Wakefield symposium explores marine heatwaves and resilience

Kodiak Island was host to the 34th Lowell Wakefield Fisheries Symposium, which focused on a hot topic in Alaska: marine heatwaves in high-latitude oceans. Scientists, students, stakeholders and policymakers gathered to discuss how prolonged periods of unusually warm ocean temperatures are reshaping marine ecosystems, fisheries and the coastal communities that depend on them.

Over the past decade, marine scientists have become increasingly interested in marine heatwaves. In his opening remarks, NOAA researcher Dr. Mike Litzow explained that the concept has become a valuable framework for connecting ecological change with societal impacts and resilience across marine systems.

Resilience in fisheries management was a central theme at the symposium. Kathy Mills, senior research scientist at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute and one of the keynote speakers, shared examples from fisheries in the northeastern United States, where responses to marine heatwaves have varied widely. “The examples I discussed from the Northeast U.S. suggest that resilience depends on the ability of both people and institutions to adjust as conditions change,” Mills remarked. 

Fisheries that have adapted successfully have often been able to shift fishing locations as species distributions change, target alternative species when availability fluctuates, and maintain access to infrastructure, markets and processing capacity.

“In many cases, it’s not a single adaptation that matters, but rather an alignment of flexibility across harvester, businesses, communities and management systems,” Mills said. “Nimble management systems that can respond to rapidly changing conditions, including making in-season adjustments when necessary, are important.”

The symposium also highlighted how fisheries science itself is evolving in response to changing oceans. Keynote speaker Lisa Kerr, a fisheries scientist and professor in the School of Marine Sciences at the University of Maine, discussed efforts to incorporate climate information directly into stock assessment models. Her research found that fisheries spent more time in an overfished state when climate patterns were excluded from assessments, underscoring the importance of accounting for environmental variability in management decisions. 

Kerr emphasized that climate-informed management depends not only on scientific observations but also on the knowledge of fishing communities, whose long-term experience on the water can provide valuable insights into changing fish distributions, species composition and ecosystem conditions. By combining stakeholder knowledge with traditional scientific data, researchers can develop management approaches that are better equipped to respond to rapidly changing ocean conditions. 

This was the first time the symposium has been held in Kodiak, a place powered almost entirely with renewable energy and an appropriate setting for these conversations. “Our remote Alaska island is home to a large number of federal and state scientists, university researchers, and an active and engaged fishing community directly affected by changing ocean conditions,” said Jennifer Gardner of NOAA Fisheries. “With deep connections to fisheries science, management and industry, Kodiak was a top choice for hosting discussions on marine heatwaves and fisheries resilience.”

Symposium participants toured the Kodiak Seafood and Marine Science Center as well as NOAA research facilities, where scientists are studying how commercially important crab species respond to warming bottom temperatures and changing ocean chemistry. Researchers recently completed a three-year study examining the energetic use across all benthic life stages of snow crab and will begin a similar effort on Tanner crab this summer. 

“This comprehensive approach allows us to further validate the recent snow crab collapse and look ahead to how changing environmental conditions will affect the commercial crab species that local fishermen rely on,” Gardner said. 

Attendees also experienced Kodiak through a rainforest hike and guided tour at Fort Abercrombie State Historical Park, and a screening of the documentary Keep Talking, which highlighted the importance of cultural knowledge and communication across generations. 

From evolving definitions of marine heatwaves to new approaches to fisheries management, the symposium highlighted both the challenges and opportunities facing marine science in a changing climate. While many questions remained, participants repeatedly returned to the importance of flexibility, collaboration, predictive science, and adaptation across management, fisheries, communities and scientists.

The Wakefield Symposium has been organized by Alaska Sea Grant since 1982, with the next symposium  planned for 2028.