden char) are anadromous and move seasonally between fresh water and underground springs in the winter, and salt water in the summer. These species have adapted to Arctic conditions through complex migration patterns, late maturity and low recruitment rates. The key subsistence marine species are likely to undergo shifts in range and abundance due to climate change. The University of British Columbia Fisheries Center has detailed fish catch statistics on this LME.

Monitoring strategies have generally excluded the Beaufort Sea LME because of logistical problems. An area of concern is the effect of changes in the Arctic climate on fish, marine mammals, and associated wildlife. Changes in water flow, the transport of nutrients through the Bering Strait, and the loss of ice habitat caused by global warming will have an effect on the living marine resources of this LME.

Oil and gas exploration, extraction, and transport in this LME are also a critical factor. New drilling projects targeting oil and gas in the Alaskan Beaufort Sea require constant monitoring. Recommended impact assessments should include analyses of potential mortality in the event of spills, damage to food sources, production-related changes in marine mammal distribution, movement, and abundance, and additionally, how the native people might be affected by exposure to contaminants from the oil industry via whales and other marine mammals. Some species that are the basis for important subsistence and commercial fisheries are already being followed closely. For example, Arctic cisco, abundant in coastal waters of the Beaufort Sea, is the principal species harvested in the fall subsistence and commercial fisheries west of the Prudhoe Bay oilfields. According to BP Exploration, it has been designated as one of four key indicator species for monitoring impacts of oilfield activities on coastal fish populations. The least cisco is another species harvested, and selected as an indicator species.
Pollution and disturbance from vessel traffic on the proposed Northern Sea Route is a concern.

Economic activity is mostly concerned with the exploitation of natural resources (petroleum, natural gas, fish, and seals). Fish contributes to the economy and provides protein for the region's native people. The Inupiat harvest fish and bowhead whales. The Inuvialuit harvest several species of marine mammals. Ringed seals were once important to the local cash economy but the market for seal pelts has disappeared. Whaling, however, continues to be a key subsistence activity. Oil has been discovered in Prudhoe Bay, but offshore oil production costs are higher in the Arctic than elsewhere. The Northstar Project targets oil in the Alaskan Beaufort Sea, but scientists recommend that it should take into account the native hunters and consumers of whales in the area. Whales and other marine mammals might be exposed to contaminants from the oil industry. The protection of the regional lifestyle is a major socioeconomic theme, as is the need to protect and preserve the Arctic wildlife, its environment, and biological productivity.

The Beaufort Sea LME is bordered by the United States of America (Alaska) and by Canada (the Yukon Territory, the Inuvik Region, and part of the Northwest Territories). Both countries need to address transboundary issues and ensure that traditional owners retain control over their inherent rights, while preserving their cultural identity and values within a changing northern society. Governance for fisheries comes under the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and Fisheries and Oceans Canada with its Aboriginal Fisheries Strategy. The Fisheries Joint Management Committee aims to maintain a thriving population of beluga whales and a sustainable harvest of beluga for the Inuvialuit people.