Acidic Arctic Seawater & Declining Yukon King Salmon Runs

Yesterday's Guardian reports that

Arctic seas turn to acid, putting vital food chain at risk

Robin McKie, science editor
Carbon-dioxide emissions are turning the waters of the Arctic Ocean into acid at an unprecedented rate, scientists have discovered. Research carried out in the archipelago of Svalbard has shown in many regions around the north pole seawater is likely to reach corrosive levels within 10 years. The water will then start to dissolve the shells of mussels and other shellfish and cause major disruption to the food chain. By the end of the century, the entire Arctic Ocean will be corrosively acidic. For more-

Arctic seas turn to acid, putting vital food chain at risk | World news | The Observer

While today's New York Times reports that

Scarcity of King Salmon Hurt Alaskan Fishermen

By STEFAN MILKOWSKI

Published: October 2, 2009

MARSHALL, Alaska — Just a few years ago, king salmon played an outsize role in villages along the Yukon River. Fishing provided meaningful income, fed families throughout the year, and kept alive long-held traditions of Yup’ik Eskimos and Athabascan Indians. For more-
Weak Levels of King Salmon Hurt Alaskan Fishing Community - NYTimes.com

It is sad to report that last year's poor returns of Yukon kings, blogged on below, has repeated itself this year. This is a true disaster for the people of the region. And what is unforgivable is that where there are measures that government has the ability to do something about, i.e. stopping bycatch of king salmon in the industrialized Bering Sea pollock fishery, the response has been too little and woefully late.