Unalaska, AK – Today, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game released its Climate Change Strategy. The report looks at the potential impact that climate change would have on the state's wildlife and fisheries - and what it might mean for commercial fishermen and subsistence users.

The report anticipates that fire regimes might increase, that the distribution of the state's freshwater might change, and that sea ice in the Arctic will continue to shrink. Alaska's crab fishery could be affected both by ocean acidification and by the increased presence of invasive species like green crab. A rise in ocean temperatures could cause pollock to drift northward, and could potentially increase commercial fishing opportunities in the Arctic. In addition to affecting distribution of fish, climate change could also lead to earlier salmon runs.

The environmental impacts could reshape the process of subsistence harvesting. While the abundance of some species may decline, the report notes that other species may benefit. These changes are also expected to have major impacts on coastal communities, which could see both a drop in business and fish tax revenue.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game report is the product of over a year of work, and it was requested by Governor Sean Parnell's climate change subcabinet. The subcabinet is tasked with advising the governor on climate change issues and it has asked each state agency to examine how climate change could affect operations.

Doug Vincent-Lang helped coordinate the report, and he says that it's a good first step toward addressing climate change.

"I think this is our first real opportunity to look at what a lot of people have been seeing as a major in Alaska," says Vincent-Lang. "And it gives us an opportunity to inventory what some of those potential impacts are and begin to think about how we're going to develop strategies to adapt to a changing climate."

As its next steps, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game will work on outreach strategies, climate research and species monitoring, and threat assessments for vulnerable species.