Yereth Rosen

A brown bear stands in water in Katmai National Park on Sept. 27, 2022. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is poised to start a spring predator control program targeting bears west of the park, in the area used by the Mulchatna Caribou Herd. Some critics of the program say it might wind up killing Katmai bears.

Judge considers request to halt controversial bear cull

Yereth Rosen

The Alaska Wildlife Alliance wants to prevent the Department of Fish and Game from resuming a predator control program planned to start this month.

An invasive northern pike is shown to have its stomach stuffed with tiny juvenile salmon.

Environment

Higher temperatures spur Alaska’s invasive pike to eat more, a bad sign for salmon

Yereth Rosen

A University of Alaska Fairbanks study focusing on the Deshka River found that the predators have become even more voracious as the climate has warmed.

Environment

Biologists forecast a reduced Alaska commercial salmon harvest

Yereth Rosen

The lower numbers — the catch is predicted to drop by more than a third — are driven by off year for pink salmon

Mary Peltola poses for a photo with supporters at her Jan. 17, 2026

Politics

Peltola announces big fundraising haul, signaling an expensive Senate race in Alaska

Yereth Rosen

Alaska Democrat Mary Peltola announced that her campaign raised $8.9 million in the first quarter of the year, a record for any U.S. Senate campaign in Alaska.

Two brown bear cubs cuddle on a riverbank in Katmai National Park and Preserve

Environment

Critics of Alaska bear-culling program seek court order to block its resumption

Yereth Rosen

The motion stems from a lawsuit filed by the groups in November after the Alaska Board of Game reauthorized a Mulchatna predator control program that had previously been overturned by state court rulings.

Kinross's Fort Knox mine outside of Fairbanks in seen in this undated photo. Fort Knox produced 239,508 ounces of gold in 2024, according to the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, and it is one of the state's six major mines.

Economy

Metals mining in Alaska still a big source of jobs, money and exports, report says

Yereth Rosen

Mining, long a part of state history, is now a $4 billion-a-year industry in Alaska, with export value rivaling that of seafood, a state analysis shows.

Fishing vessels are seen in Homer's harbor on Oct. 22, 2025. A resolution passed by state lawmakers urges federal officials to extend the ban on Russian seafood imports. Russian fish competes for market share with Alaska's fish.

Alaska Legislature

Alaska lawmakers push for continued ban on Russian seafood imports

Yereth Rosen

The ban, imposed after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, is set to expire this year. A resolution is one of the measures intended to help the state’s seafood industry.

Ryan Jordan, owner of the Broken Oar Oyster Bar on the Homer Spit, holds fresh locally grown oysters on Oct. 23, 2025.

Environment

Warming conditions in Alaska waters present a new food-safety challenge

Yereth Rosen

Vibrio parahaemolyticus, a bacteria that commonly causes gastrointestinal illness, was previously no problem for Alaska seafood eaters. Now cases happen every year and the state has a control program.

Margo Reveil of Jakolof Bay Oyster Company holds a shucked oyster at a March 10, 2026 reception at the Mariculture Conference of Alaska in Anchorage. Oysters in Alaska grow more slowly than those in farther-south locations, but the final product is premium, an expert from New York told the conference audience.

Economy

Alaska mariculture industry, though dwarfed by those in other states, continues to grow

Yereth Rosen

Permit applications have increased and research and investment is ongoing, with goals of diversifying the industry and benefitting coastal communities.

Environment

Several historic oil spill sites in Alaska’s Prince William Sound are now deemed safe

Yereth Rosen

Remnants of spilled Exxon Valdez oil have persisted on beaches for decades, but much of what is left no longer poses problems, justifying a change in pollution classification, regulators say.