June 15, 2024
In early April 2024, METAL’s BRAIDED team traveled to St. Paul Island, one of the Pribilof Islands in the Bering Sea.
During their visit, they helped set up the new research laboratory at the Bering Sea Research Center (BSRC). A mercury analyzer (Nippon Solo) will be available at the BSRC for testing the total mercury concentration of community members’ subsistence foods.
Participation in the program is voluntary. This program will be managed by Veronica Padula (Chief Science Officer, BSRC) and administered by ACSPI Ecosystem Conservation Office's Island Sentinel, Dallas Roberts. Measurements collected through this partnership will be archived by the Indigenous Sentinels Network.
BRAIDED team members also held discussions with numerous community members to announce this new on-island capability and gain community perspectives and concerns regarding food safety.
All photos above by Lorrie Rea.
