# Presentation: 124151

## Alaska Region MarineResearch Planning

- A partnership with state and federal resource agencies and coastal stakeholders to develop and prioritize research needed to sustainably manage Alaska's marine, coastal, and estuarine resources

**Brian Allee, Ph.D.**
**Director, Alaska Sea Grant**

## Background 

- 34,000 miles of coastline, twice the rest of U.S.
- Bering Sea
- Gulf of Alaska
- Chukchi Sea
- Beaufort Sea
- Western Arctic Ocean

## Resource Rich Ecosystems

- Seafood, oil, gas, transportation routes, tourism, breathtaking scenery.
- 50 percent of the nation’s domestic seafood harvest, $1.3 billion/year.
- Eight of nation’s top 20 seafood ports in value. Dutch Harbor in the Aleutians is number two, behind New Bedford, Mass. Dutch Harbor is number one in volume, with 887 million pounds delivered.
- 17 cetaceans including bowhead, humpback, gray whales, highly endangered northern right whale.
- Marine mammals including polar bears, Steller sea lions,  fur seals, sea otters.
- 14 percent of daily U.S. oil production. Vast untapped reserves believed to exist offshore and in coastal margin.

## Vibrant Native Culture

- 15 percent of Alaska population (98,000)
- North/Northwest: Inupiaq/Yupik Eskimo
- Aleutian Islands/Alaska Peninsula: Aleut-Alutiiq-Unangan Eskimo
- Southwest: Yup’ik/Cup’ik Eskimo
- Southeast: Tlingit-Haida-Tsimshian Indian

## Mission Statement

- Connect coastal stakeholders with state and federal resource agencies in a partnership to develop and prioritize research that contributes to sustainable management of Alaska's marine, coastal, and estuarine resources.

## Goal

- Assist Alaska resource agencies in their development of a statewide comprehensive marine research plan through stakeholder involvement.

## BUT. . .

- Alaska is too big, its marine waters too vast and diverse, and resource use far too complex for one marine research plan. One size does notfit all.

## Strategy

- Plan by region, beginning with the Aleutian Islands archipelago.
- NPFMC Aleutian Fisheries Management Plan
- Alaska Marine Ecosystem Forum

## Completed Work

- I.)	Established Steering Group
- II.)	Briefed key agency officials
- III.)	Finalized approach basis
- IV.)	Began assembling, reviewing current research plans
- V.)	Initiated Web site construction/ database management

## I. Steering Group as of November 2006

- Douglas DeMaster, NOAA Fisheries
- Stephanie Madsen, Chair, North Pacific Fishery Management Council
- Kurt Frederickson, Commissioner, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation
- Denis Wiesenburg, Dean, UAF School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences
- Keith Criddle, Ted Stevens Distinguished Professor of Marine Policy, UAF
- Brian Allee, Director, Alaska Sea Grant
- Heather Brandon, Ocean Policy Coordinator, Governor’s Office

## II. Agencies Briefed

- Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation
- Alaska Department of Fish and Game
- Alaska Department of Natural Resources
- Alaska Governor’s Office
- Alaska Marine Ecosystem Forum
- NOAA Fisheries
- North Pacific Fishery Management Council
- North Pacific Research Board
- University of Alaska

## III. Approach Finalized

- Research serving management critical needs
- Allows for highly focused research on a broad range of topics.
- Enables the project to meet state and federal mandates of conducting research that leads to enhanced stewardship and sustainability of marine resources.
- Provides opportunities for meaningful stakeholder input.

## IV. Assemble/Review Current Statewide Marine Research Plans

- Gather, summarize, and incorporate marine research plans into user-friendly Internet database accessible to public. Will include all state, federal, local government, and NGO research plans covering marine issues across the state. Database allows new plans and updated plans to be added as needed.

## V. Web Site Construction

- Critical link between project and public
- Contain public-access database of statewide marine research plans
- Platform for virtual town meetings
- Online forum for public comment, exchanging views on research issues
- Blog spot for investigators to communicate with public

## Near-Term Work

- Gain support of new state officials, new NPFMC leadership
- Follow-up meetings with Alaska Marine Ecosystem Forum, NPFMC
- Encourage retention of state ocean policy advisor
- Recruit new members to Steering Group to replace
- Stephanie Madsen, NPFMC
- Kurt Frederickson, DEC
- Hold virtual and real meetings in Aleutian communities
- Finish Web site construction
- Post research plan database online

## Hurdles

- State leadership changes
- NPFMC leadership changes
- Elimination of Ocean Policy Advisor