Legislature(2021 - 2022)GRUENBERG 120
05/03/2022 10:00 AM House FISHERIES
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Presentation: Ocean Acidification in Alaska: Regional Conditions, Ecosystem Risk and Mitigation Opportunities | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| += | HB 397 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON FISHERIES
May 3, 2022
10:06 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Geran Tarr, Chair
Representative Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins
Representative Andi Story
MEMBERS ABSENT
Representative Louise Stutes, Vice Chair
Representative Dan Ortiz
Representative Sarah Vance
Representative Kevin McCabe
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
PRESENTATION: OCEAN ACIDIFICATION IN ALASKA: REGIONAL
CONDITIONS~ ECOSYSTEM RISK AND MITIGATION OPPORTUNITIES
- HEARD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record
WITNESS REGISTER
DARCY DUGAN
Alaska Ocean Acidification Network
Alaska Ocean Observing System
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Gave a PowerPoint presentation on ocean
acidification in Alaska.
DARREN PILCHER, Ph.D.
Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ocean, and Ecosystem Studies
University of Washington
Seattle, Washington
POSITION STATEMENT: Gave a PowerPoint on Bering Sea conditions
during the presentation on ocean acidification in Alaska.
CLAUDINE HAURI, Research Associate Professor
International Arctic Research Center
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Fairbanks, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Gave a PowerPoint on Gulf of Alaska
conditions during the presentation on ocean acidification in
Alaska.
TOM HURST, Ph.D., Program Manager
Alaska Fisheries Science Center;
Newport Lab Director
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
U.S. Department of Commerce
Newport, Oregon
POSITION STATEMENT: Gave a PowerPoint on the biological
responses to ocean acidification during the presentation on
ocean acidification in Alaska.
JESSICA CROSS, Ph.D., Research Oceanographer
Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
U.S. Department of Commerce
Seattle, Washington
POSITION STATEMENT: Gave a PowerPoint on carbon dioxide removal
during the presentation on ocean acidification in Alaska.
ACTION NARRATIVE
10:06:38 AM
CHAIR GERAN TARR called the House Special Committee on Fisheries
meeting to order at 10:06 a.m. Representatives Tarr and Story
were present at the call to order. Representative Kreiss-
Tomkins arrived as the meeting was in progress.
^Presentation: Ocean acidification in Alaska: regional
conditions, ecosystem risk and mitigation opportunities
Presentation: Ocean acidification in Alaska: regional
conditions, ecosystem risk and mitigation opportunities
10:07:49 AM
CHAIR TARR announced that the only order of business would be
presentations on ocean acidification in Alaska.
10:08:36 AM
DARCY DUGAN, Alaska Ocean Acidification Network, Alaska Ocean
Observing System, informed the committee that the Alaska Ocean
Acidification Network ("the network") formed in 2016 to expand
the processes and consequences of ocean acidification (OA) and
to look for opportunities for adaptation and mitigation. The
network is composed of researchers, fishermen, shellfish
growers, Tribal members, educators, resource managers, and
coastal citizens. She argued the importance of the
legislature's involvement because ocean acidification will
impact Alaska disproportionately.
10:10:53 AM
DARREN PILCHER, Ph.D., Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ocean,
and Ecosystem Studies, University of Washington, gave a
PowerPoint presentation, titled "Bering Sea Conditions" [hard
copy included in the committee packet]. He explained that
through the combustion of fossil fuels, humans have been
emitting more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, half of which
is absorbed by the land biosphere and oceans, and this results
in OA. He stated that the chemical changes in the seawater make
it more difficult for calcifying organisms to build their
shells. He pointed out that it only takes a small amount of
carbon to push Alaska waters into a more corrosive state, as
these waters are already cold and rich in natural carbon. He
described research which shows that habitat suitability for red
king crab in Bristol Bay could be fatally impacted by a pH value
of 7.5.
10:27:28 AM
CLAUDINE HAURI, Research Associate Professor, International
Arctic Research Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks, gave a
PowerPoint presentation, entitled "Ocean Acidification in the
Gulf of Alaska" [hard copy included in the committee packet].
She explained that OA is important because some organisms are
already being negatively impacted. For example, she said that
sea snails' shells are dissolving. Research shows that OA in
combination with climate change may lead to unprecedented
changes throughout the ecosystem. A high-resolution ocean model
for the Gulf of Alaska was developed to supplement field work
observations and gain a better understanding of the changing
habitat. She said that because of spikes in OA the healthy
habitat for sea snails has been shrinking from 1980 to 2013,
resulting in severely dissolved sea snails in the region. In
addition, OA is leading to low oxygen concentration at certain
depths, which makes it difficult for salmon to thrive. She
stressed the importance of understanding the variability of
ocean chemistry, as this would better predict OA's threat to
ecosystems.
10:43:37 AM
TOM HURST, Ph.D., Program Manager, Alaska Fisheries Science
Center, Newport Lab Director, National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, gave a PowerPoint
presentation, titled "Biological responses to OA among Alaska's
fishery resource species" [hard copy included in the committee
packet]. He discussed the negative impact of high carbon, or
low pH, on the survival and growth rate of red king crab and
tanner crab. He explained that because of low pH levels both
species have a decreased survival rate. In summary, he provided
that red king crab and tanner crab are more sensitive to OA than
snow crab and blue king crab; acidification induced a wide range
of biological responses which vary among species; and OA
interacts with other stressors. He stated that interactive
effects between carbon and warmer waters could narrow the range
for optimum species conditions. He discussed the negative
effects of OA among groundfish and salmon. Overall, the summary
of biological responses has found high variation in species
sensitivity. For example, crab is the most sensitive at the
juvenile stage, and fish appear most sensitive at the larval
stage. He concluded that interaction with other stressors is
expected to exacerbate OA sensitivity.
11:09:51 AM
JESSICA CROSS, Ph.D., Research Oceanographer, Pacific Marine
Environmental Laboratory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, summarized a PowerPoint presentation, titled
"NOAA's Carbon Dioxide Removal Research Interest" [hard copy
included in the committee packet]. She emphasized that, per the
International Panel on Climate Change, carbon dioxide removal
(CDR) is essential to meeting climate goals. An advantage of
CDR is that it can be used as an acidification mitigation
technique. She pointed out that there are multiple forms of CDR
which may be relevant for Alaska. She stated that NOAA supports
tracking of global-carbon budget and large-scale ecosystem
assessments. She advised that tracking small local projects
will be critical at the beginning of this field. She concluded
that NOAA's spatial tools could help identify the right places
to deploy coastal CDR projects.
11:13:15 AM
MS. DUGAN concluded by summarizing the presentation on ocean
acidification. She highlighted 20 communities involved in
weekend water sampling for OA. She stated that the network is
working on synthesizing data into actionable information. The
goal is to work with the legislature on funding to resume
monitoring with available instruments.
11:17:03 AM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Special Committee on Fisheries meeting was adjourned at 11:17
a.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| House Fisheries - Ocean Acidification Presentation - Hurst 5.3.22.pdf |
HFSH 5/3/2022 10:00:00 AM |
Ocean Acidification |
| House Fisheries - Ocean Acidification Presentation - Pilcher 5.3.22.pdf |
HFSH 5/3/2022 10:00:00 AM |
Ocean Acidification |
| House Fisheries - Ocean Acidification Presentation - Hauri 5.3.22.pdf |
HFSH 5/3/2022 10:00:00 AM |
Ocean Acidification |
| House Fisheries - Ocean Acidification - Dugan 5.3.22.pdf |
HFSH 5/3/2022 10:00:00 AM |
Ocean Acidification |
| House Fisheries - Ocean Acidification - Cross 5.3.22.pdf |
HFSH 5/3/2022 10:00:00 AM |
Ocean Acidification |