Climate change underscores the need to protect our salmon and rainforest

I am a lifelong Alaska fisherman, and I voted for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Their pledge to tackle climate change was a big part of why I voted for them, as climate change is the issue that has had the most impact on the ecosystem I depend on, and it is an existential threat to the future of Alaska’s fisheries and communities. We need our elected leaders to act now to mitigate the impacts we are already experiencing and protect future generations. How we go about that is key and will determine whether or not we are successful in the end.

Southeast Alaska, where I live and fish, is home to America’s salmon forest: the Tongass National Forest. The Tongass is a thriving rainforest ecosystem, rich in productive intact freshwater salmon habitat — which, under normal conditions, produces hundreds of millions of dollars in fishing revenue annually, supports subsistence and recreational fisheries, and sustains an incredible diversity of wildlife.

The Tongass is not immune to climate change, though, and is already undergoing a rapid climate-driven transformation. In particular, our glacial and snowmelt-fed river systems are accelerating toward more dynamic rainwater fed systems. From 2017-19, we experienced significant drought for the first time in my lifetime. Freshwater and sea surface temperatures were much higher than normal, smaller drainages ran dry, and hydropower plants and salmon hatcheries were faced with water shortages. This year, we experienced historic warm rainfalls that destroyed the water supply to one of our largest salmon hatcheries, damaged another one, and scoured wild salmon spawning habitat throughout the region. The extreme rainfall caused landslides that destroyed property and, tragically, took human lives. The salmon do the best they can under these circumstances, but their resilience is damaged and threatened by these climate-driven changes, as is our own.

In November 2019, I worked in collaboration with local high school students in Sitka to bring a “Climate Change Emergency” resolution, patterned after a similar Alaska Federation of Natives action, to our local Sitka Fish and Game Advisory Committee. Our committee, which consists of 17 publicly elected stakeholders, voted unanimously to support the resolution. Alaska’s fishermen and fishing communities recognize the problem and are preparing action recommendations for groups around Alaska, our state Legislature, and Congress. We need to do our best to prepare for and adapt to climate change already here and in the pipeline, and we need to act now to mitigate and minimize long-term damage for future generations.

Thousands of fishermen like me are experiencing and witnessing the impacts of climate change every day. The message from our marine ecosystems and fisheries is clear: We cannot afford to wait any longer to address the issue. We need the Biden administration to proceed quickly and act decisively to implement solutions that address root causes and ultimately protect Alaska’s fisheries and fishing communities. While the nation adapts to the climate change emergency and — I hope — enacts policies and action plans, it must be done without harming people and food sources. In order to protect thousands of Alaskan small businesses which are sustainably managed, these policies and plans must be adaptive to climate effects like shifts in range and abundance of fisheries species; they must maintain access to wild Alaska seafood for millions of Americans. With Alaska comprising more than one third of America’s coastline, where change is happening rapidly, our coastal communities need to be at the decision-making table.

I am on board for swift action to reduce global carbon emissions and protect the ecosystems I and so many other Alaskans rely on. We urge Alaska’s elected officials and the incoming Biden administration to work with Alaska’s fishermen to develop solutions that protect America’s oceans, fishing livelihoods and greatest source of sustainable wild seafood.

Eric Jordan, of Sitka, is a lifelong third-generation Alaska salmon troller. He has been involved in fisheries and conservation groups for decades, and he is still trolling and introducing people to the wonders of Alaska fishing.

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