Lauren Rosenthal, APRN Contributor
Sea birds recolonize Attu Island amid toxic WWII battlefield remnants
It’s been seven decades since U.S. soldiers recaptured Attu Island from Japanese forces, setting off one of the bloodiest battles of World War II.
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Buldir Island a ‘life changer’ for seabird researchers
Imagine spending three months on a windy island at the tip of the Aleutian Chain. There's no internet, no cell phones, and not much company -- besides the millions of seabirds who flock to Buldir Island to build their nests. For some wildlife biologists, that setup is paradise -- and they'll do just about anything for the chance to find out what life looks like from Buldir.
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Caribou Emigrate From Adak; Feds Struggle to Stop the Spread
Every summer, a team of federal exterminators set up shop in the southwest corners of the state. Their job is to root out non-native animals that might disturb the Alaska Maritime wildlife refuge. Besides the usual rats and foxes, the refuge managers decided to target a new pest this season.
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Migrating Birds May Carry Viral Baggage
Right now, a lethal strain of bird flu is wreaking havoc in the Lower 48. It’s clear that migrating flocks have something to do with spreading the illness between farms and across continents -- but exactly what is still fuzzy. A remote spot in Southwest Alaska may hold some clues.
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NPFMC Tightens Limits on Chinook Bycatch
The Bering Sea pollock fleet is about to face tougher restrictions when it comes to salmon. This weekend, federal regulators agreed to tie the cap on Chinook bycatch to the health of Western Alaska’s runs.
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Shell Seeks Restraining Order Against Greenpeace
Meanwhile, Shell's attorneys appeared in federal court this afternoon to argue for a restraining order against Greenpeace.
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NPFMC Addresses Chinook Bycatch
This week, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council has been looking at ways to cut back on the number of Chinook salmon that get scooped up by commercial trawl boats in the Bering Sea. The goal is to send more salmon back to subsistence users around the state.
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Greenpeace Protestors Board Arctic Rig
Shell’s Arctic drill rigs have picked up some unwelcome guests on their trip across the Pacific Ocean. On Monday, six activists from Greenpeace boarded the Polar Pioneer rig.
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Former Seafood Processors Accept Plea Deal in Homicide Case
Two former seafood processors have pleaded guilty to fatally beating their co-worker in Unalaska. Instead of going through another trial, Denison Soria and Leonardo Bongolto, Jr., will serve 40 to 70 months in prison for the death of Jonathan Adams. He passed away after a fight at the Bering Fisheries bunkhouse in 2012.
Russian Trawler Capsizes Near Kamchatka
More than 50 fishermen have died after a Russian factory trawler sank in the Sea of Okhotsk on Wednesday.
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Entrepreneur Pitches “Fish Franks” As Key to Recovery in St. George
The Aleutian Marketplace contest was designed to gather ideas and provide funding for new start-up businesses around the Bering Sea. As the competition heads into its second round, one winner is asking for extra support -- and a chance to turn his recipe for success into the real thing.
Laurie Schmidt New VP For Shell Alaska
Shell Oil has replaced one of its top executives in charge of exploration off the coast of Alaska.
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Weather Doesn’t Stop Emergency Responders from Training at Dutch Harbor
Chilly winds and whiteout conditions didn’t stop a team of emergency responders from mounting a unique exercise at the Port of Dutch Harbor on Friday.
Coast Guard to Train for Shooting at Unalaska Docks
The Coast Guard is teaming up with emergency personnel in Unalaska to practice their response to a mass shooting on the docks -- in one of the region’s busiest ports.
As Budgets Shrink, State Eyes Cuts to Film Incentives
For the last seven years, Alaska’s offered financial incentives to draw filmmakers and TV crews to the state. But as lawmakers scramble to fill a widening gap in the budget, Alaska’s film tax credit program is on the chopping block.
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Port Officials Call For “Tweaks” to Shell Moorage Plan
As Shell tries to chart a course back to the Arctic this summer, the company is looking for new space to store its drill rigs in Unalaska.
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BOEM Assessment Suggests Shell’s Chukchi Leases Remain Intact
Federal regulators are recommending that Shell’s disputed oil leases in the Chukchi Sea be left intact. That’s the conclusion of a new assessment of Lease Sale 193 – the 2008 auction where Shell picked more than $2 billion worth of Arctic drilling prospects.
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Alaska Delegation Seeks New Limits On National Monuments
For over a hundred years, presidents have used the Antiquities Act to order permanent protections for federal land and resources at sea. Now, Alaska’s congressional delegation is looking to curb that authority.
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North Pacific Halibut Bycatch Limit Could See 50 Percent Cut
Halibut harvests have been on the decline in the Bering Sea for years, but the amount that trawlers and catcher-processors are allowed to take has stayed the same. Now, federal regulators have agreed to consider stiffer limits on halibut bycatch.
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String of Earthquakes Shakes Up Pribilof Islands
The Pribilof Islands aren’t usually prone to shaking. But more than a dozen earthquakes have been recorded in between St. Paul and St. George since Friday afternoon.
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