Bring Back The Crabs And The Salmon

Action Plan for IMMEDIATE Sustainable Replenishment of Bering Sea Aeolian Iron Dust (2025–2027 and Beyond)

The Bering Sea “Ice Pastures” have been collapsing before our eyes — neither from neglect nor the actions of some unidentified hoody “bad guy”, but from our failure to act. These “ice pastures” were once sustained by vast seasonal ice and the tiny amounts of windblown dust/iron accumulated over the long ice season. The incredible Bering Sea Ice Pastures are now starved of the iron they need torelease when the ice melts for the Bering Sea to bloom with life. In lockstep with disappearing ice, plankton have faded, its crabs have vanished by the billions, (losses of more than $200 million catch value in a single year).

Bering Sea King and Chum/Dog salmon have little left to eat, it comes at the worng time and place, and they are starving and lost at sea and not returning to their natal rivers and hence neither do the people (and dogs) of the Yukon and Kuskowhim River systems. We cannot stand by and merely allow our government to dutifully merely watch, measure, and report on tragic the death of this vital ecosystem. We must take charge — now — to restore the natural cycles that once made the Bering Sea one of the most productive marine pastures on the Blue Planet.

YK Salmon harvest now gone — Yukon Kuskowhim salmon once the mainstay of regional nutrition is no more

We know how to do it using Nature-Based ocean pasture restoration!

Purpose:
To demonstrate and prove, through rigorous scientific monitoring and responsible multi-year meso-scale series of ocean pasture replenishment and restorations, that annual Nature-based replenishment of a small, ecologically appropriate prescription of natural iron-rich dust to the Bering Sea “ice pastures” will restore and sustain primary ocean productivity at historic levels and character of health and abundance, protect the marine food web, and dramatically help buffer ocean acidification during a time of unprecedented environmental change.

I. Background and Urgency

In 2012, the world witnessed the first large-scale demonstration of ocean pasture restoration led by Indigenous leadership and scientific collaboration — the Haida Salmon Restoration project. As Chief Scientist and project co-lead, Russ George worked with the Haida Nation over 3+ years to go though the intense review and form the public-private-partnership that included Canada’s Federal government, British Columbia’s Provincial government, and the First Nations government to develop and use nature-based methods and materials to replenish iron to a depleted North Pacific ocean pasture.

The results were a true wonder of nature and historic: within a year, Alaska experienced the largest salmon returns in recorded history, with pink salmon catches soaring to more than 225 million fish, when the forecast catch was expected to be 50 million. This success, born of ancient wisdom and modern science, proved that restoring plankton pastures is not only possible — it just works! Now, with the Bering Sea in even greater peril, the urgency to act has never been clearer.

The collapse of Bering Sea crab stocks, the disappearance of King and Chum salmon in the region, and the overall decline in marine productivity correlate with the loss of natural inputs of iron from aeolian dust and seasonal sea ice. Bering Sea dust comes from the deserts of China and Mongolia, and that vital ocean dust is today only 20% of what it was in the 1950’s. More grass growing in Asia means less dust blowing to the Bering Sea.

As sea ice diminishes, so too does its role as a collector and timed delivery system for iron to ocean pastures. Today, the Bering Sea remains ice-free for most of the year, and ocean acidification and iron starvation is a growing ecological crisis.

Restoring even a modest, nature-mimicking fraction of the iron that once arrived with seasonal dust and sea ice can reawaken the ocean pastures that support marine life from plankton to people.

Sea Ice bloom ecology — Sea Ice is a vital micronutrient supply for Bering Sea Ice Pastures, as the sea ice disappears the pastures are in trouble

II. Objectives (2025–2027 and Beyond)

Prove feasibility at real world functioning ecological scale the effectiveness of targeted, annual nature-based iron replenishment in the Bering Sea.
Quantify ecological responses at all trophic levels, from phytoplankton to commercial and vital cultural species of fish and sealife.
Demonstrate safety, transparency, and economic viability of the replenishment and restoration works.
Build scientific consensus and public trust to support expanded action post-2027.

III. Implementation Timeline

Year 1 (2025): Pilot Deployment and Baseline Science

Select 1–2 target Bering Sea Ice pastures (~10,000 km² – 50,000km² each) based on historic productivity and ecological need.
Apply ~100 tonnes of nature-based iron-rich dust per pasture via environmentally safe and simple methods we have proven works.
Deploy myriad scientific instruments: ships, buoys, drones, satellite sensors, and AUVs for tracking.
Establish biological and chemical baselines (chlorophyll, pH, dissolved CO₂, +++, zooplankton, crab and salmon returns).
Engage local Indigenous and fishing communities in field observation and co-management.

Year 2 (2026): Expansion and Replication

Expand to 3+ pastures, repeating successful Year 1 methods.
Increase spatial and temporal resolution of monitoring.
Begin multi-trophic level ecosystem modeling.
Host first international field symposium on ocean iron replenishment in the Arctic.

Year 3 (2027): Validation and Policy Acceleration

Continue with additional pasture replenishment and restorations work.
Compile 3-year synthesis of biological recovery and biological flux data
Publish peer-reviewed scientific papers and open-source datasets.
Launch policy advocacy campaign urging permanent replenishment operations with global climate benefits.

IV. Operational Framework

Material Source: Naturally sourced, finely powdered iron mineral dust matching the geochemical signature of historic Asian dust.
Delivery Method: Cpontrolled ship based delivery of the prescribed dust.
Oversight: Managed by our world class leadership in ocean pasture restoration business and science with public reporting and external audits.
Governance: Operate under appropriate Federal and State law.

V. Expected Outcomes

This initiative is guided by the understanding that we must move from passive observation to active nature-based replenishment and eco-restoration. As we launch and refine this vital work we also set a precedent for long-term care — a stewardship model in which we, as beneficiaries of ocean life, assume the responsibility to give back. Restoring a fraction of the natural iron cycle is not only possible but necessary to help the ocean endure in a rapidly changing climate.

Measurable increases in chlorophyll-a and plankton productivity.
Recovery signals in crab larvae, forage fish, and seabird populations.
Stabilization of ocean pH in treatment zones.
Model validation showing alignment with historic productivity patterns.
Foundation for long-term ocean restoration funding.

VI. Conclusion

This multi-year action plan is a commitment to do more than just observe decline, and to establish a sustainable model for ongoing ocean stewardship beyond 2027. It is a call to give back to the Bering Sea — not with foreign chemicals or speculative geoengineering, but with a humble helping of the same dust it once received from the wind and ice. We must act now, decisively and wisely, to sustain life in the Bering Sea while we still can.

Social Media Snippets & Hashtags

Help amplify the message and build momentum for ocean restoration. Use and share these:

Hashtags:
#OceanRestoration #BeringSea #IronForLife #OceanPastures #ClimateAction #CrabCollapse #DustToLife #RestoreOurSeas

Snippets:

“The Bering Sea is starving — not from overfishing, but from iron deficiency. We’re restoring the missing link. #OceanRestoration #IronForLife”
“Crabs can’t survive without plankton. Plankton can’t grow without iron. The sea once gave it freely — now we must give back. #RestoreOurSeas”
“Nature once fed the ocean with dust carried by wind and ice. We’re bringing it back, responsibly and scientifically. #DustToLife #BeringSea”
“It’s time to stop just monitoring ocean collapse and start healing it. Replenish iron, restore life. #CrabCollapse #ClimateAction”
“This is not geoengineering. It’s ecological stewardship. The Bering Sea needs iron — and we know how to deliver it. #OceanPastures #IronMatters”