Alaska fishers attest to climate change impacts in discourse on resource management under marine heatwaves

Abstract

Impacts of climate change on fisheries are intensifying, especially in northern latitudes, yet pathways to adaptation remain unclear. We analyze the vulnerabilities and adaptations of fisheries participants in discourse represented by public comments on state fisheries management in the Gulf of Alaska, where extreme climate events impact diverse and robust cultures of fisheries participation. With 18,422 comments by 5715 commenters from 2010 through 2021, we parse discourse through content analysis in a well-being framework and capture trends in principal component analysis. Climate change becomes more prominent in discourse with the impacts of extreme marine heatwaves. However, attribution and cognitive dissonance processes result in entrenchment of polarizing viewpoints between user groups on fisheries allocations and enhancements. Yet some adaptation pathways emerge that bridge fishing identities with empowered conservation. By expanding approaches to examining public discourse captured in big qualitative data, these methods and findings can help inform fisheries climate adaptation policy.