Joe Viechnicki, KFSK - Petersburg
Joe Viechnicki is a reporter at KFSK in Petersburg.
Commission Recommends Boost In Coast-Wide Halibut Catch
The International Pacific Halibut Commission Friday voted to recommend a 1.7-million pound increase in the coast-wide catch of halibut. The joint U.S. and Canadian body oversees management of the highly prized bottom fish from California to Alaska. The commission held its annual meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia this week.
Southeast Divers Finish Up Sea Cucumber Season
It was a relatively quick season for Southeast Alaska sea cucumber divers. The season closed in mid-November after the fleet landed a little more than a million pounds of the seafood delicacy. Meanwhile, it looks like diving for geoduck clams might not be over so quickly.
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Deadline Set; Southeast Wolves To Undergo ESA Review
The federal government has agreed to a deadline of the end of next year for an endangered species review for wolves in Southeast Alaska.
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Alaska Seeks Continued Involvement In BC Mine Review
The state of Alaska is requesting to be involved with Canadian approval of a proposed copper and gold mine across the border in British Columbia. State commissioners of three departments submitted comments on Seabridge Gold’s Kerr-Sulphurets-Mitchell or KSM mine this month.
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Air Force Cleans Up Cold War-Era Radio Site In Southeast
A large soil clean-up project at a former Cold War mountaintop radio site near Petersburg is underway this summer. A contractor for the U.S. Air Force is removing soil contaminated by fuel and building debris left at the site after it’s decommissioning almost three decades ago.
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Authorities Investigate Explosion in Petersburg
Details are emerging about an explosion that injured a Petersburg person over the weekend and has brought federal explosives agents there to investigate.
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Hatchery Chum Salmon Forecast Close To 2013 Levels
The first returns of hatchery chum salmon are showing up in fishing nets in Southeast Alaska this month. Summer chums play an important part in the early season for net fishing fleets and the troll fleet as well. Hatchery officials are forecasting runs close to last year’s.
Hatchery in Kake closing June 30th
A hatchery in the Southeast community of Kake is closing its doors this month and has released its final chum, pink and coho salmon. There’s still some hope that a larger regional hatchery organization can figure out a way to restart the salmon enhancement program there.
Groups Ask Seek Endangered Species Protection For Yellow Cedar Trees
Conservation groups are asking for endangered species protection for yellow cedar trees in Alaska. The trees have been dying off in portions of Southeast over the past century. Scientists say it’s likely due to a warming climate and lack of snow cover for vulnerable roots.
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Man killed in logging operation south of Petersburg
A 51-year-old Idaho man working on a timber sale near Banana Point south of Petersburg died Thursday after a tree top fell on him.
State Releases Plan For Maritime Workforce
It’s a topic talked about often around Petersburg – what kind of jobs are most needed for the fishing fleets and boats of this coastal community and how to fill those jobs. A new plan released by state this spring identifies the highest work force needs around Alaska for seafood harvesting, processing, fishery management as well as ship operations and repair. The plan also lists steps forward to fill those jobs.
State Ferry Columbia’s Return To Service Is Delayed
The state ferry Columbia will not be returning to service in Southeast Alaska this week as expected. A problem with one of the newly-installed engines on the 418-foot ship means the Columbia will remain in Bellingham awaiting a replacement part.
Groups Seek Decision On Status Of Southeast Wolves
Conservation groups filed a lawsuit Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Washington D.C. seeking a decision on the status of wolf populations in Southeast Alaska.
Some Southeast Chinook Runs Expected To Be Strong
King Salmon are expected to be plentiful in parts of Southeast Alaska this summer.
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game this month announced a king salmon harvest quota allowed under the Pacific Salmon Treaty and based on the forecasts of Chinook returning to rivers and streams on the Pacific coast of the U.S. and Canada.
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Fish And Wildlife To Review Southeast Alaska Wolves
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will review whether or not Southeast Alaska wolves should be listed for protection under the Endangered Species Act. The federal agency this month announced what’s called a “positive 90-day finding” on a petition to list the Alexander Archipelago wolf.
University, State Timber Offerings Planned Near Petersburg
Plans are starting to gear up for timber sales on state and university owned lands in the area of the Tongass National Forest.
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Record Run Leads To Glut Of Pink Salmon
The record setting pink salmon catch in Alaska last year has left seafood processing companies with several year’s worth of inventory of canned product, although not all of the pink salmon winds up in a can. In fact, industry in recent years has been freezing and reprocessing around half of Alaska’s pink catch. Analysts say that move has helped weather the boom and bust cycles of salmon returns.
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Southeast Commercial Halibut Catch Increased For 2014
Southeast Alaska’s commercial halibut catch limit is going up. The International Pacific Halibut Commission concluded its annual meeting Friday in Seattle and approved catch limits for Alaska, British Columbia, and the West Coast of the U.S.
Southeast Dungeness Crab Catch Surpasses Expectations
Southeast Alaska’s Dungeness crab fleet has exceeded expectations for the season, thanks to a strong catch during October and November.
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Gas Spills From Broken Pipe On Kake Waterfront
Officials say an estimated 5,500 gallons of unleaded gasoline spilled into the water Saturday in the small Southeast community of Kake.
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