Planning Activities for Bering Ecosystem Studies (BEST)

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Funds are provided to facilitate the planning and implementation of the Bering Ecosystem Study (BEST) Program. BEST is motivated by the realization that the Bering Sea is in the midst of significant, interrelated physical and biological change that may impact the region's carrying capacity and productivity, the sustainability of fish and shellfish stocks of great economic value for the nation, and the livelihoods of Native communities and fishers. These changes involve climate forcing, physical properties and processes in the ocean, and biological responses from the level of the physiology of individual organisms to the structure and function of entire ecosystems. In response to these anticipated changes, the BEST Program will develop field research in the Bering Sea to assess how climate change will affect the ecosystems of the Bering Sea and their ability to support sustainable fisheries. Essential to this process is the development of implementation plans for the project as a whole, and for its components. The proposed planning activities are the next step in that process and include service as the synergistic planning, coordination, and administrative support center for BEST, as well as communication of the project's activities to the science community and the public at large. Due to the broad range of stake-holders, outreach will rely on many venues suited to reach the scientific community and different segments of the public, including Bering Sea Native communities, commercial fishers, educators at all levels from K through university, and resource managers not only in Alaska, but throughout the United States.