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Media
 Norway Objects to the EU's Granting Cod Quotas in the Svalbard Zone. In a press statement last Friday, the Norwegian Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries writes that the EU's granting of quotas in the fisheries protection zone around Svalbard violates Norway's sovereign rights according to the UN Convention on Law of the Sea. "The EU has granted itself a quota of 28,341 tons of cod for 2021 in the fisheries protection zone. This violates Norway's sovereign rights according to the UNCLOS and we look gravely upon the EU's one-sided granting of quotas. I have therefore made it clear to the EU that any fisheries extending beyond the Norwegian-granted quotas will be considered illegal fisheries and asserted by the Coast Guard in the regular way", says Fisheries and Seafood Minister Odd Emil Ingebrigtsen (Conservatives). High North News
Experimental Genetic Testing of Siberia's Teenagers to Detect and Correct Deviant Behavior. Six local schools are taking part in a first of its kind project in Russia by Novosibirsk city's department of education, the Institute of Cytology and Genetics, and VedaGenetics company. The experimental research studies genes influencing levels of aggression, creativity and intellect in students aged from 11 to 17 years old. Participation is voluntary. Families pay 1800 rubles - 600 rubles for each gene - ($24.56 - $8.18) for genetic tests based on a mouth swab. Siberian Times
 The Port of Nome Plays a Role in Navy's New Arctic Strategy. The Department of the Navy recently published A Blue Arctic, which they describe as "A Strategic Blueprint for the Arctic." The 28-page document looks at the next two decades of Naval planning for the region which they see as becoming increasingly important in the global economy. They see their mission as fostering compliance with existing rules to assure a peaceful and prosperous Arctic region. "This regional blueprint focuses on cooperation, but ensures America is prepared to compete effectively and efficiently to maintain favorable regional balances of power," reads the document. According to A Blue Arctic, 90 percent of world trade travels by ocean. The amount of seaborne trade is expected to double in the next 15 years. As Arctic waters become more navigable, the volume of cargo and natural resources transiting to global markets will increase dramatically. Nome Nugget
In the Aleutians, Climate Change and Ocean Acidification Impacts Add to Legacies of Past Exploitation. In the waters around the Aleutian Islands, the 1,200-mile chain that arcs across the southern edge of the Bering Sea from Alaska to Kamchatka, modern climate change has layered atop a centuries-old legacy of human assaults to send combined impacts cascading through the marine ecosystem. Evidence is in the once-colorful corals that have nurtured schools of fish supporting some of the world's largest commercial seafood harvests. Under the clear waters is a pale world that signals a habitat in a tailspin. Arctic Today
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Future Events
2021 Camden Conference, The Geopolitics of the Arctic: A Region in Peril, February 20-21, 2021 (virtual). The 2021 Camden Conference will explore the Arctic, one of the world's least-known regions. The Arctic already is undergoing dramatic, irreversible changes traceable to global warming, and as these changes impact the pace of climate change, they forewarn of the challenges ahead for human, animal and plant habitats in this and other regions. With the retreating ice mass will come new opportunities to pursue exploration and extraction of vast resources. Will there be unregulated competition, or cooperation among governments and industries? What kinds of security challenges will come with ice-free borders? The territories of eight nations extend into the Arctic, but others -especially China- will assert rights of access and passage. Open waters will make shipping between Pacific and Atlantic ports much cheaper. What could all this mean for Maine with its accessible northern ports, maritime industry, and vulnerable location on a rising ocean? Former USARC commissioner Fran Ulmer will be one of the speakers at this event.
Simon Stephenson's retirement party. 3:00 to 4:00 EST on March 12, 2021 (virtual). Come celebrate our colleague and friend Simon Stephenson as he retires from federal service. As Section Head for Arctic Sciences at , Simon led international and inter-agency engagement in  support of the broad research goals of the Arctic Sciences Section. He provided the vision and has been the engine behind Collaborations for the past decade. We welcome an opportunity to honor these and his many other contributions to Arctic research. Old friends near and far are invited to share stories, raise a toast, and join in the celebration of Simon who has positively impacted so many.
 ALCOM's Arctic Senior Leader Summit, 2021, March 10-11, 2021 (virtual). In support of U.S. Northern Command's Arctic mission, please consider joining Lt General David Krumm, USAF, Commander Alaska Command, Alaska NORAD Region and 11th Air Force and a host of Defense and Security Leaders for Arctic Senior Leader Summit 2021 (ASLS 21) 10-11 March 2021. This event is oriented to addressing senior leader strategic views on the developing range of security and defense matters affecting the Arctic region. Due to the on-going complications of in-person meetings as a result of COVID 19, Arctic Senior Summit 2021 will be conducted via video conference. Day 1 of ASLS 2021 is focused on plenary presentations and follow-on strategic discussions. Day 2 ASLS 2021 is a planned tabletop exercise. Further details and registration to be provided soon via ASLS 21 planning team at the Arctic Domain Awareness Center. Please see: https://arcticdomainawarenesscenter.org/Events for more details or email ADAC center leadership at https://arcticdomainawarenesscenter.org/Team.
Arctic Domain Awareness Center's (ADAC) Arctic Challenges, Innovations, and Commerce Expo (Arctic CICE) Conference, March 16-17, 2020 (virtual). The Arctic Domain Awareness Center's (ADAC) Arctic Challenges, Innovations, and Commerce Expo (Arctic CICE) seeks to explore the networks, resources, and infrastructure needed to enable the commercial entrance of Arctic-related products and technologies into the Arctic domain. This expo will use an interdisciplinary and collaborative approach to foster conversations around Arctic-centered business pressure points, state-of-the-Arctic-focused R&D, gap analysis of investment and innovation, and the future of business in the region. Participants will be exposed to the latest hardware, software, and people-ware emerging to advance domain awareness, risk mitigation, exploration, Arctic operations, and overall, Arctic security.
Arctic Science Summit Week, March 20-26, 2021 (Lisbon, Portugal). The Portuguese Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education, the  Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) and the Local Organizing Committee will host the Arctic Science Summit Week 2021. The Conference is organized by FCT, Ciência Viva, AIR Center, the Portuguese Arctic Community and by IASC and partners. Framed by the overarching theme for the Science Conference "The Arctic: Regional Changes, Global Impacts," Lisbon invites International experts on the Arctic and Indigenous Peoples to discuss the "New Arctic" and also its impacts and interactions to and with the lower latitudes.
Advancing Collaboration in Canada-US Regional Security II, March 25-26, 2021 (virtual). The Arctic Domain Awareness Center (ADAC) and the North American and Arctic Defense and Security Network (NAADSN) will host this event as a follow up meeting on the Advancing Collaboration in Canada-U.S. Arctic Regional Security (ACCUSARS) conference in September 2020.The purpose of ACCUSARS II is to create a subset Strategic Foresight Assessment (SFA) for the North American Arctic, by specifically focusing on Alaska and Western Canada.
 One Health, One Future, April 6-11, 2021 (virtual). This is expected to be the largest circumpolar One Health conference held in the United States in 2021, with participation anticipated from across the Arctic region. The event is part of the United States contribution to One Arctic, One Health, an Arctic Council project now in its sixth year of operation. The project aims to develop a circumpolar network of One Health experts that can share knowledge, conduct exercises, and spur collaborative investigations of One Health phenomena.
2nd Symposium on Polar Microbes and Viruses, May 3-6, 2021 (Hanko, Finland). Organizers announce, that due to the coronavirus outbreak, the 2nd Symposium on Polar Microbes and Viruses has been postponed to 2021. This symposium will bring together molecular microbial ecologists specializing in different organism groups to share our latest results and discuss methodological problems, as well as future prospects in the field, including practical international collaborations. The environmental focus will be on cryospheric environments including sea ice, glaciers, ice sheets, and permafrost, but excellent research in other polar environments is also invited. The methods to be discussed will focus on 'omics' techniques, ranging from single cells to metagenomes, but research using additional methods is encouraged as well.
3rd Arctic Science Ministerial, May 8-9, 2021 (Tokyo, Japan). The  Japanese and Icelandic organizers of this ministerial continue to plan for an in-person ministerial, in Tokyo, but have moved the dates from November 21-22, 2020 to May 8-9, 2021 because of Covid-19. Since the last Arctic Science Ministerial in 2018, changes in the Arctic ecosystem and the resulting impacts locally and globally have been severely felt. Considering the need for climate change mitigation, adaptation, and repair measures, the relevance of an international Arctic Science Ministerial has never been greater. It is necessary to strengthen scientific cooperation and collaboration among both Arctic and non-Arctic States in order to develop our understanding of the rapid changes impacting the Arctic. The First Arctic Science Ministerial (ASM1) was hosted by the United States in 2016, and two years later, the Second Arctic Science Ministerial (ASM2) was co-hosted by Germany, Finland, and the European Commission. ASM3 will be co-hosted by Iceland and Japan.
Department of Homeland Security S&T OUP Centers of Excellence Summit, May 18-21, 2021 (virtual). DHS S&T's Centers of Excellence (COE) Summit is set and focused on Homeland Security Challenges: Evolving Threats & Dynamic Solutions. This event is a special opportunity for COE researchers to connect and network with DHS components, federal, state, and local stakeholders, as well as industry partners to present current and emerging solutions to threats and challenges faced by DHS. Attendees can visit the Innovation Showcase, where COE and vendor partners showcase research breakthroughs, new products and tools to assist operational decision-makers and dynamic solutions to secure our Homeland.
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External links in this publication, and on the USARC's World Wide Web site ( www.arctic.gov) do not constitute endorsement by the US Arctic Research Commission of external Web sites or the information, products or services contained therein. For other than authorized activities, the USARC does not exercise any editorial control over the information you may find at these locations. These links are provided consistent with the stated purpose of this newsletter and the USARC Web site.
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