Petersburg Pilot -

National Maritime Day on May 22 is a holiday created by Congress in 1933 to honor America’s sea-going industry. It marks the day when the steamship Savannah set sail from Georgia on the first ever transoceanic voyage under steam power. As...

Between 60 and 70 percent of Alaska’s seafood is exported to customers around the globe, and the strength of foreign currencies against the US dollar plays a big role in annual sales. Tracking by the Juneau-based McDowell Group for the Alaska...

Coast Guard Commercial Fishing Vessel Examiners will be conducting voluntary dockside examinations from Noon May 16 – Noon May 19. Anyone interested in a Voluntary Dockside Examination sign-up at the Petersburg Harbormasters Office. Voluntary...

It might still feel like winter but Alaska’s 2013 salmon season will officially get underway on May 16, when the first runs of reds and kings are scheduled to arrive at Copper River. The season’s first fish will attract the usual media hoopla –...

NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service will hold a meeting on Mon., May 13, 6-7:30pm in the Petersburg Assembly Chambers about the Alaska Mammal Observer Program for drift gillnet permit holders in Southeast Alaska. Those who cannot attend in perso...

Fishing industry stakeholders and federal managers in June will begin crafting a bycatch reduction plan for trawl groundfish fisheries in the Gulf. It will include some form of catch share plan, and as the main delivery port for more than $100...

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Small Game Program is asking upland bird hunters to submit one wing and the tail of each grouse and ptarmigan they harvest in Southeast Alaska this spring. Samples can be placed in wing envelopes available...

Marine boat anglers returning to ports in Petersburg from 12:01 A.M. Monday, April 29 through 11:59 P.M. Sunday, September 1, 2013, will be prohibited from filleting, mutilating, and de-heading sport caught lingcod, non-pelagic rockfish, and king...

Chinook salmon research money made it through the Alaska legislature this session but most other fish bills flopped. “The department asked and the legislature funded” said Kevin Brooks, Deputy Commissioner of the Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game....

Did you know that red king crabs are cannibals and eat their babies, but blue king crabs do not? Or that deep water golden king crabs along the Aleutian Islands are almost indestructible and appear to resist the effects of ocean acidification? Those...

Absent from supermarket fliers this spring have been ads featuring the year’s first fresh halibut, reflecting the anticipated push back by buyers to the high priced fish. “No ads in the papers. No excitement this year,” said more than one...

The Sitka Sound Herring fishery total harvest to date is approximately 5,600 tons leaving just under 6,000 tons remaining to be harvested of the season’s 11,549-ton guideline harvest level, according to a news release from the Alaska Dept. of Fish... Full story

A new plan is being crafted by federal managers for Gulf of Alaska groundfish fisheries that will reduce bycatch by trawlers, and it will very likely result in a catch share plan. Now is the time for fishing residents to make sure the new program pro...

It was unusually quiet along the waterfront as the halibut fishery got underway on Saturday. Most of the first fish landed goes to Homer, Kodiak and Petersburg and processors there said there...

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game will conduct commercial troll public meetings to be held in towns around Southeast Alaska and Yakutat. The Petersburg meeting will be held at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 3 in the assembly chambers. The Wrangell...

Halibut scientists plan to expand the yearly Pacific stock assessments by 30% next summer, adding 390 survey stations to the existing 1,300 already in use from Oregon to the Bering Sea. Since 1998 the halibut surveys, which occur from June through...

The just released “Fisheries Economics of the US” by NOAA Fisheries covers the commercial and recreational fishing industries from 2002-2011 and is loaded with descriptive seafood industry stats by region. The report, sixth in a series, tracks...

More wild salmon from Alaska will make its way to world markets this year if forecasts hold true for the 2013 season. State salmon managers are projecting a total catch of nearly 179 million fish this year, 30 percent higher than the 2012 harvest of...

In a word, the outlook for Alaska salmon markets this year is favorable. That’s the conclusion of Gunnar Knapp, fisheries economist at the University of Alaska/Anchorage in an overview of world markets to Alaska legislators. Knapp cited three key...

Dilution is the solution for pollution sums up the Parnell Administration policy when it comes to cruise ship discharges in Alaska waters. A bill being moved quickly by state lawmakers will repeal a 2006 citizens’ initiative that requires cruise sh...

Volunteers are needed to test drive some new money-saving methods for ‘do it yourself’ energy audits on fishing boats. “Just as with a home audit where you try and understand where your energy is going, you can learn how your vessel is consumin...

Halibut catches weren’t slashed as badly as people feared, although they still continue on a downward trend – and the outlook is grim. A coast wide catch of 31 million pounds was approved on Friday by the International Pacific Halibut... Full story

JUNEAU (AP) — Alaska's U.S. senators voted with the majority in supporting a $50.5 billion emergency relief package for victims of Superstorm Sandy. But Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Mark Begich expressed frustration that $150 million for Alaska and...

The Community Advisory Board of American Seafoods Company is now accepting applications for the Alaska Community Grant Program. The deadline to submit applications is Feb. 6 and the board will award $30,000 to selected organizations Feb. 14. Since...

Coast Guard Commercial Fishing Vessel Examiners will be conducting dockside examinations for Commercial Fishing Vessels in Petersburg February 6 – 8. Anyone needing an exam or interested in receiving a Voluntary Dockside Exam sign-up at the...