Transboundary Arctic Issues at Stake

Fisheries Management

As a result of rising sea and air temperatures and declining sea ice coverage, profound changes are underway in the distribution and behavior of many Arctic species, including some commercially valued fish and marine invertebrates. 

Many Western nations are connected to Russia by virtue of shared wildlife populations and fish stocks. The Arctic is home to two of the largest whitefish fisheries in the world, both of which are transboundary stocks that require co-management with Russia: the Barents Sea cod fishery (shared by Norway and Russia) and the Bering Sea walleye pollock fishery (shared by the United States and Russia). Given the tremendous economic value of these fisheries, it is in the interest of both Russia and its neighboring countries to work together to monitor the impacts of climate change and implement management measures that will ensure a sustainable harvest.

In the Bering Sea, the United States and Russia have cooperated for thirty years by sharing information about shared fish stocks, including pollock. The challenges of managing the pollock fishery, valued at billions of dollars annually, are daunting. A 2020 study by American and Russian scientists demonstrated that warming temperatures have led to significant shifts in Alaska pollock distribution patterns. Altered wind patterns and ocean currents, combined with the sporadic loss of the so-called “cold pool” which serves as a barrier to movement for some species, means Alaska pollock are migrating northward and mixing with Russian stocks. Understanding the implications of this phenomenon would require joint research on both sides of the Bering Sea maritime boundary, but such an initiative is currently impossible due to the disruption in communication and diplomatic relations between the United States and Russia.

In the Barents Sea, since the mid-twentieth century, commercial fishing patterns have undergone significant changes and transitioned from small-scale coastal operations to large-scale offshore fisheries. This shift has notably impacted fish stocks, leading to a decline in species such as Norwegian spring-spawning herring, the capelin, and northeast Arctic cod – potentially the world’s largest cod stock. Currently Norway and Russia are maintaining their joint management approach to the Barents Sea cod population, through a bilateral fisheries commission established in the 1970s.

The 2018 Central Arctic Ocean Fisheries Agreement remains an active forum for communication between Western and Russian fisheries scientists. The agreement focuses on the high seas portion of the Arctic Ocean, establishing a research plan to understand the ecosystem in advance of opening the area to commercial fishing. Parties to the agreement are Canada, Denmark, Norway, Russia, Iceland, and the United States, as well as China, Japan, South Korea, and the European Union. Through this instrument,  these nations have agreed to observe a moratorium on fishing in the region until sufficient scientific data is available to support sustainable fisheries management. Such a decision is a hallmark of the precautionary approach to management and a rarity in the history of environmental legislation. Despite the war in Ukraine, all parties are continuing to meet in person, a positive example of international cooperation in the increasingly tense geopolitics of the Arctic.