High Chinook Restrictions Increase Chum Harvests, ADF&G Working to Sustain Fishery
With Chinook harvests shut down on the Yukon, summer Chum harvests are on the rise, and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game wants to make sure Chum stocks are managed sustainably.
ONC Cancels ‘Cultural and Social Harvest’
The social and cultural harvest of king salmon for Bethel and a subsequent community dinner have been cancelled. The events are sponsored by Bethel’s tribe, Orutsararmiut Native Council, and supported by the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation.
Seismic Flare-Ups Leave Scientists Searching For Answers
In the past few months, Alaska’s seen a flurry of volcanic eruptions and sizable earthquakes. It’s disrupted life in the Aleutian Islands and the far western Brooks Range -- and it’s got scientists wondering how all the activity might be connected.
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B.C. Developers Defend Near-Border Mines
Plans for mines in northwest British Columbia, just across Alaska's border, are being blasted by tribal, fishing and environmental groups in Southeast Alaska. Critics say they’ll pollute rivers that cross the border, damaging or destroying salmon and other fish runs. But what do we hear from the mining side of the story?
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OceansAlaska Admits Financial Problems
OceansAlaska, a Ketchikan-based shellfish seed producer, is in a financial mess. Officials with the nonprofit admitted as much during Monday’s Ketchikan Gateway Borough Assembly meeting. They asked the Assembly for more time to reconcile their accounts related to a borough grant, along with enough borough funding to keep the doors open through the end of July.
Alaska Communities to See More PILT
Interior Secretary Sally Jewell announced today the government is sending $28.5 million to local governments in Alaska to compensate them for the tax-exempt federal land within their boundaries. It’s called “Payment-in-lieu of taxes” and this year’s total is $2 million higher than last year.
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Obama Administration Shines Spotlight on Oceans
President Obama announced today he intends to vastly expand the Pacific Remote Islands marine sanctuary, putting a swath of the south-central Pacific off-limits to fishing and energy development. The announcement is part of a high-profile oceans conference taking place this week at the State Department. Australian scientist Ove Hoegh-Guldberg focused on ocean acidification, which he says undermines the entire marine food chain – from plankton and shellfish to bowhead whales.
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Steel Creek Fire Draws Speedy Response
A new Fairbanks area wildfire drew a major response last night. Alaska Division of Forestry information officer Sam Harrel reports that ground and air resources were tapped to attack the Steel Creek Fire, near mile 4 Chena Hot Springs Road.
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B.C. Mine Developers Defend Near-Border Projects
We’ve heard a lot about mines planned for northwest British Columbia, just across Alaska’s border. Southeast tribal, fishing and environmental groups have blasted those plans. Critics say they’ll pollute rivers that cross the border, damaging or destroying salmon and other fish runs. But we haven’t heard a lot from mine advocates. Now, we have.
Parnell Signs SB99 To Allow POW Mine Loans
Gov. Sean Parnell was in Ketchikan on Monday to sign into law Senate Bill 99, which allows the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority to issue bonds for two Southeast Alaska mining projects, plus a loan for Sitka’s Blue Lake Hydroelectric Project.
Potential PSP Case Reported From Clam Beach Clams
A man reported possible symptoms of Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning after consuming clams gathered near Clam Gulch on the Kenai Peninsula Saturday - one of the few beaches the state monitors.
Seismic Storm Continues in Noatak with Fifth 5.7 Quake
The seismic storm in the far-western arm of the Brooks Range that began nearly two months ago continued early Monday morning.
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Clean-Up Continues on Shishmaref Fuel Spill, Source Still Unknown
Local responders and the Coast Guard continue cleaning up the oily substance floating off the coast of Shishmaref.
Begich Painted as Soft on VA Scandal
Outside political groups are plugging Alaskan airwaves with ads about Sen. Mark Begich. One recent line of attack highlights the scandal at the VA, claiming Begich isn’t helping veterans. We take a closer look at the claim.
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Health Care Broker Enroll Alaska Scales Back
Enroll Alaska is scaling back its business in the state. The division of Northrim Bank launched last year with plans to help tens of thousands Alaskans sign up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. The company ended up with disappointing results and is now rethinking its strategy.
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Kuskokwim Fishermen Push for an Opportunity to Fish
At Thursday’s Yupiit Nation fish forum in Bethel, long-term planning for tribal fishery co-management took a backseat to the anxiety and uncertainly surrounding the current king salmon restrictions.
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Newly Forming Permafrost May Not Survive Century’s End
Scientists are announcing a surprising find from the arctic: new permafrost is still forming. But it is unlikely to survive beyond the end of the century. That’s according to a new study out this week in the publication Geophysical Research Letters. Researchers made the discovery at a lake in Alaska’s Eastern Interior.
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Air Quality Permit Raises Ire
The state Department of Environmental Conservation has given the go ahead for an air quality permit for Usibelli Coal’s Wishbone Hill mine near Palmer. The move has been met with outrage by members of the Castle Mountain Coalition, an anti-coal group in the Matanuska Valley.
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Subsistence Users Criticize Miners And Regulators At Nome Meeting
Subsistence users in Nome are criticizing gold miners and regulators for failing to take into account the negative impacts mining is having on other resources in the area. Officials from different agencies took public comment on the issue at a community meeting yesterday.
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Research Opportunities Abound In Funny River Fire Aftermath
The Funny River fire is now considered 60 percent contained, with minimal fire growth over the past few days. As the fire slowly burns out, scientists are excited about new research possibilities in the area.
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