Arctic Daily Update: June 20, 2013

Joint Ocean Commission Initiative: "Charting the Course: Securing the Future of America's Oceans." This report, released today, calls on "President Obama and Congress to improve the management of our ocean resources. The report describes specific recommendations for the Administration and Congress that prioritize areas where short-term progress can be readily achieved. The report outlines measures for immediate implementation that focus on four action areas:

• Enhance the resiliency of coastal communities and ocean ecosystems to dramatic changes underway in our oceans and on our coasts
• Promote ocean renewable energy development and reinvest in our oceans
• Support state and regional ocean and coastal priorities
• Improve Arctic research and management"

Spoils of the Sea Elude Many in an Alaska Antipoverty Plan: "The humble pollock, great cash fish of the north, conquered the world through the flaky bland hegemony of a fish stick. At more than $1 billion a year, there is no bigger fishery for human consumption on the planet. But pollock was also meant to be a savior, part of a Washington-backed antipoverty plan aimed at residents here on Alaska's mostly undeveloped west coast. A generation ago, organizers envisioned federally guaranteed shares of the pollock catch that would create a rising tide of funds to lift up poor, isolated villages where jobs and hope are scarce." New York Times

Norway using research to prove sealing's humane: "We do hunt moose, we do hunt other animals. Sealing is a hunting thing." "Norway, hit hard by the European Union's seal product ban, wants to use research to show the world that they're sealing in an acceptable manner. The two most common arguments leveled by seal hunt critics is that too many seals are being caught, and that seals are being hunted in an inhumane way." Nunatsiaq Online

Finland says no to fur-farming ban. "The Finnish Parliament has rejected a proposed ban on fur farming, as expected. The bill was historic in that it was the first ever brought before the legislature by a grassroots civic movement." Alaska Dispatch

What the changing Arctic means for Finland: Will Finland become the trade crossroads of the future. "Global warming, the melting of the Arctic Ocean and new rail lines could open great opportunities for Finland. Its time decision makers wake up to such possibilities, advise future researchers. Finland's geopolitical position could undergo a radical change by the year 2040, according to future researcher Dr. Mika Aaltonen from Aalto University and Michael Loescher, an ex-adviser to the U.S. administration." Eye on the Arctic

Norway opens Arctic border area to oil drilling. "Norway's Parliament has opened up a new area on the fringe of the Arctic Ocean to offshore oil drilling despite protests from opponents who fear catastrophic oil spills in the remote and icy region. Most of the Norwegian sector of the Barents Sea, which the Nordic country shares with Russia, is already open to petroleum activities." Business Week

Don't get caught out in the cold. "Eyes are looking north to a vast region of lucrative international trade promise - a region served rudimentarily for the most part by seaports. The superpowers are becoming ever keener to assert their strategic interests in the warming Arctic." Port Strategy

Opinion: Why the Bering Strait is under siege. "...Arctic coastlines have been compared to the Serengeti because of their abundant wildlife corridors, but what many people don't realize is that deep beneath the water's surface, another vast migration unfolds every spring and fall. The Bering Strait becomes the Serengeti of the oceans during those seasons, and the abundance of animal life has fed Yup'ik people and cultural traditions for millennia. Now, climate change has begun to threaten those traditions..." Life Science

Demilitarizing Arctic, NATO's positive signal to Russia. "Predictable power balance in the High North may open up the possibility of extended economic cooperation between former Cold War rivals. The Arctic ice is melting and business struggle gradually becomes stronger. In late May Norway's military 'hawks' failed to persuade NATO to establish a stronger military presence in the Arctic. It's definitely good news for the international business community investing in the region (Shell, Exxon, Rosneft, Statoil to name a few), because political risks usually go hand-in-hand with additional safety and insurance expenses." Press TV

CNOOC seeks Arctic energy partner. "CNOOC is the latest of the big state-owned Chinese oil and gas entities to pursue Arctic energy supplies, putting its name forward as a partner with Iceland's fledgling Eykon Energy to search for oil in waters off the north-east coast of Iceland." The Australian

NASA image: Rare clear view of Alaska. "On most days, relentless rivers of clouds wash over Alaska, obscuring most of the state's 6,640 miles (10,690 kilometers) of coastline and 586,000 square miles (1,518,000 square kilometers) of land. The south coast of Alaska even has the dubious distinction of being the cloudiest region of the United States, with some locations averaging more than 340 cloudy days per year." Phys.org

Promoting Canada's eastern Arctic as airplane test site. "A delegation from Iqaluit, Canada, is in Paris this week, pitching the city's cold to the aviation industry. They're at the 50th annual Paris Airshow -- the world's biggest meeting of the industry -- to promote Iqaluit as an ideal location for cold-weather testing of aircraft." Alaska Dispach

USDA-RD seeks applications to finance rural broadband in remote areas. "USDA-Rural Development (USDA-RD) Alaska State Director Jim Nordlund announced today that applications are being accepted for grants to finance broadband deployment in remote, rural areas. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) remains focused on carrying out its mission, despite a time of significant budget uncertainty. Today's announcement is one part of the Department's efforts to strengthen the rural economy." Anchorage Daily News

The breathing ocean: Reducing the effects of climate change. "Each year, between the burning of fossil fuels and the clearing of old growth forests, humans put about 10 petagrams of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere. A petagram is one quadrillion grams. Ten petagrams is equivalent to the mass of Halley's comet, to put it in perspective." Phys.org

Legislative Action