Marine Advocate Austin Ahmasuk contributed to the recently published article “Quantifying and mitigating three major vessel waste streams in the northern Bering Sea”. The article highlights:

Vessel traffic in the northern Bering Sea is diverse and increasing

Alaska Natives are concerned over vessel waste and its impact on people and animals

Normal vessel operations can generate significant amounts of wastewater

Vessel wastewater contains various ecologically harmful components

Federal and international standards should be enhanced to mitigate impacts of waste

As the abstract states, “More and larger vessels are operating in the Arctic’s northern Bering Sea and Bering Strait and their associated waste streams pose a growing risk to the ecosystem. These collective risks are particularly concerning to Indigenous people in the region, whose culture and subsistence hinge upon preservation of a pristine marine environment. This article describes the ecological and cultural significance of the northern Bering Sea and Bering Strait waters to Indigenous people, and then discusses the risk to these waters from increasing vessel traffic and associated waste streams. The article then quantifies the amount of three principal waste streams – oil, sewage, and grey water – currently being discharged in these waters, and concludes with a discussion of ship- and area-based options to reduce the waste’s impact to the region.”

Read the whole article at  https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308597X18308315#!