ACCESS NUMBER: Under M19AC00008

STUDY TITLE: Life Without Ice: Climate Change and the Subsistence Communities of St. Lawrence Island

REPORT TITLE: Graduate Student Projects -Volume 4: Life Without Ice: Climate Change and the

Subsistence Communities of St. Lawrence Island

OCS STUDY NUMBER: BOEM 2020-063

CONTRACT NUMBER: Under M19AC00008

COMPLETION DATE OF REPORT: September 2020 

SPONSORING OCS REGION: Alaska 

APPLICABLE PLANNING AREA: Bering Sea 

FISCAL YEARS OF PROJECT FUNDING: 2019-2020 

COSTS BY FISCAL YEAR: $25,000.00 

CUMULATIVE PROJECT COSTS: $25,000.00 

COMPLETION DATE OF REPORT: September 2020 

PROJECT MANAGER: Jenell Larsen Tempel 

AFFILIATION: University of Alaska Fairbanks 

ADDRESS: 17101 Point Lena Loop Rd, Juneau, Alaska 99801 

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Jenell Larsen Tempel 

KEYWORDS: Subsistence, climate change, St. Lawrence Island, sea ice 

BACKGROUND: The eastern Bering Sea supports some of the greatest benthic biomass densities in the 

world (Grebmeier et al. 2006). This rich benthos underpins large commercial fisheries and a food web 

that supports approximately 33 crab species (Byersdorfer & Watson 2010), 34 avifaunal bird species that 

nest along the Bering Strait coastline and islands (Drury 1980), and nearly 30 marine mammal species 

that reside in the Bering Sea seasonally or year-round (Ray et al. 2014). St. Lawrence Island (SLI), the 

largest island in the Bering Sea, is home to Gambell and Savoonga, two of the largest villages in the 

Bering Strait region, each with approximately 700 people (Figure 1). The majority of SLI residents 

(Gambell 95.6%; Savoonga 94.5%) are of Alaska Native descent (2010 U.S. Census). Inhabitants of SLI 

are Siberian Yupik (Yupik), and they rely heavily on marine resources as part of their daily dietary needs 

(Ahmasuk et al. 2008), cultural identity, and social cohesion. The Bering Strait region is undergoing rapid 

environmental change linked to the loss of sea ice, impacting the ability of Alaska Native communities to 

harvest ice-associated marine species.

OBJECTIVES: The goal of this research was to document local truths on SLI, rather than reflecting trends 

across the Bering Strait region, about marine harvested subsistence foods and attitudes towards gas and 

oil development. In response to identified research gaps, a qualitative research approach was conducted 

in 2019 on SLI to determine the following objectives: 1) the key marine resources for SLI communities, 

2) changes over time in key marine resource harvests and use, 3) community responses to ecosystem 

change, 4) perceptions about the future of the subsistence way of life in these communities, and 5) 

community opinions about oil and gas development in the region. 

DESCRIPTION: The fieldwork for this project was carried out in the communities of Gambell and 

Savoonga on St. Lawrence Island (Figure 1) for three weeks in April and May 2019 using the techniques 

of Rapid Qualitative Inquiry (RQI) (Beebe 2014). A total of 24 stakeholders from SLI participated in 

ethnographic discussions that were transcribed and uploaded into MAXQDA software to code themes.

STUDY RESULTS: The four most discussed marine resources were Pacific walruses (Odobenus rosmarus 

divergens), seals, crabs, and fish. The most significant resource changes identified by stakeholders 

included decreased walrus harvests and limited access with increased hunting effort; increased 

abundance of Hanasaki crab (Paralithodes brevipes; also known as spiny king crab); limited crab harvests 

due to lack of shorefast ice; and increased abundance of walleye pollock (Gadus chalcogrammus) and 

Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus). Oil/gas development was the most concerning human activity in the 
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region. Two-thirds of stakeholders stated that they would not support oil/gas development near SLI due 

to the impacts it would have on marine animals either via disturbance or contamination. SLI residents 

utilize all edible marine flora and fauna and, at times, eat less preferred prey items. Lastly, most

stakeholders who addressed the future of subsistence felt that future generations would be harvesting 

and eating fewer subsistence resources. 

SIGNIFICANT CONCLUSIONS:

• SLI hunters are concerned about walrus and seal calf/pup drowning mortalities due to sea ice loss 

and seal pup mortality from crushing by fragmented sea ice. 

• Some SLI hunters are traveling farther (80-100 miles) to access walrus, resulting in increased risks to 

human safety.

• Hunters are adapting to change by employing a more opportunistic hunting style, including hunting 

walrus at night.

• Community members are increasing their food security by consuming deceased, beachcast cetacean 

species that they are not allowed to hunt. This study provided the first documentation of this harvesting 

strategy on SLI.

• Blue king crab and Hanasaki crab are undervalued key resources that require further scientific study 

to document species abundance and distribution around SLI.

• Changes in commercial fish stocks may lead to increased commercial fishing pressure around SLI. 

Residents expressed concerns about the impacts this may have on local subsistence fish, crabs, and 

marine mammal abundances.

• Most stakeholders were not supportive of oil and gas development near SLI in the Bering Strait due 

to concerns about oils spill contaminating food resources and operations causing disturbance and 

dispersal of hunted marine mammals. 

STUDY PRODUCTS:

Final Report: Life Without Ice: Climate Change and the Subsistence Communities of St. Lawrence Island

CMI Annual Research Review 2020, Oral presentation

MAP OF STUDY AREA:

Figure 1. Study sites on St. Lawrence Island, Alaska.
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REFERENCES:

Ahmasuk A, Trigg EW, Magdanz JS, Robbins B. 2008. Bering Strait regional local and traditional 

knowledge pilot project: a comprehensive subsistence use study of the Bering Strait region. 

North Pacific Research Board Project Final Report. Project #643. 336 p

Beebe J. 2014. Rapid Qualitative Inquiry: a field guide to team-based assessment. Rowman & Littlefield. 

London, UK 258 p

Byersdorfer SC, Watson LJ. 2010. Field guide to common marine fishes and invertebrates of Alaska. 

Alaska Sea Grant College Program, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, Alaska. 342 p

Drury W. 1980. Ecology of seabirds in the Bering Strait region. Technical Summary, BOEM study reports,

and documents. Obligation No: 17-12-0001-29182 RU-237. 3 p

FAO. 2018. The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2018 - Meeting the sustainable development 

goals. Rome. Available from: http://www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/I9540EN

Grebmeier JM, Overland JE, Moore SE, Farley EV, Carmack EC, Cooper LW, Frey KE, Helle JH, McLaughlin 

FA, McNutt SL. 2006. A major ecosystem shift in the Bering Sea. Science 311: 1461-1464 

Ray CG, Hufford GL, Loughlin TR, Krupnik I. 2014. Bering Sea seals and walruses: responses to 

environmental change. In: Ray CG, McCormick-Ray J (eds) Marine Conservation: Science Policy, 

and Management p 171-198