A R C T I C I N T E G R A T E D E C O S Y S T E M R E S E A R C H P R O G R A M
Pink salmon are becoming more common as summer sea temperatures warm Higher numbers of pink salmon in the northern Bering Sea are contributing to higher numbers of adult pink salmon straying into coastal areas of the Chukchi and Beaufort seas. Some seabird species moved northwards in 2017-2019 when water temperatures were warmer Recent loss of sea ice and warmer ocean tempera- tures could impact seabirds directly (due to lack of prey or lower quality prey) and indirectly (if low-quality zooplankton reduces forage fish avail- ability). During the warm years of 2017-2019, some seabird species shifted northward from the northern Bering Sea into the Chukchi Sea (e.g., thick-billed murres and short-tailed shearwaters). Others, such as the least and crested auklets, that eat zooplankton, remained in the northern Bering Sea following failed breeding seasons in those years. A few species (e.g., common murre) continued to decline in abundance, which began around 2014. Murres and auklets, used by subsistence communi- ties, experienced unusual reproductive failure during warm years, particularly 2018 and 2019. The observed shifts in seabird distribution, along with low seabird reproductive success, may affect subsistence harvesters of seabird eggs and adults.
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