Wales lost shorefast ice early in the season. Ice along the shore has been crushed and broken. This is a very unusual event for Wales as many of our hunters rely on great ice conditions for whale and other sea mammal catch for food.

In some regions, this was the first time in 37 years of water surveys that there was no cold pool.

Recent storms have destroyed the progress made in ice formation endangering coastal habitats and fishing practices.

Very strong south winds took out all the sea ice and created an ice pile in front of the village.

Warm ocean temperatures are keeping ice thin, which become easily moved by the wind. This ice movement separates commercial and subsistence crabbers from their gear, and have led to the loss of both crabbing and mining gear.

Ice seals thought to be most affected by the disappearance of arctic sea ice seem to be doing well, according to data presented at the Alaska Marine Science Symposium last week. The two species of ice seals that were declared “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act are, so far, doing well with less sea ice. …

Leads appeared following a warm storm, in areas with usually stable, shorefast ice. The leads separate many crabbers from their pots, and are illustrative of how Norton Sound's recent erratic sea ice patterns are altering subsistence opportunities and patterns.