A Japanese research and training vessel from Hokkaido University in Sapporo, Japan, docked in Nome on Wednesday for a three-day port call during a multi‑week Arctic voyage.
On Friday researchers and students aboard the Oshoro Maru welcomed 24 community members for a tour of the ship's laboratories, control room and research stations. At the end of the tour, they gave a presentation on their research.
"We are honored to have you aboard," the ship's captain, Keiichiro Sakaoka, told attendees to begin the presentation. "We conduct oceanographic research and provide practical education to students. Through our work we aim to better understand the ocean and contribute to the sustainable use of marine resources."
The vessel is part of Hokkaido University's Arctic Challenge for Sustainability 3 project, which studies the impacts of climate change on Arctic ecosystems. Researchers and students aboard the ship are observing and sampling plankton, fish, seabirds and whale populations. They are also collecting and testing water and sediment for microplastics, which they said have so far been relatively low in the Bering Sea.
"I want to know how much impact climate change has on marine ecosystems," the chief scientist, Kohei Matsuno, whose research focuses on the Arctic, told attendees. “This region has the most rapid and most drastic changes in my understanding, and also very unique situations."
Matsuno said although a direct focus of their measurements is not harmful algal blooms – a topic of interest and concern for Nome residents on the tour like Alaska Sea Grant Marine Agent, Gay Sheffield – they have tested for them and have not detected any in the region so far.
Nome welcomes information exchange
The Oshoro Maru visited Nome in 2023, but crew members said this was the first time they’ve opened the vessel for tours and collaborated directly with local residents.
"I'm sure this opportunity can give our scientists and our students a chance to think more about local issues and what you see and what you know, and definitely give us good incentives to do our research," Hokudai University Associate Professor in Humanities, Fujio Ohnishi, told the audience.
Along with science students and researchers, the ship carries students studying economics, agriculture and business, to name a few. Ohnishi said humanities students are aboard to learn about the social landscape of the Arctic and the intersectional impacts of climate change.
At the end of the presentation, students asked attendees about life in Nome, including how residents balance the economic benefits and environmental impacts of resource extraction, how localized alcohol laws affect overall rates of alcoholism in Alaska, the relationship between fisheries and marine mammals, and food systems and food security.
"I always think Indigenous knowledge and traditional knowledge is the mother of all science. I think that's true for every culture." Ayla Knodel, University of Alaska Southeast student and Nomes Alaska Sea Grant fellow, said. "I am very grateful to be here. We are the next generation and we are in this together."
The Oshoro Maru departed Nome on Saturday to begin the second leg of its Arctic journey, which will go to the Chukchi Sea, before returning home to Japan.
