The Northern Climate Observer

The Northern
Climate Observer

Where are the tomcods? Saffron cod are a small coastal fish with a dark back and silver belly. They are commonly found in shallow waters and tidal areas all around the North Pacific. In coastal Alaska, they are an important subsistence resource and favorite during fall and early winter ice fishing. To catch tomcod, you cut a hole through the ice, drop in your hook and "jig" the line up and down, or you can use a dip net. Tomcods are usually eaten raw or frozen and dipped in seal oil. In the village of Chevak the conditions in early November looked perfect for fishing, with cold temperatures and good ice. But as reported by Cynthia Paniyak, the tomcods were nowhere to be found. "Last year was slow too, but, this year is worse than that. Hooper Bay did not get any either." Upon publishing Chythia's observation, other posts from the Yukon and Kuskowkim followed - Chefornak on November 19th and then Kongiginak (see attached) on November 30th. A regional harvest failure, coming on the heels of the worst salmon season in history. According to Sea Grant Marine Advisory Agent, Gay Sheffield, the community findings may be aligning with NOAAs net tow survey data. An 88% decline was reported in the biomass of saffron cod from 2020 to 2021. So, where are the tomcods? It may fall upon local fishers like Cynthia Paniyak to answer this question. You can read these local fisher observations, and stories about environmental change in Canada, Russian and Norway. Special thank you to Vigdis Johnson for sharing the interesting articles from Norway. Mike Brubaker, Editor

	Where are the tomcods (Eleginus gracilis)? Kongiganak Kongiganak, Alaska, United States Tracy Lewis, Janelle Kinegak, Cynthia Paniyak and Gay Sheffield / LEO Network / November 30, 2021 The tomcod harvests in the Kongiganak, Cavuuneq and Ilkivik Rivers have been a failure. Also in other areas, based on observations from Chevak and Chefornak. Both the surface and bottom trawl results show a clear decline in tomcod biomass in the North Bering Sea. Read post on the LEO Network
	This November's sea ice extent in the northern Bering is the best in years Nome, Alaska, United States Davis Hovey / Alaska Public Media / November 22, 2021 Current sea ice extent in Northern Alaska waters is the highest it’s been since November 2001. Read article on Alaska Public Media
	Alaska sees early cold snap, and it's not going away anytime soon Homer, Alaska, United States Casey Grove / Alaska Public Media / November 23, 2021 It's cold. And those frigid temperatures aren't going away anytime soon. The cold has set in across most of Alaska and set daily record lows in places like Homer, King Salmon and Bethel. It's relatively early to be seeing such cold. Read article on Alaska Public Media
	Ice-locked Russian Arctic towns might not get needed supplies Arkhangel’sk, Arkhangelskaya, Russia Atle Staalesen / ArcticToday / November 24, 2021 Quickly accumulating sea ice along the Northern Sea Route is creating a potentially critical situation along Russia’s east Arctic coast. For several weeks, a number of ships have been trapped in thick sea ice. Several ships have also been waiting to sail into the area. Read article on ArcticToday
	'It was terrifying': Rain and wind storm's impact felt across southern B.C. Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada vancouversun / November 14, 2021 Since 7 a.m. on Monday, crews in Vancouver responded to reports of flooding in 46 locations. Average annual cost of property damage or losses due to severe weather has increased from about $400 million before 2009 to about $2 billion annually in the last few years. Read article on vancouversun
	Heavy losses for forest owners in Hedalen in the Inland Empire after the storm Hedalen, Sør-Aurdal, Norway Haakon Nesse Moreau, Mette Vollan, Even Lusæter, Marte Iren Noreng Trøen, Lars Erik Skrefsrud / NRK / November 19, 2021 Anders Berg Stensrud (30) faces an uncertain future. The losses after the storm blew down large forest areas could amount to several hundred million kroner. Read article on NRK
	Later Snowfalls are Causing Challenges for Winter Sports Lillehammer, Oppland, Norway Carter Brubaker / LEO Network / November 17, 2021 The first event in Lillehammer is in early December, and despite being able to easily prep the hills in the past, Lillehammer athletes must now rely on snow shipped from other parts of Norway. Read post on the LEO Network
	25-30 reindeer drowned in the river today Heammogietti, Kautokeino, Troms og Finnmark fylke, Norway NRK / NRK / November 8, 2021 25-30 reindeer drowned in the Kautokeino River today after a herd of reindeer passed through the ice. The accident happened when the herd of reindeer was crossing the fragile ice on the river. This is the third similar incident in the area in a couple of weeks. Yesterday, three reindeer went through the ice. They were all rescued alive. This article is also available in the Sami language at this link. Read article on NRK
	Harmful algae colours the Oslo fjord green Oslofjord, Oslo, Norway Lea Girolami Bråthen, Dag Aasdalen, Maren Nan Myrseth / NRK / November 18, 2021 Scientists now say that the harmful alga will survive the winter and that it will probably turn green in the Oslo fjord next year as well. Read article on NRK
	Decrease in Prawn Abundance of Desolation Sound Powell River, British Columbia, Canada Conlan Magel and Tom Okey / LEO Network / September 3, 2021 It is apparent that this area of coastline has experienced a sharp decline in its prawn populations. This may be due to increased fishing pressure from commercial prawn fishermen. Read post on the LEO Network
	Back-to-back storms bring screaming winds to Nome and region Nome, Alaska, United States Diana Haecker / The Nome Nugget / December 5, 2021 Back-to-back winter storms hit Nome and the region with very strong, screaming winds and accompanying blowing snow. While the first storm on Friday seemed just like a warm up, the second storm hit the region with very strong winds that knocked out power in Wales, ripped buildings apart in Golovin and brought water levels up 6.73 feet over normal. The high winds also pushed away ice cover. Read article on The Nome Nugget

The Northern Climate Observer is published by the Center for Climate and Health. We track news coverage from across the circumpolar north and provide readers with a curated roundup of climate change related events. Thank you for reading our newsletter and for paying attention to our changing world.

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Northern Climate Observer

The Northern Climate Observer is published weekly by the Center for Climate and Health. We track news from across the circumpolar north and provide readers with a curated roundup of climate change related events.

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Northern Climate Observer

The Northern
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