Sorted by date Results 876 - 900 of 944
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 free from local ADF&G offices or the samples can be dropped off in a paper bag. Hunters are asked to include information regarding the date and approximate harvest location along with each wing and tail sample submitted. By submitting a wing and tail from each harvested grouse and ptarmigan, hunters...
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. “There is a little bit of repackaging, if you will, but there is a lot of money in this budget to do some good work on Chinook, and all species of salmon statewide.” Last November, in response to drastic reductions in king salmon returns and crippling fishing closures, Governor Parnell said his FY2014...
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced last week that the preseason Chinook salmon all-gear harvest quota for Southeast Alaska in 2013 is 176,000 fish. The 2013 quota is 90,000 fish lower than the 2012 allowable preseason Chinook all-gear harvest level of 266,800. The Chinook Technical Committee of the Pacific Salmon Commission determines the annual all-gear quota for Southeast. The quota is based on the forecast of an aggregate abundance of Pacific Coast Chinook salmon stocks subject to management under the treaty. Most Chinook...
Carmen Nancy Lopez, 51, Carmen entered the Alaska Native Medical Center in Anchorage November, 2012 and remained there until she was transferred to her niece Cerise Sander’s home for hospice care. She was called home to be with her Lord on March 19, 2013. She was born on October 11, 1961 to Ethelyn and Art Lopez in Petersburg, Alaska. Her ancestry consisted of the Tlingit tribe on her mother’s side and Colombian Spanish on her father’s side. She was of the Raven moiety, her clan was Tak... Full story
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 and Game. Major spawning in Sitka Sound began on March 28 and peaked on March 31 with 28.2 nm of shoreline with active spawn. On April 2, active spawn included 6.6 nm of shoreline indicating the major spawning event is concluding. The total cumulative shoreline with spawn documented to date is 42 n... Full story
The Sitka Sound Sac Roe Herring fishery’s first opening lasted about 3-hours and brought in an estimated 1,500 tons. 48 boats fished the opening which began at 3 p.m. and closed at 6:05 p.m.Wednesday. The fishery has been on 2-hour notice effective 11:00 a.m., March 25. That morning the Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game conducted a vessel survey aboard the R/V Kestrel. This survey covered areas north of Sitka including along the road system up to Old Sitka Rocks, the waters west of Crow Island and along the Kruzof Island shoreline south of Inner P... Full story
Alaska’s Board of Game took a step toward a potential wolf control program on Gravina Island recently when it directed the state to prepare an “operational plan” for the board to consider in March. Meeting earlier this month in Sitka, the board accepted the feasibility studies completed by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game regarding the potential for wolf control programs on Gravina Island and in limited areas near Petersburg to help boost deer populations. “We believe that this is a project that the department could accomplish and be...
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 meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 3 in the Wrangell Fire Hall. Meeting topics will include, but are not limited to, plans for the 2013 spring and summer troll fisheries, the 2013 Pacific Salmon Treaty Chinook salmon abundance index and quota, a review of the 2012 troll season, and...
Erin Marie Watkins and Matthew McLean Kandoll were wed in Sayulita, Mexico, January 10, 2013. Erin, daughter of Ken Watkins and Christine Watkins, was born in Winchester, Ind. and has called Petersburg home since 2008. She works for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, as a Boat Officer on the R/V Kestral. Matthew son of Brian and Carol Kandoll, was born and raised in Petersburg. Following in his father's footsteps, he joined the family business as a young man, and is a commercial fisherman... Full story
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 factors for the short term outlook: lower sockeye harvests, strong canned salmon markets with low inventories, and strengthening prices for farmed salmon. Lower harvests can boost prices, and Alaska wild salmon tends to follow the price trend for farmed salmon, which dominates global markets. A...
Can’t kill our way out of mess To the Editor: If we’ve reached a new biological cliff and are turning to preditor control as our last tool in the toolbox, it means we’ve failed. We’ve failed to manage ourselves and the need for a scapegoat. The reality is a number of human factors have led to dramatic declines in deer populations and we can’t simply kill our way out of this mess. The state manages deer for maximum huntable populations. The problem is, the forest service manages the land for industrial clear cutting using a 30 year old faulty de...
December 6 Jennifer L. Kadake, 26, appeared before Magistrate Desiree Burrell for an arraignment hearing for a petition to revoke parole. A public defender was assigned to the case and further proceedings were set for Jan. 15, 2013. Kadake was released with conditions. Eric L. S. Cole, 26, appeared before Magistrate Burrell for an arraignment hearing on the charge of driving with license cancelled, suspended or revoked and a violation of conditions of release. Cole entered a plea of not guilty and trial was set for April 16, 2013. Cole was...
The 2013 preseason terminal run size forecast for large Stikine River king salmon has been set by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game at 22,400 fish. A preseason terminal run forecast of this size does not allow for an allowable catch for either the U.S. or Canada. Therefore, no directed fisheries will occur in early May. An in-season terminal run estimate will be produced in late May. If the first in-season estimate is significantly greater than the pre-season forecast, limited directed king salmon fisheries could occur. The forecast...
The Federal Subsistence Board has closed Federal public lands within Unit 3 on Kuiu Island to the trapping of marten for the December 1, 2012 to February 15, 2013 season. This action is in response to conservation concerns raised by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Recent studies indicate the marten population on Kuiu Island is among the lowest in Southeast Alaska and suggests that the population has continued to decline over the last several years. A high natural mortality rate and continued low recruitment has resulted in a...
Borough will benefit surrounding area To the Editor: I believe formation of the borough is a good thing for the people of Petersburg and the surrounding area. The people living in this region want a say in what goes on around us. We’ve seen many instances throughout Alaska of activities by State and Federal government and private industry that have definitely not been to the benefit of the people. Having the area’s important resources within the Petersburg Borough gives us a stronger voice over how those resources are managed. Borough for...
Alaska Department of Fish and Game Sport Fish Biologist Doug Fleming approached the Petersburg City Council for approval to establish a local enhancement project that would release hatchery Chinook salmon near the mouth of City Creek. Fleming explained that the US and Canada Pacific Salmon Treaty is making funds available to users impacted by the 15 percent reduction in the all gear quota of Chinook salmon to the Southeast Alaska fisheries. Guidelines for this have been established to help applicants seeking those funds to propose projects that...
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game will accept only online Big Game Drawing Hunts applications and will no longer accept paper applications Nov. 1-Dec. 17. Visit hunt.alaska.gov (the hunting section of the ADF&G website) and click on the “Buy licenses and tags” button and follow the purchase instructions. Information regarding drawing hunt permits is available through the highlights section of the hunting page, including frequently asked questions, drawing supplements and undersubscribed draw hunts. A telephone help line is available for hu...
We’re surprised at the lack of candidates filing for elected positions within the borough. We thought a few “outliers” would throw their hats into the ring and become a part of the government process that many outliers are opposing. The entire system works on participation, both from outside and inside the borough chambers. Following our most recent comments on revenue sharing for the new borough, the city finance office reports the numbers are even higher now. Conservatively, the new Borough has budgeted to receive an estimated $300,000 in add...
The results of a six year study on Western salmon will be unveiled this month and the conclusions are not what people of the region had hoped for. Some background: the Western Alaska Salmon Stock Identification Project (WASSIP) was created in 2006 by a group of eleven signers to a memorandum of understanding including Aleut Corporation, Aleutians East Borough, Association of Village Council Presidents, Bering Sea Fishermen’s Association, Bristol Bay Native Association, Concerned Area M Fishermen, Kawerak, Lake and Peninsula Borough, Tanana C...
KENAI, Alaska (AP) – A Department of Fish and Game study of moose calf mortality in a Kenai Peninsula game unit concludes that 83 percent of the animals died and grizzly bears killed many of them. A second high source of moose calf death was more surprising – researchers who frightened cow moose into abandoning their calves. The Peninsula Clarion reports the study in Game Management Unit 15C, covering an area south of Tustumena Lake and west of the Kenai Fjords National Park, began in February. It was part of an ongoing look at moose pop...
Sea otters and the Arctic are two focal points for Alaska’s top fishing group at both state and federal policy levels. United Fishermen of Alaska is the nation’s largest industry trade group representing nearly 40 organizations. At it’s recent annual meeting UFA outlined several of its policy watches prior to the legislative session; the group also gave out awards and made a job offer. UFA is working closely with state and federal overseers to craft a management plan for exploding populations of sea otters in Southeast Alaska. The mamma...
State fishery managers are asking for input from Alaskans to help solve the case of disappearing king salmon. A letter went out last week from Alaska Department of Fish and Game Commissioner Cora Campbell inviting stakeholders to a two day symposium in Anchorage later this month titled ‘Understanding Abundance and Productivity Trends of Chinook salmon in Alaska.’ The stated goal is ‘to increase understanding and develop the most complete research plan possible.’ A draft analysis by a newly appointed fisheries research team represents initial...
Hunters have taken 33 moose in the region, with the Stikine River being the top producing area. Fourteen bulls were taken on the Stikine with one of them being illegal. Kake was the second best hunting locale with eight being taken including one illegal. In 2011, 72 bulls were killed during the hunting season running from Sept. 15 through Oct. 15 each year. The graph shows the 2012 kill compared to that of 2011 by each locale reported by Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game in Peter...
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced last week that the Alaska Red and Blue King Crab commercial fishery will be closed for the 2012/2013 season. According to Alaska Department of Fish and Game Biologist Joe Stratman, the biomass of mature male red king crab has been declining since 2001 and is currently at its lowest level in 22 years. ADF&G policy states that the department shall close the fishery if the department’s estimate of available harvest is below the minimum threshold of 200,000 pounds of legal male red king crab. The e... Full story
JUNEAU (AP) — The Coast Guard will host a southeast Alaska petroleum spill exercise Wednesday at the Ted Ferry Civic Center in Ketchikan. The exercise will be a tabletop oil spill response based on a scenario of a vessel collision near Sitka. The Coast Guard says the exercise is designed to test the Southeast Subarea Contingency Plan. The document was written for the planning of responses to large oil or hazardous substance releases. The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, Alaska Marine Highway System, Kirby Offshore Marine, S...
