Arctic | Humans Building a dynamic sea traffic management system to promote safe shipping in the Arctic Presenter: Alexis Will , alexis.will@wwfus.org, World Wildlife Fund, U.S. Arctic Program
Aaron Poe , apoe@alaskaconservation.org, Alaska Conservation Foundation Andrew Hartsig , ahartsig@oceanconservancy.org, Ocean Conservancy Martin Robards , mrobards@wcs.org, Wildlife Conservation Society Opik Ahkinga , dio.env103@yahoo.com, Native Village of Diomede Steve MacLean , steve.maclean@wwfus.org, World Wildlife Fund, U.S. Arctic Program Inga Banshchikova , inga.banshchikova@wwfus.org, World Wildlife Fund, U.S. Arctic Program Jill Prewitt , prewitt@aoos.org, Alaska Ocean Observing System Jen Dillon , jendillon@mxak.org, Marine Exchange of Alaska Darcy Peters , dpeter@alaskaconcervation.org, Alaska Conservation Foundation Ed Page , edpage@mxak.org, Marine Exchange of Alaska Steve White , stevewhite@mxak.org, Marine Exchange of Alaska
Vessel transits through the Bering Strait region have doubled in the last decade. Ship traffic is expected to increase as the open water season expands, new ice breakers are built, and resource development accelerates in the Arctic. At the same time, Chukchi, Iñupiaq, Yup’ik, and St. Lawrence Island Yupik communities in the Bering Strait region rely on the ocean for food, cultural continuity, community well-being and economic needs. The Bering Strait region is also a biodiversity hotspot, serving as a migratory corridor, as well as staging, wintering, and summer foraging grounds for marine birds, whales, walrus, seals, and fish. The Marine Exchange of Alaska has the technological expertise to build a dynamic, real- time voluntary sea traffic management system to aid safe and environmentally sound maritime operations in the Arctic. To address the diverse needs of this international waterway a living user’s guide will be developed with the input of Arctic communities and other maritime stakeholders. This document will guide vessel management which will be actively conducted by an Arctic Watch Center, a 24-hour, state-of-the-art operations center where maritime professionals use a system of cutting-edge sensor technologies to receive and transmit information outlined in the user’s guide. In the Bering Strait we have the unique opportunity to start building this system with stakeholders and communities that will orchestrate maritime activities in the Bering Strait, disseminate current environmental information, prevent disasters, facilitate timely responses to casualties, protect Indigenous food security, and safeguard wildlife habitat. A critical component of this system is the contribution of real-time information. We present the vision for this management system to the marine research community to seek potential partnerships, collaborations, and recommendations that will help make this work a success.
Alaska Marine Science Symposium 2023 297
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