New Tools Help Alaska Communities Prepare for Future Changes in Pacific Cod Distributions

Pacific cod fishing communities with few alternative job opportunities and high unemployment are more vulnerable when Pacific cod are less accessible. This is especially true for communities in the southeastern Bering Sea.

Scientists conducted a new socio-economic risk assessment, combined with statistical modeling, on the risk of coastal Alaskan fishing communities to changes in Pacific cod distributions. Their insights may help these communities prepare and adapt to these changes.

Fishing is central to life in Alaska. North Pacific fisheries, including Pacific cod, support local, state, and national economies. They strengthen cultural ties and food security in coastal communities. The economic and social benefits derived from Alaskan fisheries are deeply connected to the resilience of fishing communities facing changing environmental conditions.

Alaska’s commercial fisheries account for roughly 60 percent of the U.S. seafood harvest, and supply seafood to the United States and the globe. They also provide employment for one in seven Alaskan residents.

To read more, please visit NOAA.