Molly Dischner, KDLG - Dillingham

The United States Department of Agriculture announced Wednesday that it will buy half-pound cans of sockeye salmon from Icicle Seafoods and Peter Pan for federal food programs.

The Pebble Limited Partnership is asking for a former Environmental Protection Agency official to be subpoenaed as part of the lawsuit over the agency’s alleged violation of federal regulations. The case is in front of Federal District Court Judge H. Russel Holland, who denied the EPA’s motion to dismiss the case in June.

The Togiak National Wildlife Refuge encompasses 4.7 million acres in southwestern Alaska, from the west side of Bristol Bay, near Dillingham, west to Togiak and north to the Quinhagak and Platinum region. Each year, refuge staff organizes a high school science camp, conducted via float trip, to show area students a little sliver of the refuge in their backyard. Earlier this month, six students from Dillingham and Twin Hills floated the Pungokepuk River. Download Audio

The Alaska salmon processors at odds over who can use the the Marine Stewardship Council’s blue sustainability logo have finally reached an agreement.

Despite the new ways of marketing and selling salmon, canned fish remains a major product in Bristol Bay. In 2013, 38 percent of the salmon coming out of the bay was put into cans. But they aren’t exactly flying off the shelves. A marketing maestro working with the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute to change that. Download Audio

Bristol Bay fishermen had their biggest haul of the season July 8, with about 1.7 million sockeye harvested, including 1 million from the Naknek-Kvichak district. Download Audio:

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is still finalizing a plan to for the most recent cut to its budget, but Bristol Bay shouldn’t see too many more cuts, said Commercial Fisheries Director Jeff Regnart during a recent visit to Dillingham

Every year dozens of boats travel back to Bristol Bay. Some ride on tenders or cargo ships, and some steam themselves around False Pass, a journey of more than 1000 miles that can be treacherous. But about 60 boats, most from Homer and Kodiak, take a different route across the Chigmit Mountains on the Alaska Peninsula. KDLG's Molly Dischner tagged along with a captain and crew bringing their 32-foot drift boat back to the Bay after a winter of maintenance in Homer. Download Audio

Setnetters in the Nushagak Section had their first opportunity to put their nets in the water Sunday night.

Every year, millions of sockeye salmon return to Bristol Bay, headed for spawning grounds in area rivers. Little is known about what happens to outbound juvenile fish each spring. Download Audio: