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Southeast Alaska's commercial red king crab fishery will open Nov. 1 after stock assessments revealed the highest red crab populations in decades. Last week, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced a regionwide guideline harvest level of 211,573 pounds for the 2025/2026 season, exceeding the 200,000-pound threshold required for a traditional competitive commercial fishery. The biomass numbers and the available surplus for harvest, came as somewhat of a surprise to fishery managers fishermen who had been preparing for a different type o...
The 2025 Southeast Alaska Purse Seine Fishery closed in early September with just under 20 million pink salmon landed - well below the forecast of 29 million and marking the lowest odd-year harvest since the 1980s. "Fair to say that the season was a disappointment as far as pink salmon harvest goes," said Troy Thynes, Alaska Department of Fish and Game Region I Management Coordinator. The disappointing harvest adds pressure to an industry already facing high fuel costs, inflation, and low...
Each Southeast troll fisherman can harvest another 15 Chinook salmon during a “limited harvest fishery” opening that’s set to begin Thursday, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced Monday. In the ten-day fishery, which is the third limited harvest opening of the summer season, trollers can take about 5,400 Chinook that remain in the allocation for all the commercial gear groups that harvest Chinook in Southeast. By state regulation, ADF&G at the end of the summer season may give trollers the opportunity to harvest any Chinook alloc...
August 28, 1925 – The Alaska Fisherman in its August number makes some very serious charges about the waste of herring that should be investigated. It mentions the names of several persons and alleges that these dumped large quantities of herring into the bay. Herring as a food fish is as valuable, if not more so, than salmon. Its fine qualities are becoming known. It is being put up for the market in increasing quantities each year. Over $12,000 was this season expended in Petersburg by one firm alone for herring for the middle western m...
After six years of collecting data using trail cameras, radio collars, and DNA analysis, a deer population research project on Mitkof Island, currently led by Ketchikan-based Alaska Department of Fish and Game Wildlife Biologist Tessa Hasbrouck, is entering its final phase. Historically, deer population monitoring in Southeast Alaska relied on relatively simple methods. Biologists would walk through the woods each spring counting deer pellets, or fly over alpine areas in summer tallying visible...
The elementary school's new counselor Dave Fonken comes to Petersburg from Southern Oregon. He says he found Petersburg's thriving school community and endless local outdoor recreation opportunities very appealing. "I was looking for a combination of a really healthy district with a lot of places to play," Fonken explains. "Both of those things really came together here." Fonken brings eleven years of school counseling experience to his new role. His journey in education began as a Spanish...
Fisheries managers cut short this summer's Southeast Alaska commercial dungeness crab season by six days because initial harvest projections fell below the required threshold for a full season. But now, after determining that a high number of soft-shelled crabs contributed to low harvest projections, managers have opted to open fall dungeness fishing for its full length. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced Monday that the fall dungeness crab season in Southeast Alaska will proceed f...
Help Wanted: Unique opportunity to lead the largest state in the country, with more miles of coastline, taller mountains, more fish and game, more dreams and less reality than those other 49 pipsqueaks. Dynamic, convincing decision maker with strong personality needed to lead the second youngest state in the nation into the future, albeit without enough money to meet all its needs. It’s a fixer-upper job; the current employee has let a lot of things go bad, never learned to get along with co-workers, and hasn’t been working all that hard. Whi...
Hatchery managers had hoped that June's steady rainfall would spare them from having to intervene in this year's king salmon run, allowing fish to reach Crystal Lake Hatchery naturally without the stress of human handling. Those hopes evaporated in late July when a few hot days right at the wrong time caused a significant mortality event for king salmon transiting the shallow waters between Blind River Rapids and Crystal Lake Hatchery. On July 20, after observing a hundred or more king salmon...
August 7, 1925 – There was a time when trollers in Alaskan waters lived on a crust of bread and enjoyed few luxuries and far between, but now ‘all the comforts of home’ are available for the fleet, even unto a fresh milk diet. For instance the Dairy and Grocery of Petersburg ships some 90 gallons of fresh milk on every mail boat to Port Alexander. Whether trollers do better on a ‘milk diet’ than they formerly did on ‘sourdough goulash’ or whatever they could rake together quickly on a gasboat for a meal, is something for the scientists to...
We Deserve More Than Shrugs To the Editor: I’m writing because my patience has completely run out. For months, my garbage cans have been pillaged by bears while the troopers and Fish and Game do absolutely nothing – unless you count shrugging, handing out useless advice as ‘action’ and threats of fines. Frankly, I’m tired of watching my street turn into a dumpster buffet for wildlife while the powers that be don’t lift a finger. It’s bad enough that I have to spend my mornings cleaning up after oversized, uninvited guests. Worse, our kids have...
In a new administrative action, Gov. Mike Dunleavy is ordering “efficiency reviews” of state agencies and asking departments to use artificial intelligence software as part of an effort to identify budget cuts. The reviews will take place annually, according to Dunleavy’s new administrative order, published Monday, and would become part of the state’s annual budget process. The reviews will initially focus on “grants to non-State of Alaska entities” and “accounts payable,” according to a copy of the text available online. The reviews are int... Full story
The opportunity is growing for home builders in Petersburg to use locally milled Tongass timber in their new building projects. The sawmill on Falls Creek Road - Alaska Timber and Truss, owned in partnership by Brett Martin and Mike Duman - is offering complete home and cabin kits using locally harvested timber. The operation produces solid wall and timber frame cabin kits and larger stick-built home packages. "The cabin kits are kind of more of a traditional size ... generally speaking, under...
King salmon fishing is back on for nonresident sport anglers in Southeast Alaska, effective Monday, Aug. 4, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game has announced. Chinook retention has been closed since July 7 for nonresidents fishing in Southeast. Fish and Game said at the beginning of July that it would be putting an indefinite pause on out-of-state residents’ harvest because the sport sector was on track to exceed the regionwide sport harvest target for Chinook. The July 7 closure was geared at providing uninterrupted harvest opportunity f...
A group of volunteers searched the south end of Mitkof Island for European green crab on July 18, looking for any sign that the highly invasive species had reached central Southeast Alaska after other sightings southward. After a couple hours of scouring a rocky beach near Woodpecker Cove for crab carapaces (molted shells), there was a close call with a live green crab that the group captured. Sunny Rice, an agent of marine conservation group Alaska Sea Grant, hurried over to inspect it. After...
Nonresident anglers fishing in state and federal waters can’t retain any Chinook salmon that they catch in Southeast Alaska between July 7 and when the season ends Sept. 30, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced Monday. The department projects that the sport sector, including both residents and nonresidents, would exceed this year’s sport harvest target by about 5,000 Chinook if no action were taken to curb the nonresident catch, ADF&G Sitka area management biologist Troy Tydingco said in a phone call with the Sentinel on Tue...
Middle school students will have the chance to test water samples under microscopes, hike creek beds with a hydrologist, and learn forest management techniques from a U.S. Forest Service forester through a new science education program launching this summer. The Petersburg Public Library has partnered with Alaska Sea Grant to offer “Wonder Camp,” a series of five separate day-long programs designed to introduce students entering sixth, seventh, or eighth grade to real-world science careers in...
King Salmon: The Blind Slough/Wrangell Narrows Terminal Hatchery Fishery has been ongoing since May 15th with catches improving each day and peaking in a couple weeks. The majority of marine waters in the Petersburg / Wrangell area are open to king salmon retention by June 15. The exception to that are waters adjacent to the Stikine River which will not open until July 15. King salmon regulations have changed since last year. We have a separate set of regulations for the Blind Slough / Wrangell Narrows Terminal Harvest Area, Anita Bay, Gunnuk...
After a poor showing last year, Alaska’s statewide commercial salmon harvest appears poised for a rebound, according to projections by state biologists. This year’s total salmon harvest is expected to be more than twice as big as last year’s total, thanks primarily to stronger returns of pink salmon, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s annual statewide run forecast and commercial harvest projection. The report was released this week. The department’s projected 2025 total harvest is 214.6 million fish, above the 2000-2023... Full story
Markus Anderson What subjects or classes did you enjoy the most, and which ones challenged you the most? I enjoyed math, choir, shop, mactech. I think math was the most challenging but I really enjoyed my teacher. What advice would you give to incoming freshmen? I would say to keep a open mind and try new things. Also procrastinating is one of the worst habits to develope. Play some sports, stay active. Please describe a specific moment or event from high school that stands out as a highlight for you? One moment for me would be going to state...
May 15, 1925 – With its shrimp, clam and crab plants, Petersburg is the center of the shell fish industry in Alaska. Last Saturday an additional payroll was added by the Star Shell Fish Company starting to put up crab meat in the old Ness Shrimp plant on the Union trading dock. The cannery is divided into three rooms – the dooking department, the cleaning room and the picking room. The plant has been made comfortable and modern sanitary methods are used. The incorporators for the new industry are Ben Grondahl, Chris Christensen, Hans Wick and...
April 24, 1925 – A number of property owners along the Scow Bay Road desire annexation to the city. This shows they are progressive and want to share in the benefits and also assume their share of the burden towards a greater Petersburg. It is the old story all over again – when a city is progressive and goes ahead, people can afford to pay taxes. Everything they own and possess increases proportionally in value. A residence or a piece of property without taxable value is of little benefit to the owner or anyone else. Petersburg is going ste...
Southeast Alaska's golden king crab fishery reached an all-time high value of $5 million in 2025, marking an impressive recovery for a fishery that was struggling just a few years ago. The East Central management area, which includes waters around Petersburg, led the record-breaking season with a harvest value of $2.97 million, according to Alaska Department of Fish and Game data. The unprecedented value comes despite lower harvest volumes than last year. Fishermen landed 177,060 pounds from...
April 17, 1925 – Can the halibut industry be stabilized? Can boat owners and fishermen reach an agreement among themselves for the conservation of this important industry and in order that they may get their just proportion of the proceeds? Is the present duty of two cents per pound more harmful than good to the industry as a whole? Will it hurt the American fishermen if the Port of Prince Rupert is closed? These are some of the questions those engaged in the industry are now pondering. The Herald welcomes comment on this subject, one of the mo...
On April 15 the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Sport Fish, announced the sport fishing regulations for Alaska hatchery-produced king salmon in areas near Petersburg and Wrangell. Anita Bay Terminal Harvest Area Described as the waters of Anita Bay south and west of a line from Anita Point to 56° 14.26’ N. lat., 132° 23.92’ W. long. The following regulations will be in effect Sunday, June 1 through Saturday, June 14, 2025: Bag and possession limit (all anglers) of one king salmon greater than 28 inches in length; Nonre...
