The Yukon River king salmon run is shaping up to be the slowest on record. Also, NOAA tries to help coastal Alaskans make sense of climate change. Plus, Alaska Airlines pledges not to abandon in-state service Also, KEYS, the Y-K Delta’s only emergency intake home for children in crisis is set to close. Those stories and more on tonight’s Alaska News Nightly, broadcast statewide on APRN stations.
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Yukon King run could be slowest on record
Tim Bodony, KIYU – Galena
The king salmon run on the Yukon River is turning out to be one of the weakest on record. State and federal managers are predicting that the run will not be large enough to meet escapement goals, a typical subsistence harvest, and Canadian border passage commitments. In an effort to protect as many king salmon as possible, the Department of Fish and Game is beginning to shorten subsistence fishing periods on the lower Yukon. They’re also outlawing the type of nets that are most effective at catching king salmon.
Weak salmon runs weaken Kodiak’s economy
Casey Kelly, KMXT – Kodiak
The weak start to the salmon season has caused fishing restrictions on several Kodiak rivers. The latest is the Ayakulik River, where only about 500 King salmon had passed the weir as of last Friday. The late start to the season is affecting businesses around the island.
Chitina Dip Netters look to defend their turf
Dan Bross, KUAC – Fairbanks
The Chitina Dip Netters Association is creating a legal fund to look into key issues affecting the popular Copper River fishery. Chitina Dipnetters Association president Byron Haley of Fairbanks says one priority concern is the fisheries designation. The Board of Fish currently classifies dip netting as a personal use fishery. Haley says dip netters may challenge that in hopes of getting it back up to the higher priority subsistence status.
Curbside recycling could come early in Juneau
John Ryan, KTOO – Juneau
Juneau officials say curbside recycling could be available in parts of the city by next summer. City attorney John Hartle told the Juneau Assembly this week that efforts to develop the program are going much better than predicted.
Angoon seeks to germinate new businesses
Weld Royal, KTOO – Angoon
Borrowing ideas from Silicon Valley and the former Soviet Union, a business incubator in the Southeast Tlingit village of Angoon hopes to spawn new
companies.
NOAA tries to make sense of changing climate
Anne Hillman, KIAL – Unalaska
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, is funding new research in Alaskan coastal communities to help people adapt to new weather patterns caused by climate change. Researcher Phillip Loring says he’s focusing on how these patterns affect people’s lives.
CIRI sets itself an ambitious agenda
Len Anderson, KSKA – Anchorage
Wind energy and commercial development are just two new ventures that Cook Inlet Region Incorporated, or CIRI — has embarked on in Anchorage and South Central Alaska. Yesterday one of CIRI’s leaders described some of the company’s current projects to the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce.
YK home for children in crisis may have to close
Kenny Steele, KYUK – Bethel
The State and Bethel-based Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation have come up with a date to close KEYS – the region’s only emergency intake home for youth. If the State does not find another vendor, Y-K Delta children in crisis will have to be sent to Anchorage.
Leaving Barrow after 30 years
Earl Finkler, KBRW – Barrow
Tomorrow, long-time KBRW morning host Earl Finkler, his wife Chris, and two Greenland Huskies – Nuna and Avu – begin a long move from Barrow to a small town in Northern Wisconsin. Tonight, he reflects on his 30 years of planning and broadcasting in Barrow.
