Climate-linked Changes in Marine Prey Fish in The North: Impacts On Human Nutrition and Food Safety in Rural Arctic Communities

The overall goal of the project is to determine how replacement of Arctic resident (cold water-type) prey fish by invading Subarctic (warm water-type) prey fish changes the food quality and safety of the marine food base for rural Arctic communities. This goal will be met by addressing the following three objectives: 1) measure and compare nutrient levels as indicators of food quality, among Arctic and Subarctic prey fish, 2) measure and compare contaminant levels, as indicators of food safety, among Arctic and Subarctic prey fish, and 3) determine influence of nutrient and contaminant changes in prey fish on local, wild-caught community foods, specifically, marine mammals.