The Northern Climate Observer

The Northern
Climate Observer

Mussels and Cockles: On a sunny June morning, there is no place I would rather be than walking low tide along Kasitsna Bay with the sun on my back and a bucket in my hand. This time of year the tides are extreme, as much as -4 feet on the low side and +20 on the high. As reliable as the tides has been the bounty of food we gather in the pools and tidal flats. On the outer beach the rocks are crowded with barnacles, oval chitons we call 'bidarkis', and delicious blue mussels stacked like seabirds in a rookery. On the inner beach, the flats are a carpet of slipper kelp and sea grass. It smells of salt, tidal mud and things decomposing, especially when you pull a foot out of the muck. There are wonderful sounds. The clicking of shells, running streams, the song of a warbler, the lolling of sea gulls and the high piercing call of bald eagles. The most amazing sight is the water show, a fusillade of tiny geysers as hundreds of butter clams, cockles and little necks squirt water into the air.

Today, these amazing sights, sounds, and smells I describe largely from memory. The outer rocks are increasingly absent of mussels, and the tide flats hold few clams. There were no squirts of water today. The symphony of the low tide has gone silent. But maybe it can come back.

Across Kachemak Bay can be found other famous clam beds. Ninilchik and Clam Gulch, where the razor clams attract personal use harvesters from Anchorage and farther. These clam beds are mounting a slow and cautious return. In 2023 the razor clam fishery opened after being closed for eight years. People were overjoyed just to be able to share the experience of clamming with their children. Last week The Homer News reported that the clam fishery will be closed again this year, in order to allow the adult clam population to recover. Careful management is so critical. The clamming is closed on this side of the bay as well.

Also last week, I found a story from KUCB in Unalaska about the innovative efforts of the Qawalangin Tribe to improve safety and preserve shellfish as a traditional food. By relocating blue mussels to selected areas around the island, they are both seeding new harvest and identifying areas where blue mussels can be raised safely. It is a promising story and with relevance for communities across the North. Please enjoy these stories about efforts to restore and protect critical resources and wildlife. You can be sure I am following these stories with the greatest of interest. Mike Brubaker, Editor

	No clamming in Ninilchik or Clam Gulch this year Homer, Alaska, United States Homer News / June 29, 2024 Adult abundance “well below” fishery thresholds on both beaches. This outcome was not unanticipated, as the department said when opening the fishery in Ninilchik last year that adult abundance met necessary thresholds for allowing harvest — at least meeting or exceeding 50% of the historical average — but juvenile abundance was low, meaning there would likely not be enough adult clams this year or next. Read article on Homer News
	Qawalangin Tribe works to reintroduce blue mussels as safe local food source Unalaska, Alaska, United States KUCB / May 29, 2024 While blue mussels are a traditional source of subsistence food in Unalaska, in recent years, reduced numbers and concerns about paralytic shellfish poisoning, or PSP, have limited the amount locals can safely harvest. Read article on KUCB
	Record salmon harvest closures in Chukotka Anadyr, Chukotskiy Avtonomnyy Okrug, Russia Prochukotku.ru / May 23, 2024 Experts decided that during the fishing season, red fish in the water area of the Anadyr estuary can be caught only two days a week. It was decided to introduce a large number of passing days to preserve the chum salmon population spawning in this basin. Read article on Prochukotku.ru
	Narwhals deemed ‘not at risk’ by wildlife committee Nunavut, Canada David Lochead / Nunatsiaq News / May 24, 2024 While the population increased, the assessment did find that narwhals are sensitive to sound from boats and move away from boat traffic, Mike Hammill, the co-chair of COSEWIC’s marine mammals subcommittee, told Nunatsiaq News. Previously the species was listed as being of “special concern.” Read article on Nunatsiaq News
	Yukon's Grey-headed Chickadee now considered endangered Old Crow, Yukon, Canada CBC / May 18, 2024 The Grey-headed chickadee found in the far north of Yukon and Alaska was listed as endangered this month, and experts say the bird is so rare that it's hard to estimate its numbers. The decline might be related to competition as Boreal Chickadees are moving north because of climate change. Read article on CBC
	Need to evacuate this summer? NWT says you're getting $800 Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada Eric Bowling / NNSL Media / May 17, 2024 The GNWT says it's earmarked $800 per resident age 18 or over and $400 for each dependent under 18. Applicants may be required to provide proof of residency in the community they live in, such as a utility bill, proof of dependents such as birth certificates, and identification like a driver's license — so if you are ordered to evacuate make sure you pack those along. Read article on NNSL Media

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