By 2050, ships going across the Arctic’s Northwest Passage may not need an icebreaker through the passage. In Nome residents are asking whether a new port would assist as well as hinder the efforts of tackle the multitude of social issues. There are some who are worried that the rumblings of marine traffic from industrial vessels could affect Indigenous people who have prospered on the coast for generations.
A summer day in the sun, Austin Ahmasuk stood on Nome’s Sand pit. A slight breeze breezed his skin as he gazed at the thin piece of land that runs along the entrance of the Snake River and stretches out towards Nome’s port.
“When you google’sand Spit, Nome’ and you search for historical photographs there will be Alaska Native people living here and celebrating their harvests from here.” the man said.
Ahmasuk grew up in Nome. He has many memories of Nome that are both good and bad.
“My uncle worked in the tugboat industry , and was drowned just over this area,” he said. “But I also have nostalgic memories of growing up here, long before all these stones were in the area.”
He pointed to the spit.
“Cigar fish came here to spawn and my childhood friend and I -one of us owned matches in a box which we used to grill cigars on rocks, and we spent the majority of the day in the area,” he said.
The discovery of gold here in the latter part of 1890 led to 10,000 stampeders hoping to earn a lot of money. The melting of glaciers have caused another type of stampede. Large industrial vessels can go through this area faster, cutting down on the number of days which would otherwise be required to travel across in the Panama Canal.
However, Ahmasuk said that his memory and the history of the Inupiat people who have been living in the area for thousands of generations should not have to compete with the current monetary gains certain people are hoping to cash from as the Arctic is becoming increasingly ice-free.
“It’s like a highway that’s going straight through us,” said Nome’s Harbormaster Lucas Stotts.
Stotts considers Nome as the final rest stop for ships as they go across the Bering Strait to northwards towards the Arctic.
As the climate gets warmer and the sea ice along the northernmost part of North America dwindles, all kinds of marine trafficincluding cruise ships to recreational sailboats to massive industrial shipsare increasing in the freezing seas in the Arctic Ocean. As per the Arctic Council, marine traffic has increased by 44% across the Northwest Passage between 2013 and 2019.
“There is a significant amount of traffic that isn’t entering Nome,” Stotts said. “That’s due to the fact that they’re not in a deep draft to enter.”
Anything that is more than 20 feet beneath the water’s surface can’t dock. That’s why Nome must expand its port. An estimated $250 million dollars injection of money from Biden’s 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act implies that the basin could grow to nearly twice as deep in the coming years.
“We believe we’re behind with regards to what’s needed in the region, and, by the time the project is completed I’m sure that we’ll be way behind since we’re at this point,” he said.
Nine cruise ships sailed through Nome this summer, less than Stotts had expected due to the ongoing concern regarding the coronavirus pandemic as well as conflicts with Russia as well as Ukraine.
“We were going to be 24” he stated. “That is huge growth in itself and it’s not basing its growth on our facilities. This was happening long ahead of any extension planned.”
About half a mile away from the harbor located in the Pingo Bakery and Seafood House it is pretty peaceful after lunch has ended. The restaurant is small, that can seat 12 which is managed by Erica Pryzmont. She’s not certain if an increase of shipping traffic will impact the business.
“It’s fascinating because at times, the guests on cruise ships simply sort of walk up to the door and look in as if you’re a attraction or even as though you’re in an exhibit” she added.
In the present, she’s focused on finding and maintain reliable staff to meet the needs of the clients she already serves.
A vibrant red Help Wanted sign hangs on the front of her house. While she’s searching for workers there are others looking for jobs. With 4.5 percent the unemployment rate for Nome exceeds the state and national averages.
The Bering Straits region is also confronted with a major housing shortage. The emergency shelter in the area is usually full, particularly during winter. The problem of addiction to drugs is another social issue that which the community has to tackle. While there is federal support for port expansion but a local funding match is mandatory. Some residents think the city should take care of the problems the community currently has to face, prior to taking on millions of dollars of debt that the federal government is required to match funds to fund an expansion of the port.
There’s a mayor in Nome. John Handeland doesn’t see it in that way.
“You are aware that if we create the other resources in the belief that we’ll have to, it’s based in speculative,” he said. “And I’ve never had any success going to my bank and taking out a loan for something that’s just speculation.”
Handeland stated that a port expansion could lower costs of living, while increasing long-term investment as well as job opportunities in Nome.
Some who support it claim they believe it’s crucial to ensure National security. They say it will be vital to protect the environment and provide disaster response as more vessels travel through in the Arctic Ocean in the future. However, Austin Ahmasuk calls these “the three big misconceptions.” He was raised in Nome and worked for many years in the field of marine advocacy. He also campaigned for increased food security for Alaskan Natives via his Alaska Native Corporation Kawerak.
“It certainly makes sense for shippers to cut one or two thousand miles or even a few thousand miles is more affordable. Right. However, that doesn’t mean it’s safer. You’ll still be in the Arctic. It’s going to be very cold.” He said.
The decreasing sea ice is allowing more ships to enter the Arctic. They are moving in greater quantities across into the Bering Strait. They also contribute higher greenhouse gas emission. About 10% of the ships that are using Arctic waters are currently burning heavy fuel oil. It in the event of spills, may solidify or stay floating for several weeks in the cold waters.
“The weather is extremely variable around here and it’s a little shallow,” said Vernon Adkison. A lifetime mariner Adkison says that the Bering Sea should not be overlooked. “So whenever the winds truly increases, the oceans increase faster than those into the blue ocean.”
Adkison is a star on the Discovery Channel’s reality program Bering Sea Gold. The show portrays him as a stern and funny businessman with traditional principles and a straight-forward strategy to make money from Norton Sound’s deep ocean sediments that litter the floor. However, he has a few doubts.
As ships enter the Nome, the port of Nome Many of them use smaller vessels to carry the cargo and passengers to shore. This is known as lightering. It’s essential, as the port that is currently in use can’t take vessels of an amount of size. Even with an expansion of the port it will require lightering to take place. This means for Adkison more potential accidents to occur.
“I am aware of what can happen when there are no one watching what’s happening,” He said. “They’re in the streets littering and doing all sorts of things. I was a lighter master within the Gulf of Mexico, and I was aware of what the guys would do if there’s no one watching. Then, not all of them are morally responsible. The bilges can be a problem, there’s spills, and there are various situations that could happen in the absence of anyone monitoring what’s happening.”
The biggest Coast Guard base in Alaska is located hundreds of miles to the south in Kodiak. It can take days to address an incident involving shipping or spill within the Bering Strait.
“If it were my decision I’d prefer to remain as it is. I’m not sure if I would like to deal with the larger boats and the more complex industry-type scenarios just a few feet from the point where we begin our hunt,” said Ben Payenna.
Commercially, he fishes for salmon, crab and halibut. When he’s fishing for fish, which is not the only source of income, it’s on the water and hunting for the main sources of his family’s source of food, including seals and fish, numerous species of birds and walruses.
“I could harvest my first deer when I was sevenyears old,” he explained. “I was not quite large enough to hold a gun on my shoulder at the time. My dad laid me down on his lap, and he placed the rifle with his shoulders.”
Payenna stated that the entire group of hunters who he hunted for walruses has gone. And he is wondering what is at stake as the declining sea ice opens up for increased shipping traffic.
The ongoing project was enabled by an award through the Climate Justice Resilience Fund.
