In order to appreciate the Bering Sea, one must have an appreciation for complex relationships and the balance in nature. This harsh, and often deadly, marine environment has devastated coastal communities, yet the indigenous cultures that arrived here as recently as 10,000 years ago survive by the sea, and would likely perish elsewhere.

The Bering Sea is teeming with fish, crustaceans, sea birds, and mammals, all of which are essential to the subsistence and cash economy of the region. Here, you will find more of everything: several hundred species of birds, nesting in colonies that number in the thousands; millions of fur seals in centuries-old birthing grounds; the world’s largest concentration of walruses; and one of the world’s richest and most productive fisheries. One of the most dramatic migrations of marine mammals occurs here as this is the summer destination of the gray whales, which winter in the Sea of Cortés between January and March.

The Bering Sea, most scientists believe, stands as an indicator of climate change. Changes in the population of marine life, variations in sea ice, and warming of the ocean itself are noticeable measures of the physical and biological components of the ecosystem, although the effects are not yet completely understood. Each year ice may extend 600 miles south of the Bering Strait.

Named for Vitus Bering, a Danish mariner hired by the Russian empire to chart the area between Russia and the west coast of North America, and ultimately to promote Russian trade and industry, the Bering Sea is today as much of a scientific mystery as it was in 1741 when Bering and Georg Steller set out in uncharted waters. The second Kamchatka Expedition, with the vessels St. Peter and St. Paul, covered tremendous territory, and would change the course of history. Bering, commanding the St. Peter, ultimately discovered the Aleutian Islands. It was on this fateful voyage that Bering, sickened by scurvy, landed on an uninhabited island and eventually died. That island is now known as Bering Island.