Pribilof Islands

Fur seals haulout on beach below village of St. Paul
© Kim Heacox/Ken Graham Agency

Biological Significance:
Five islands comprise the Pribilofs: St. Paul, St. George, Otter Island, Walrus Island and Sea Lion Rock. The Pribilofs sit at the edge of the continental shelf with the shallower Eastern Bering Sea to the east and the deeper waters of the Aleutian Basin to the west. Currents from the southwest bring nutrient rich waters to the surface near the Pribilof Islands. These waters are responsible for the islands’ extraordinary biological wealth. Known as “the Galapagos of the North,” the Pribilofs are home to some of the largest breeding colonies of marine birds and mammals in North America.

Threats:

Throughout the last century, commercial whaling and fishing, pollution, and introduced species have put severe stress on the Bering Sea and its islands. Over the last 20 years, these human-caused stresses have added to natural climate changes. Many marine mammal, bird, and fish species are experiencing severe declines, and whole fisheries, such as the once lucrative king crab fishery, are decimated. On the Pribilof Islands in particular, residents have guarded against introduced species. As on all of the islands in the Bering, the introduction of rats, for example, to this fragile ecosystem could devastate seabird populations.

Conservancy Action:

In the past, the Conservancy has supported the Pribilof Island Stewardship Program, a local program in which Alaska Native youth disentangle fur seals from fishing debris, monitor shorelines, aid in alien species control, and learn about stewardship of their islands’ natural resources from Aleut elders and marine biologists. The Program is one example of the Conservancy’s commitment to supporting Bering Sea Native communities and their conservation initiatives.

In 1999, the Conservancy and World Wildlife Fund conducted the first ever conservation assessment of the Being Sea for habitat purposes. The assessment brought together the expertise of U.S., Russian and Japanese researchers with the traditional knowledge of Bering Sea residents. Copies of the assessment, which identifies patterns of biodiversity, pinpoints and prioritizes areas in need of increased conservation, and provides recommendations for action, are available to the public.

Building on this assessment, the Conservancy and World Wildlife Fund worked with the communities of both St. Paul Island and St. George Island to establish a conservation plan for the islands and the surrounding marine ecosystem, and are now implementing the plan, including a collaborative stakeholder process to explore protection of marine resources around the islands.