Walruses and seals, which rely on the ice, are critical to the traditional diet of Arctic Indigenous peoples. Waghiyi\u2019s village of Savoonga sometimes bills itself as the Walrus Capital of the World.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf there is no ice, our freezers are empty,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sea ice in the Arctic waxes and wanes through the year, and is normally at its lowest extent in September, at the end of the summer. Since the first satellite recordings began in 1978, September cover has shrunk at a rate of 12.2%<\/a> per decade. Amid record-breaking ocean temperatures, last year\u2019s September extent of 4.37 million square kilometres was the fifth lowest<\/a> on record.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As the sea becomes easier to navigate, more ships are coming to the area, and with them pollution, notably plastic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe believe krill have to go deeper into the ocean due to the surface warming, and the fish, who depend on krill, are mistaking microplastics for their food, which then biomagnifies up the food chain,\u201d says Waghiyi, who is environmental health and justice director at the Alaska Community Action on Toxics (ACAT) group and a member of the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThese plastics are ending up in our bodies due to our reliance on the walrus and seals for sustenance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the last 10 years, the number of vessels sailing within and across the Arctic has increased by 37%, according to a report<\/a> released this year by the Arctic Council, an intergovernmental forum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat we are seeing is not just an increase in the numbers of vessels, but also the amount of time they\u2019re spending sailing in the Arctic as they\u2019ve got access to more of the Arctic Sea resources,\u201d says Sian Prior, lead adviser to the Clean Arctic Alliance, a network of NGOs that campaign for protection of the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Advocates for Arctic shipping expansion say that the northern passage<\/a>s between Atlantic and Pacific can cut transport distances<\/a> between Europe and East Asia by 40%, allowing a reduction in fuel consumption and so greenhouse gas emissions. But sailing what has been called the polar Silk Road<\/a> \u201cis not a straightforward equation with a 40% shorter route meaning 40% less emissions\u201d as Arctic waters can be difficult to navigate, requiring more fuel, says Prior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another problem is that soot<\/a> from ships\u2019 engines \u2013 known as \u2018black carbon\u2019 \u2013 settles to create a dark layer over the white snow and ice, reducing the already-depleted ice\u2019s ability to reflect sunlight, and so increasing warming. A ban<\/a> on using or carrying the heavy fuel oil burned by much Arctic shipping is set to come into effect<\/a> in July 2024 to try and reduce this problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Black carbon is just one piece of the Arctic pollution puzzle though.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Arctic Council says most ships venturing into Arctic waters are fishing vessels attracted<\/a> to newly ice-free fishing spots. International NGO Global Fishing Watch has been tracking them and says that in recent decades there has been an increase<\/a> in trawlers venturing north during the summer season, close to the boundaries of the Arctic high seas where fishing is restricted<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWith the warming of the ocean, the schools are moving further north, and the fishermen go where the fish are,\u201d says David Kroodsma, leader of the Global Fishing Watch research and innovation team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This brings more underwater noise pollution, affecting marine species that rely on sound to communicate, navigate and hunt. It increases the risk of oil spills, which are not easy to clean in the far north and have health impacts on local communities. And it brings more plastic debris.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In his over 15 years of work with NGOs on plastic pollution, Arctic researcher Eelco Leemans has seen plenty of waste from fishing boats. \u201cOne of the top five items we always find on beaches are pieces of fishing net,\u201d he says. Plastic packaging used to store fish on boats is another frequent find, he adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Leemans, who works as a marine consultant, told Dialogue Earth that the problem with litter and fishing boats is twofold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n First, there are problems with waste management<\/a>. On board, boats do not always have good facilities and may just throw things over the side. On land, the remote setting makes it difficult to provide adequate infrastructure. When entering port, fishers can face high fees to dispose of waste, incentivising disposal at sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Secondly there are cultural issues with some fishing communities, which often poorly understand the environmental consequences of their actions, says Leemans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Evidence on the source of Arctic plastic is difficult to come by as it can be hard to identify the origin of waste, but many experts told Dialogue Earth that discards from fishing boats are a problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are regulations<\/a> in place to prevent dumping, and educational programmes<\/a> discouraging it. However, the complex legal status<\/a> of the region<\/a> and its marine environment often mitigates against their effectiveness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe still see tons of fishing gear and waste washing up on our shores. It\u2019s a huge problem that is not properly addressed and enforced,\u201d says Pamela Miller, executive director and senior scientist at Alaska Community Action on Toxics (ACAT) and co-chair of the International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN).<\/p>\n\n\n\n IPEN recently reported<\/a> that the Arctic contains more plastics than any other ocean basin. \u201cThe Arctic is effectively an oceanic gyre and a hemispheric sink for both chemicals and plastics,\u201d says Miller.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Large pieces of plastic trapped in this system gradually degrade into millions of micro- and nano-plastic fragments. Ice crystals store<\/a> these particles and this frozen waste reservoir is then released annually in spring and summer as temperatures rise and wildlife blossoms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Marine ecologist Rachel Coppock fears this annual release might accelerate in the future as sea ice further diminishes, releasing past plastic pollution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Her team at the University of Plymouth studied waste distribution in the Arctic region\u2019s water column<\/a> and \u201cfound the greatest concentrations of microplastics nearest the sea-ice edge or landmass\u201d, says Coppock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She thinks that, once freed, some of this ocean of microplastics travels back to lower latitudes. But much will remain in the Arctic where it can be eaten<\/a> by marine organisms already under pressure from climate change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Several voices, many from the Indigenous communities, are pushing to use technology to deal with the plastic problem. Given the difficulty of identifying the source of debris found on beaches, discussions<\/a> are taking place about labelling fishing gear with boat identities so authorities can punish offenders. Onboard monitoring of ships, including by filming and analysing their fishing, has also been shown to change behaviour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Plastic pollution<\/a> has emerged as one of the most pervasive problems affecting the marine environment in recent years. Global efforts on a treaty to put an end to it made only slow progress<\/a> at the last negotiation meeting in Canada, amid increased industry lobbying. Vast amounts of plastic continue<\/a> to make their way into the ocean every year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOur Arctic Indigenous Peoples Delegation travelled two days to be the conscience of the last treaty negotiations. Our farm, the Arctic Ocean, has the most microplastics of all the oceans on the planet, threatening our existence as Arctic Sivuqaq Yupik People and our future generations,\u201d says Waghiyi. \u201cMost people worldwide want a ban on plastic production. Still, the goal of the petrol-chemical industries to weaken the treaty speaks volumes.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\nA more open sea<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Broken](\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/20190511_Icescape-in-the-Arctic_Greenpeace_GP0STTC99-scaled.jpg\")
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<\/div>The plastic toll of fishing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Fishing](\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/20160626_Trash-on-Arctic-Beach-in-Svalbard_Greenpeace_GP0STPX6E.jpg\")
<\/div>Indigenous voices call for change<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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