The Northern Climate Observer

The Northern
Climate Observer

Strange Days for Salmon It has been quite a month for salmon across the north. CBC reported from the Yukon River where chinook and chum salmon returns were the second and fifth smallest on record. Harvest closures were implemented on both sides of the border. The Chair of the Yukon Salmon Sub-Committee expressed concern about extinction if the situation continues. There were also harvest closures this summer in Russia. The Chukotka News reported a temporary closure (August) because of poor returns of sockeye, chum salmon, and pink salmon. While these harvest failures were occurring, new evidence of salmon range expansion was being reported further north. Alaska Public Media reported how UAF biologists surveying the Colville River counted approximately 100 chum salmon in two separate tributaries. In Iceland, news reports described the increasing abundance of pink salmon, an invasive species there and in Europe. Also this week, Iceland Review reported on a sea lice outbreak at a salmon farm in Tálknafjörður. Authorities are investigating wild salmon as a possible source. The outbreak was unprecedented, with no prior record of sea lice ever spreading so rapidly. Over a million farmed salmon had to be destroyed. M. Brubaker, Editor

	Another 'pretty abysmal' year for Yukon River chinook and fall chum salmon Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada CBC / November 5, 2023 A minimum of 42,500 chinook are supposed to get to their Canadian spawning waters to meet conservation goals. Only 15,300 of those fish made it to Eagle, near the Yukon border. Read article on CBC
	A temporary ban on salmon fishing was introduced in Chukotka Anadyr, Chukotskiy Avtonomnyy Okrug, Russia Prochukotku.ru / August 3, 2023 A temporary ban on all salmon fishing has been implemented in Chukotka, Russia due to declining salmon populations. Read article on Prochukotku.ru
	Scientists observe chum salmon spawning in North Slope rivers Colville River, Alaska, United States Dan Bross, KUAC - Fairbanks / Alaska Public Media / October 10, 2023 Scientists from the University of Alaska Fairbanks have observed an increase in chum salmon spawning in North Slope rivers, potentially indicating a shift in their population and a signal of climate change. Elizabeth Lindley, a Ph.D. student working on the project, says that while evidence of spawning in a new region may be a positive for salmon, the impact on important subsistence resources including Arctic char and Dolly Varden is uncertain. Read article on Alaska Public Media
	Pink salmon are thriving in warmer waters, affecting other species, scientists say North Pacific Ocean Angela Denning, CoastAlaska / Alaska Public Media / November 3, 2023 The increase in pink salmon population in warmer waters is negatively impacting the food chain and causing a decline in other species in the North Pacific Ocean, according to a new study. Read article on Alaska Public Media
	Sea Lice Outbreak Claims At Least 1 Million Salmon in Tálknafjörður Talknafjordur, Westfjords, Iceland Ragnar Tómas / Iceland Review / November 2, 2023 An unprecedented outbreak of sea lice in Tálknafjörður has led to the loss, or the need to dispose of, at least one million salmon. “Nobody has seen anything like this before. There is a Norwegian veterinarian who has been working in Iceland because of this and he has never seen anything like this in his 30-year career,” Karl Steinar observed. Read article on Iceland Review
	Expert Proposes Ban on Hunting Puffins South Iceland Jelena Ćirić / Iceland Review / October 26, 2023 If puffin hunting is banned, that population is expected to decrease by over 10% over the next decade. If hunting continues to be permitted, however, the population is expected to decrease by 30% or even as much as 50% within that same period. Read article on Iceland Review
	N.W.T. coastal communities walloped by weekend storm Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories, Canada CBC / October 23, 2023 Coastal communities in the Northwest Territories of Canada were hit by a weekend storm, causing high winds and massive waves that led residents to scramble to save boats and cabins from being washed away. Read article on CBC
	Extreme flooding on Alaska’s Arctic highway caused thaw-induced sinking in later years Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, United States Yereth Rosen, Alaska Beacon / Alaska Public Media / October 31, 2023 Extreme flooding on Alaska's Arctic highway in 2015 caused thaw-induced sinking in the permafrost terrain up to 3 inches deep, with the most significant effects occurring in ice-rich areas, according to a newly published study. Read article on Alaska Public Media
	Flood water rise to orange danger warning after rains Skien, Telemark, Norway André Rajan Kolve / NRK / November 3, 2023 Flood waters rise to orange danger warning after heavy rains, causing evacuations, road closures, and power outages in parts of Agder, Vestfold, and Telemark. Read article on NRK
	Alaskans drawn to alpine lakes for ‘once-in-a-decade’ ice skating conditions Rabbit Lake, Alaska Anchorage Daily News / November 1, 2023 Alaskans are taking advantage of rare ice skating conditions on alpine lakes in Chugach State Park, with hundreds of people hiking into the backcountry to skate on smooth ice in the shadow of iconic peaks. Read article on Anchorage Daily News

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
Climate Observer