Why is the Bering Sea Important?

Covering the coastal regions of two continents and one of earth’s largest semi-enclosed seas, this northern extension of the North Pacific Ocean harbors more than 450 species of fish, crustaceans and mollusks, 50 species of seabirds, waterfowl, shorebirds and raptors, 25 species of marine mammals, and hundreds of human communities. Over 50% of the United State’s annual fish catch comes from the Bering Sea, as does an estimated 50% of Russia’s annual fish production. The region’s wetlands, coastlines, and islands provide globally-significant habitats for many additional wildlife species, and its natural history holds answers to critical questions about world history.

Renowned today for its environmental, economic, and cultural importance, the Bering Sea’s wildlife and indigenous people have thrived on its productive waters for centuries. However, the sea’s changing physical environment and more than a century of human exploitation has caused significant changes in its ecosystem. Included in the Bering Sea’s marine mammal population are the endangered bowhead and northern right whales, the highly endangered Steller sea lion, the northern fur seal—which is now considered "depleted" according to the U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act—and the polar bear, which is listed in Russia's Red Data Book of Rare and Endangered Species. Various seabirds and a number of fish populations have decreased and, in the western Bering Sea, Pacific walrus populations also are severely depleted.

Many factors may be contributing to the decline of so many animal species, including high levels of illegal fishing in the western Bering Sea, over fishing, bycatch (or taking fish species that were not the target for fishermen), pollution (marine debris that entangles wildlife, toxic contaminants, shipwrecks and minor but chronic oil spills); and the introduction of non-native species—such as rats—which can devastate island seabird colonies. Other changes in the environment, such as global warming and the shrinking of the ice edge represent a threat to wildlife such as polar bears.

Links to Learn More:

Find out more about why the Bering Sea is important.  Learn more >>

Threats to the Bering Sea  Learn more >>

Source courtesy of: http://worldatlas.com/aatlas/infopage/bering.htm

Images courtesy of: http://www.beringclimate.noaa.gov/essays_alexander.html, http://www.worldwildlife.org/news/displayPR.cfm?prID=332, http://www.worldwildlife.org/wildplaces/bs/