PHANTOM · The Phantom Fish: Untangling the long co-evolution of herring and people along the Pacific Rim using ancient DNA and marine historical ecology

Herring have been a crucial resource for human communities across the northern hemisphere for time immemorial. In addition toproviding cultural and nutritional benefits, these forage fish are a keystone species in their environments, providing myriadecosystem services including acting as prey for many predators (bears, salmon, seabirds, fish, whales, pinnipeds, etc). In the 20th and 21st centuries, herring populations suffered commercial collapses, culminating in a wave of fisheries closures across the Atlantic and Pacific. The drivers behind these collapses are still debated, with some researchers arguing climate change is to blame and others concluding overfishing caused the population declines. PHANTOM will bring together an interdisciplinary research team to address the question of historical and recent population declines in Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii) in relation to climatic and anthropogenic forcing. To do this, PHANTOM will employ ancient DNA and genomic analysis in conjunction with local traditional knowledge from Indigenous communities in Alaska and Japan. Demographic modeling will be compared to changing climate and management regimes to assess their impacts on this keystone species. PHANTOM will train early-career researcher Lane Atmore in Indigenous- centered research and the development of genetic tools for monitoring and fisheries management to complement her existing expertise in historical ecology and genomic analysis. PHANTOM will culminate with the development of genetic tools and policy advice for Pacific herring management that integrates ancient DNA and local traditional knowledge. The Atlantic and Pacific fishing industries are currently facing challenges due to overfishing and rapid ecosystem change; creating more sustainable management regimes is our best defense against climate change and ensuring food security and economic stability for communities that rely on the sea.