The Humans in the Bering Sea Ecosystem Community Forum was held on 25-26 March 2004 in Anchorage, Alaska. Participants discussed the kinds of research that would best serve the interests of the resident communities of the Bering Sea, since these communities are the most directly engaged in and dependent on the Bering Sea system. These discussions led to the development of Sustaining the Bering Ecosystem: A Social Sciences Plan to initiate responsible community centered research and partnerships between communities and researchers.