AS1: Effects of POPs and Hg on Arctic wildlife: AMAP assessment

Date: Thursday October 11, 2018

Location: Valtuustosali, City Hall

Time: 8:30-10:00

Since the last assessments addressing biological effects of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) (2009) and mercury (2011), a number of new studies have been published in the scientific literature on (potential) biological effects of these contaminants. Organohalogen compounds (OHCs) and mercury have received particular attention, and in some studies this work is being combined with assessment of climate change impacts. New chemical contaminants are being detected in the Arctic, but as yet little information is available on the potential biological and ecosystem effects of these chemicals of emerging Arctic concern (CEAC). This special session would focus on the results of the new AMAP assessment that addresses some of these issues and provides an overview of the current state of knowledge (reviewing scientific work conducted 2010 to present). It covers levels of OHCs and Hg and/or associated effects in key Arctic marine and terrestrial mammals, birds and fish species and populations. It also addresses the current knowledge on how combined effects of several OHCs, (including perfluoroalkyl substances, PFASs) and Hg, as well as several individual or congener-specific contaminants, can affect biological pathways and outcomes. Furthermore, consideration will be given to potential toxic effects of combined exposure to both targeted and as yet unknown contaminants of emerging concern, and how this advances our understanding of impacts of complex contaminant mixtures that reflect environmentally realistic exposure scenarios for Arctic biota. Depending on the species and population, and tissue and contaminant burdens, exposure levels can be great enough to exceed putative risk-threshold levels that have been previously estimated for non-target species and species outside the Arctic. In new Arctic monitoring work, species exposure to specific OHCs (such as PCBs) and Hg have been shown to result in deleterious and observable effects via mode(s) of action and mechanisms that are a function of the contaminant type and level of exposure. The assessment therefore includes an updated risk assessment for sum PCBs and Hg for a number of Arctic species.

Chairs: Robert Letcher, Environment and Climate Change Canada; Rune Dietz, Aarhus University

Format: Series of presentations followed by discussion

Presentations:

1. Biological effects of contaminant exposure in Arctic wildlife and fish: Christian Sonne, Aarhus University 
2. Risk evaluation of PCBs and Hg in marine and terrestrial mammals and birds: Rune Dietz, Aarhus University  
3. Contaminant exposure, pathways and effects in a changing Arctic: Igor Eulaers, Aarhus University  
4. Key findings, conclusions, recommendations and the future directions for understanding POP and mercury impacts in Arctic wildlife and fish: Robert Letcher, Environment and Climate Change Canada  

Abstracts:

Biological effects of contaminant exposure in Arctic wildlife and fish

Christian Sonne, Rob Letcher, Jean Pierre Desforges Igor Eulaers and Rune Dietz

The relationship between contaminant exposure (PCB and Hg) and physiological and pathological endpoints has been divided into mammals, birds and fish. Endpoints included thyroid hormones (TH) and steroid hormones (SH) in blood, vitamins in blood and tissues, histopathology, reproduction, immune toxicity, blood biochemistry, CYP-450, oxidative stress and genotoxicity. CYP450 increase with POP concentrations across all studies. Opposite to this, concentrations of hormones and vitamins generally showed negative associations with POPs though this varied depending on species and tissue/matrix. The immune system is also negatively affected across species, which includes both the humoral and cellular systems as supported by In vitro studies and modelling. Recently, novel biomarkers of ROS and genotoxicity have also been employed in a few species of mammals and birds. Histopathological changes occur in liver, kidney and thyroid glands and seem to be affected negatively by POPs and Hg concentrations and the same goes for BMD. New studies of polar bear brains show that steroid hormones are positively correlated with PFAS while neurochemicals was negative correlated with the same PFAS compounds. Polar bears, pilot whales, beluga and glaucous gulls are the four species analysed for a broader number of biomarkers. Across these species, thyroid hormones generally decreased while vitamin A and E increased in liver and decreased in blood. The concentrations of steroid hormones did not show a clear association with POPs, however, there is a tendency for testosterone to be negatively correlated to PCBs. Of recently applied biomarkers, genotoxicity has been shown for polar bears and for a few birds and fish spp. mainly driven by PCBs. Compared to previous AMAP Assessments, this update showed higher consitency among studies and overlap of enpoints and create hope for a future assessment focusing on effects on the population level.

Risk evaluation of PCBs and Hg in marine and terrestrial mammals and birds

Rune Dietz, Rob Letcher, Jean Pierre Desforges Igor Eulaers and Christian Sonne

In this AMAP assessment we provide an update on the current knowledge, i.e. 2010 to present, of the levels of OHCs and Hg and/or associated effects in key Arctic marine and terrestrial mammal, bird and fish species and populations. Based on PCB concentrations as being the dominant effect contributor, and an intermediate conservative critical body residue for PCBs of 10 µg/g l.w., risk quotients (RQ) were calculated and reported for the entire Arctic region and bordering waters. Based on the RQ geographical pattern, killer whales were found to be the highest exposed species, with four out of five groups having RQs above 1, which was true for transient Pacific killer whales as well. Population effect modelling has shown PCB-mediated effects on reproduction and immunity having severe consequences for the long-term population viability in 1/10 of the 4/20 Arctic/World wide killer whale populations with measured PCB tissue burdens. Long-finned pilot whale from the Faroe Islands, also had large group proportions with RQs above 1. Beluga populations however, all seem to have RQs below 1 indicating this species is not facing major problems with their immune or hormone systems. Similar to belugas, all ringed seals were below 10 µg/g lw leading to RQs below 1 and indicated this arctic species is not likely having their immune and hormonal systems detrimentally affected by PCB exposure. White-tailed sea eagle, gyrfalcon and peregrine falcon had high RQs above 1 in 71-85% of the birds. It should be highlighted that the present risk evaluation is built on uncertain critical body residues that may change between species and populations. There is limited work on species-relevant health surveys including dose response studies on live cells as well as limited work done on population effect modelling. A trans-Arctic effects assessment was conducted for total mercury (tHg) after year 2000. In general, most marine mammal species are at no or low risk for tHg exposure mediated health effects. However, for some high trophic species, such as polar bears, certain toothed whales including pilot whales, adult killer whales, narwhals and belugas, as well as hooded seals, a part of the population is at high or severe risk. Polar bears from the central-high Canadian and U.S. high Arctic, as well as pilot whales from the Faroe Islands, carried hepatic tHg burdens of the greatest concern. Bird mercury concentrations were above toxicity benchmarks in many areas throughout the marine environment, particularly for northern fulmar, double-crested cormorant and pigeon guillemot, as well as freshwater and terrestrial species in the Alaskan environment including northern shoveler, common loon, peregrine falcon, red-throated loon, pacific loon, bald eagle, green-winged teal and yellow-billed loon. In the North Atlantic, only a small proportion of unhatched chicks of black guillemot were at high risk. As expected, terrestrial mammals, with the exception of Arctic foxes on Iceland, which showed low to moderate risk, did not show risk for Hg intoxication, based on the limited recent Hg data available.

Contaminant exposure, pathways and effects in a changing Arctic

Igor Eulaers, Rob Letcher, Jean Pierre Desforges, Christian Sonne and Rune Dietz

The Arctic ecosystem and its wildlife has not only been an environmental sink for major long-range transported industrial chemicals, such as persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and Mercury (Hg), but has been subject to rapid environmental change. Ongoing change is not only exhibited through changing sea ice and glacier dynamics as well as ocean and atmospheric currents but is also manifested in changing food web composition and dynamics, and the interactions of biota with their abiotic environment. Such change is believed to have a pronounced impact on the composition and intensity of contaminant cocktails, their abiotic and biotic long-range versus local origin and pathways, bioavailability to and biomagnification through the food web, and ultimately effects in Arctic wildlife. We will present a state-of-the art overview of the available knowledge on changing biotic and abiotic sources and pathways of Hg and POPs in the Arctic and how this growing proof of evidence can be taken into account in the assessment of contaminant exposure and effects in Arctic wildlife, Humans and ecosystems.

Key findings, conclusions, recommendations and the future directions for understanding POP and mercury impacts in Arctic wildlife and fish

Robert Letcher, Rune Dietz, Jean-Pierre Desforges Igor Eulaers and Christian Sonne

The previous presentations have outlined in more detail and depth the updates since 2010 of accumulated knowledge in the scientific literature on the exposure and/or (potential) biological effects of organohalogen POPs and mercury in Arctic wildlife and fish. A summary of the key findings, conclusions, and recommendations and the future directions are presently detailed. Major examples of key findings and knowledge gaps include that as of 2017 there continues to be a lack of data for POP and mercury exposure and biological effects in wildlife and fish from Arctic Russia, Fennoscandia and Alaska. Depending on the species/population/tissue contaminant burdens, exposure levels in key Arctic biota (marine and terrestrial mammals, birds and fish) can exceed putative risk threshold levels estimated for non-target species and species from outside the Arctic. Based on PCB concentrations (as the dominant effect contributor for reproductive, immune and/or carcinogenic effects) and a conservative critical body residue for PCBs of 10 µg/g lw, risk quotients (RQ) were calculated and reported for the entire Arctic region and bordering waters. RQs make it possible to summarize the cumulative effects of environmental contaminant mixtures for which critical body burdens can be estimated. Understanding and predicting the biological effects of complex contaminant mixtures within a multi-stressor framework remains one of the great challenges of Arctic ecotoxicology. There is a need to establish concentration thresholds for biologically relevant health effects in wildlife and fish. Effects need to be assessed in relation to spatial and temporal variation in dietary pathways of exposure. Assessing the combined effects of contaminant exposure with natural stressors is required, i.e. infectious and zoonotic diseases. The OneHealth concept should be explored in future assessment integrating information from both wildlife and human health studies.

AS2: Oil spill prevention, preparedness and response in the Arctic

Date: Wednesday October 10, 2018

Location: Valtuustosali, City Hall

Time: 15:15-17:15

Changes in the Arctic sea ice are opening previously inaccessible areas to industrial activity, including natural resource development and shipping. Whether through ship accidents, well leaks or blowouts, oil spills pose serious risks to the Arctic environment. Extreme weather conditions and ice-covered waters can increase the likelihood of oil spills, affect response capabilities and hinder effective clean-up. The damage caused by oil spills can be long-lasting and far reaching, affecting Arctic ecosystems and threatening food security for Arctic peoples. This session brings together presentations from researchers, Indigenous representatives, NGOs, managers and industry to share their perspectives and knowledge on oil spill prevention, preparedness and response in the Arctic.

Chairs: Jens Peter Holst-Andersen, Emergeny Prevention, Preparedness and Reponse (EPPR); Liisa Rohweder, WWF Finland; Melanie Lancaster, WWF Arctic

Format: Series of presentations followed by discussion

Presentations:

• Oil spill preparedness, response and capacity in the Arctic: an introduction: Liisa Rohweder, WWF 
• Modernising the international Arctic oil and gas regulatory framework, TBC: WWF 
• Response capacity for oiled wildlife and clean up in the Russian Arctic: Alexey Knizhnikov, WWF  
• Arctic Coast Bioremediation (The first "small" results of a "big" project): Vladimir Myazin, Institute of North Industrial Ecology Problems, Kola Science Centre of Russian Academy of Science 
• Ecosystem modelling as a tool to assess the impact of a major oil spill on an economically and ecologically important fish species in the Arctic: Geir Morten Skeie, Akvaplan-niva 
• Case study treatment of Oil Spill Response Limited's approach to building credible cold weather capability: Paul Foley, Operations Manager, Oil Spill Response Limited 
• TBD: Jens Peter Holst-Andersen, Emergency Prevention, Preparedness and Response (EPPR) 

Abstracts:

Arctic Coast Bioremediation (The first "small" results of a "big" project)

Vladimir Myazin, Institute of North Industrial Ecology Problems, Kola Science Centre of Russian Academy of Science

The Arctic ecoregion draws a picture of an area with extraordinary biodiversity values. Among its most spectacular features are the world’s highest density of migratory seabirds, some of the richest fisheries in the world, and diverse and rare communities of sea mammals. While these resources have supported human communities for centuries, growth and expansion of infrastructure, industrial activity and resource exploitation is increasingly threatening to undermine the very basis for biological diversity and production in the ecoregion. The increase in global demand for oil and gas has led to the expansion of the oil and hydrocarbon industry and transport activities in the region. A large oil spill is estimated as one of the biggest threats to the Arctic environment. There is a generally recognized risk of oil spills at all stages of exploration, production and transportation of oil. And the strengthening of shipping along the Northern Sea Route is another negative factor in the risk profile of oil spills in the region. In general, coastal ecosystems remain largely affected by direct discharges of oil from offshore activities and illegal discharges from ships. All mechanical, thermal and chemical methods currently used for cleanup of the coastal zone from oil contamination, are expensive and relatively unefficient. As a result, the entire ecosystem experiences the negative effects for years and even decades, depending on the scale of the spill. To solve this problem, researchers from three countries (Russia, Norway and Finland) are developing a biotechnological method of remediation of contaminated areas. The biotechnological approach, based on natural processes of self-healing in the environment, is currently the most promising method for reclamation of oil-contaminated soils from both an economic and an environmental point of view. Our project aims at developing an innovative tool for combating the adverse effects of pollution. The main output of the project is a biotechnology for comprehensive remediation of oil-contaminated marine coastal areas in the Arctic which will be a more efficient and eco-friendly solution in comparison with the existing methods. The technology is based on three components: oil-degrading microbial inoculants, sorbents and plants. Microbial inoculants will be obtained by enriching the most efficient oil-oxidizing microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, algae) from the environmental samples of the studied area. The development of the proposed biotechnology will help preserve the natural wealth of a prosperous but fragile Arctic ecoregion for future generations.

Ecosystem modelling as a tool to assess the impact of a major oil spill on an economically and ecologically important fish species in the Arctic

Geir Morten Skeie, Akvaplan-niva

The ecological and commercial impacts of accidental oil spills are a concern in all maritime regions, including the Arctic. Assessing the impact of such oil spills is an important basis for ecosystem management plans and strategies, as well as for environmental risk and mitigation assessments related to exploration and production activities. As field experiments with release of significant amounts of oil in the environment are neither desirable nor practicable, ecosystem modelling, applying the best scientific knowledge and hypotheses is the most feasible way to assess risks. In the SYMBIOSES project, ecosystem models developed, used and tested by Norwegian research institutes were combined in a computational framework. Within this, oil release scenarios and subsequent three dimensional spreading, fate and drift of oil were linked to models for growth and distribution of copepods, as well as models for drift and feeding of fish larvae, and with several threshold values for toxicity of hydrocarbon components. Our target species was the North-East Arctic Cod. Effects of oil on early life stages (eggs and larvae) were simulated for several years and a number of spill scenarios, providing estimates of effects on recruitment to the adult stock. Also, effects of oil on food for young cod were assessed. Effects of reduced recruitment on the standing stock over a 10 year period were assessed with the same model applied in the setting of fishing quotas. The SYMBIOSES approach will provide input to ecosystem based management plans for Arctic sea areas in Norway, and an extension of the research program, addressing another commercially important species is currently under planning. In our presentation, we present this modelling approach in detail and show results.

EBM11: Conservation and sustainable harvest

Date: Thursday October 11, 2018

Location: Valtuustosali, City Hall

Time: 13:30-15:00

Small-scale, traditional harvest of mammals, birds and fish has provided the foundation for Arctic societies since humans first arrived in the region, and continues to do so today for many people in the Arctic. The Arctic Biodiversity Assessment called for the sustainable management of the Arctic’s living resources and their habitat. Improved management and conservation actions are based on greater understanding of the potential for harm to species and ecosystems, better regulation and enforcement, and in many cases on greater engagement with Arctic peoples. The incorporation of traditional values, practices and knowledge can help improve both management and enforcement. This session explores successful harvest management practices and explores additional places where these approaches could help to achieve biodiversity, while fulfilling various and Sustainable Development Goals.

Chairs: Alexander Shestakov, CBD; Gregor Gilbert, Makivik Corporation

Format: Series of presentations followed by discussion

Presentations:

1. Quantifying the impact of hunting and oiling on Brünnich’s guillemots Uria lomvia in the Northwest Atlantic: Morten Frederiksen, Aarhus University 
2. Understanding Alaskan Inuit food security and conservation through use: Carolina Behe, Inuit Circumpolar Council 
3. Reconciliating conservation and sustainable harvest: Geneviève Desportes, NAMMCOl 
4. A participatory approach to reducing the poaching of Bewick’s swans in the Russian Arctic: Julia Newth, Wildfowl & Wetlands Trustl 
5. Salmon and salmon-dependent people in Alaska: Highlights of an interdisciplinary research initiative: Peter Westley, University of Alaska Fairbanksl 
6. How aboriginal hunting in the Northeast of the Russian Arctic influences migratory waterbird population? Konstantin Klokov, Saint-Petersburg State Universityl 

Abstracts:

Quantifying the impact of hunting and oiling on Brünnich’s guillemots Uria lomvia in the Northwest Atlantic

Morten Frederiksen, Aarhus University

The Brünnich’s guillemot (or thick-billed murre) is a numerous pan-Arctic seabird, but several Atlantic breeding populations are declining. The species is subject to traditional harvest in the important wintering areas off West Greenland and Newfoundland, and has been subject to chronic oil pollution where major shipping converge on the east coast of Canada. Until recently, knowledge on migration routes and winter distribution has been insufficient to assess the impact of these mortality sources on specific breeding populations. We collate existing information on mortality from bag statistics in Greenland and Canada and studies of oiling off Newfoundland, as well as new data on age distribution in the hunting bag. Based on the results of recent tracking studies, we construct a spatially explicit population model that allocates hunting and oiling mortality to breeding populations and estimates the impact on their growth rate. Results indicate that annual population growth rate is depressed by 0.011 – 0.041 by anthropogenic mortality sources. In addition to local breeders, hunting in Greenland mainly affects declining breeding populations in Svalbard and Iceland, while hunting and oiling in Newfoundland mainly affects guillemots breeding in Arctic Canada and north-west Greenland, where most populations are relatively stable. The strongest impact is predicted on the small breeding population in Atlantic Canada, which winters mainly on the Newfoundland Shelf and thus is exposed to both hunting and oiling. Our results clarify the relationships between hunting in Greenland and Canada and growth of specific breeding populations, and thus have major implications for harvest management of guillemots in the Northwest Atlantic.

Understanding Alaskan Inuit food security and conservation through use

Carolina Behe, Inuit Circumpolar Council; Raychelle Daniel, The Pew Charitable Trusts

Conservation in Alaskan Inuit homelands often comes from the perspective of conservation that benefits the environment first, and ultimately the people that live there. We propose an alternate conservation paradigm that includes Inuit not only as a part of the environment within the ecosystem; but also as part of the solution to managing these Arctic ecosystems from within. Inuit knowledge and management practices are both a part of Alaskan Inuit food security, and would help move overall management of Arctic systems to better include whole knowledge, and improve science. Inuit have followed traditional management practices, applying a food security lens, which has sustained the people and the environment for time immemorial. These practices demonstrate a strong value system focused on conservation through use, based on an Inuit food security lens. Practices are built on principles such as “do not take more than what is needed.” These words impart multiple facets of understanding that include people take only what they can process, store and consume within their family or community. They also include lessons that include stewardship and sustainable practices; for example, always leaving enough for the continued respect for the ecosystem that it is a part of. During traditional bowhead whaling a cease-fire is called once the number of whales that can be processed within a given time is reached. This example demonstrates that the phrase “don’t take more than what is needed” is not based on arbitrary numbers and is aligned with conservation, respect, and socio-ecological beliefs. This management practice is used in the collection of all food sources and must consider not only how many people are required and available for the processing and storing of food but also the environmental conditions required for these steps. This presentation will provide an overview of an Inuit led project that defines Alaskan Inuit food security and provides a conceptual framework of food security, while proposing a paradigm shift in conservation measures that understand and support conservation through use and the inclusion of Inuit and Indigenous Knowledge in management.

Reconciliating conservation and sustainable harvest

Geneviève Desportes, NAMMCO

Population of particularly walrus, but also narwhals and belugas, were heavily exploited late in the 19th century and during the first half of the 20th century. Catches in the Arctic, as in other areas, were not well documented, but resulted by the mid 20th century in depleted populations in nearly all areas, some down to the 10th of their abundance at the turn of the century, and still declining. Geographical ranges, especially that of walruses, had shrunk substantially. Following advice from NAMMCO, Greenland introduced quotas for walrus, narwhal and beluga in the period 2004-2008. Today increasing stocks of these three species off Greenland are clear result examples of sound and science-based management which can reverse negative tendencies in population trends – in turns allowing the precautious increase of removal quotas. NAMMCO continue to regularly assess the stocks of these species and provide management advice. The cooperation of Greenland and Canada in the management of narwhal and beluga, through the Joint Commission of Narwhal and Beluga (JCNB) and NAMMCO is in line with the ABA policy recommendation of developing pan-Arctic conservation and management plans for shared species that are harvested. The continuity of Arctic marine mammal stocks as provisioning ecosystem services is not solely dependent on the sound management of whaling and sealing activities. The impacts of other human activities must be integrated in the management advice process, which, in the framework of a changing climate, needs to integrate a predictive dimension. It must attempt to foresee how all human activities and their impacts may develop over time and affect both directly and indirectly marine mammal populations.

A participatory approach to reducing the poaching of Bewick’s swans in the Russian Arctic

J. L Newth1,2, A. Belousova3, P. Glazov4, S. Uvarov5, S. Kanyukov5, G. Mikhailova6,7, A. Chistiakov6, I. Semenov6, R.A. McDonald2, A. Nuno2, S. Bearhop2, S. Dench1 R. L. Cromie1, K. A Wood1 & E. C. Rees1. 1 Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, Slimbridge, Gloucestershire, GL2 7BT, UK 2 Centre for Ecology and Conservation/ Environment and Sustainability Institute, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, TR10 9EZ, UK 3 All-Russian Research Institute for Environmental Protection, 117628, Russia, Moscow, 36 km MCAD, dmvl. 1, str. 4. 4 Institute of Geography, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119017, Staromonetniy pereulok 29, Moscow, Russia 5 WWF, Nar’Yan-Mar, Russia

The Russian Arctic hosts the entire population of the endangered Northwest European Bewick’s swan every summer. The species is legally protected from hunting under legislation throughout its migratory range, yet illegal shooting remains a threat. International co-operation has culminated in efforts to reduce their hunting, an action identified as a high priority in the Bewick’s Swan Single Species Action Plan adopted by the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement. In the Russian Arctic, multi-disciplinary and participatory approaches have been used to evidence and understand the issue and plan activities to reduce the poaching of Bewick’s swans and other protected waterbirds. Motivations for hunting, individual hunting behaviour, attitudes towards swans and activities to reduce illegal hunting have been identified through dialogue and surveys with local communities in the Nenets Autonomous Okrug and Arkhangelsk Oblast. In a survey of 236 hunters, 91% believed that it was important to maintain Bewick’s swans in the arctic landscape for future generations. Perceived motivations for hunting Bewick’s swans included a lack of enforcement of protective laws, food, sport, their arrival in the spring coinciding with the open hunting season, a perception that numbers are increasing/too high, a perception that they have a negative impact on other breeding waterbirds and a lack of awareness that they are protected (18% of hunters were unaware of their legal protection). Only 14% (n=232) of hunters could visually distinguish Bewick’s swans from two other swan species that reside in the region, both of which are afforded weaker legal protections. Additionally, concerns were raised about the perceived negative impact of hunting tourism on protected species. A range of stakeholders have contributed to the planning of activities to reduce poaching including conservation organisations, indigenous associations, regional government bodies, tourism agencies, educators and local museums. Plans include guides which will help hunters to identify protected and huntable species, educational resources so that young people can learn about migratory waterbirds and wetlands, a travelling swan art exhibition which will be taken to remote villages and an international hunter exchange programme so that knowledge and experiences of best hunting practices can be shared. A regional working group will be established to take forward these activities. This work falls within key recommendations outlined in the ABA, namely, addressing individual stressors on biodiversity and improving knowledge and public awareness. It fulfils the following Congress goal: to advise CAFF on national and international implementation of the ABA policy recommendations.

Salmon and salmon-dependent people in Alaska: Highlights of an interdisciplinary research initiative

Peter Westley, University of Alaska Fairbanks

Alaska is exceptional in that the complex factors that comprise the wild salmon system are currently intact. In contrast to Pacific and Atlantic salmon across most of their ranges, salmon and their ecosystems of Alaska appear to be sustainable, largely due to a long tradition of community stewardship and a science-based management system. However, the sustainability of the Alaska salmon system also rests on the long-term maintenance of the connection of people to salmon, which is currently threatened by issues of permit access, greying of the fleets, and other social shifts. Additionally, the biophysical system of Alaska in not exceptional in challenges to the species’ long-term viability given the uncertainty of rapidly warming climates, ocean changes, global market forces, habitat alteration and disconnection, selective fishing, declining research and management budgets and rapidly growing human populations and development. In this presentation I highlight results of The State of Alaska Salmon and People (SASAP) project, an innovative knowledge synthesis initiative designed to assess the current status of the Alaska Salmon System, empower stakeholders by providing ready access to information, and ultimately to shape the future of management of Alaska’s wild salmon. The SASAP project specifically sought to: • integrate knowledge across disciplines and agencies, between cultures and users, and across regions and by doing so provide a holistic view of the complex and dynamic salmon-people system; and • create new institutional capacity for interdisciplinary salmon knowledge generation and to establish a shared and credible baseline for integrated knowledge that can be built on over time. The SASAP process was supported by a novel data science and synthesis partnership between the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS) at the University of California, Santa Barbara and more than 100 knowledge experts, including scientists and educators from academic, community, tribal and indigenous partners, and government organizations throughout Alaska and the United States.

How aboriginal hunting in the Northeast of the Russian Arctic influences migratory waterbird population?

Konstantin Klokov, Saint-Petersburg State University; Evgeny Syroechkovskiy, Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology

 The assessment of the hunt impact on migratory bird populations is necessary for the development of effective conservation strategy and sustainable use of resources. The results of the survey conducted in northern Yakutia and Chukotka (Syroechkovski and Klokov, 2010) showed a very high importance of the traditional hunting for the indigenous population in Russian Arctic. Birds, especially, geese, ducks and eiders still remain an important source of food for indigenous families in hundreds of villages on the North and East of Russia. Birds are perceived by indigenous families first of all as foodstuff. Waterfowl is harvested mainly in the spring time. The amount of harvested birds depends mainly on the geographical location of villages with regard to migratory ways of geese, ducks and eiders. In several indigenous villages situated on the migratory ways average hunting bag is about 100 birds for year. Eggs gathering is important only for a few indigenous communities. Compared with hunting in the countries of South-East Asia hunting on migratory birds in the North and East of Russia has only a small negative impact on the populations of threatened species. However, due to the absence of the monitoring and the lack of accurate information this influence cannot be completely excluded. Thus, significant number of Emperor geese are harvested in some areas in Chukotka as well as Whimbrel and other big waders including Godwith and Far Eastern Curlew are harvested in Kamchatka region. The hunting management in the Russian Arctic North is inefficient. The control is weak. The local population often do not respect to the hunting rules. The official Hunting Regulations do not correspond to local conditions. Virtually, all hunting in the North is made in violation of the existing rules. The government hunting regulation has been actually replaced by traditional approach. Results of the study of hunting management experience in Russia show that the motivation of the local population to hunt depend mainly on the economic conditions. Enforcement methods of management are not enough effective in Arctic area with sparse population. A dialogue with hunters on the base of "comanagement" approach is difficult for two main reasons: the lack of trust of the majority of hunters to the governing bodies and the absence of local organization of hunters. To implement the recommendations for migratory bird conservation there is a need for economic survey and social diagnostics to determine different resource user groups interests and motivation.