Kirsten Dobroth, KMXT - Kodiak

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Dunleavy, Peltola request disaster funds for Bering Sea crab fisheries

Gov. Mike Dunleavy sought expedited disaster designations to compensate fishermen in the closed 2022 Bering Sea snow crab and Bristol Bay red king crab fisheries.

Bering Sea king and snow crab seasons canceled amid population declines

For the first time ever, the Bering Sea snow crab fishery will not open for the upcoming season. The Bristol Bay red king crab fishery will also be closed for a second year in a row.
a Kodiak spaceport sign

Commercial space industry counts on Kodiak launches, but some locals are a no-go

Kodiak’s Pacific Spaceport Complex could be a chance for Alaska to get in on the commercial space industry's ground floor — but it has to overcome some local opposition.

Kodiak’s St. Paul Preschool is closing, adding to island’s childcare shortage

St. Paul Preschool administrators say they can’t find a new director to keep the school open.
two men side by side

Challengers fillet Dunleavy’s fish policies at Kodiak debate

Gov. Mike Dunleavy didn't attend Monday's debate. The two gubernatorial candidates who did attend, Les Gara and former Gov. Bill Walker, took aim at his policies.

Kodiak investigators seize $656K in fentanyl, heroin, meth bust

Two people were arrested in Kodiak, with 11,457 blue fentanyl pills, 3.15 pounds of crystal meth, 89 grams of tar heroin, five handguns and $58,722 in cash confiscated.
rainbow fentanyl pills

Kodiak police find rainbow fentanyl pills amid increase in overdoses

Kodiak public health and law enforcement officials are sounding the alarm over a recently arrived wave of fentanyl — including a new form called rainbow fentanyl.
man standing at a microphone

Sen. Sullivan announces legislation targeting illegal foreign fishing operations during Kodiak visit

The FISH Act directs the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to compile a list of foreign vessels that have engaged in unsanctioned fishing and ban them from U.S. ports.
A line coming up to a boat attached to some buoys with kelp hanging down

NOAA publishes blueprint for mariculture research in Alaska

According to NOAA, 82 kelp farms – and additional 24 permits pending approval – are currently in operation in the state, mostly in Southeast Alaska and in the waters off Kodiak Island.
blue gloves hold a bat in the dark

Researchers hope Kodiak’s ‘Bat Week’ will help answer some questions about the animals’ lives in Alaska

“Our biggest question and what we wanted to know is: Where (do) these bats go during winter and what do they do when we’re not seeing them?" said Natalie Velez-Suarez.
a black and white photo of Alaska Native children sitting or standing in rows

Remains of Alutiiq girl taken from Kodiak more than 100 years ago will return to Old Harbor

According to records, Anastasia Ashouwak was taken from an orphanage on Woody Island in the Kodiak Archipelago and sent to the Carlisle Indian Industrial School after her mother died in 1901.
People at a burial ceremony

Remains of Alutiiq people returned to Kodiak after decades-long process

The remains of the four buried recently in Kodiak were too old to be identified, but there’s a sense that they’re finally home, the executive director of the Alutiiq Museum said.
a person flying a small plane

Alaska air carriers are feeling the pinch of nationwide pilot shortage

Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics points to nearly 150,000 vacant pilot positions that will need to be filled over the next decade.
a boy in a chair

Body of missing 7-year-old boy found on Kodiak’s Pillar Mountain

Troopers said there were no obvious signs of foul play identified at the scene and the investigation into the boy’s death is ongoing.
a boy in a chair

Search continues for 7-year-old Kodiak boy

Sawyer Cipolla was reported missing last Saturday afternoon.
A person wering orange gloves holds out mussels

Most paralytic shellfish poisoning cases were among Alaska Natives, but state lacks data for subsistence foods

Cases on Kodiak comprised 25% of statewide incidents of the illness. Areas in Southeast Alaska — like Juneau, Ketchikan and Prince of Wales Island — also recorded high case rates.
fish fillets

Alaska lawmakers applaud Biden administration ban on Russian seafood imports

The ban on Russian seafood imports is part of a series of escalating sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
A boat ties up to another boat

Stories from Gulf of Alaska fishermen are headed to the Library of Congress

This year’s contributions include stories from mail carriers in Appalachia and health care workers in the Hudson River Valley. Seldovia fisherman Josh Wisniewski’s recordings will be the first from Alaska.
A bear on it's back playing in snow

Winter means hibernation for some — but not all — of Kodiak’s bears

By late November and into early December, they head into their dens for hibernation — but not all of them. About 30% of the Kodiak male bear population don’t den at all, according to a state biologist.