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The 7th annual Rainforest Festival kicks off next week. There are many highlights this year including a portable planetarium for viewing a projection of the night sky indoors and the first ever Rain Forest Run half marathon. The Rain Forest Run half marathon, a 13.1 mile run or walk, will be the first event of the festival. The run will be held on Labor Day, Sept.1, on a course beginning at central Mitkof Island and ending at Sandy Beach Park. "The event was organized by local runners eager for... Full story
More than 100 researchers and three dozen projects are underway to find clues as to why Alaska’s Chinook salmon production has declined since 2007. The ambitious effort marks the start of a state-backed five year, $30 million Chinook Salmon Research Initiative that includes 12 major river systems from Southeast Alaska to the Yukon. And while it will be years before the project yields definitive data, the scientists have pinned down some early findings. “It’s not the fresh water production of the juvenile Chinook that is the reason this decli...
Efforts by the Canadian agency Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) to relocate salmon across a barrier created by a landslide in late May are helping sockeye salmon reach escapement goals. DFO began relocating sockeye and Chinook salmon via helicopter across the barrier in early July. As of July 20, nearly 4,000 sockeye and over 1,000 large Chinook salmon were successfully transported over the slide area and released into the upper Tahltan River. Water levels in the Tahtan River had receded by the end of July making it possible for “a s...
Seafood is by far Alaska’s top export and as it heads overseas, global politics play a big role in making sales sink or swim. That dynamic took center stage last week when Russia banned imports of foods for one year from the US, Canada, Europe, Norway and Australia in retaliation for sanctions imposed due to its aggressive actions in Ukraine. It is a direct hit to Alaska, which last year exported nearly 20 million pounds of seafood to Russia, valued at more than $60 million. The primary product it hurts is pink and chum salmon roe; Russia is a...
Borough Manager Steve Geisbrecht gave his report to the assembly at Monday's meeting. Replacement lighting at the South Harbor should be completed this week, including installation of the final five new fixtures and the removal of the old fixtures. Planning and design work is beginning on the possible replacement of the aging Cat electric generators. Replacement parts are no longer manufactured, and both units are reaching the end of their useful life. The borough is working with SEAPA and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to deal with...
There has been an ebb and flow of boats in the harbor as the summer salmon season presses on. The Southeast drift gillnet fishery opened on July 6 with the challenge of overcoming a landslide on the Tahltan River in late May that caused a barrier to salmon passage. The Tahltan is a tributary of the Stikine and a major contributor to the Southeast gillnet fishery for sockeye, and the landslide there was thought to have caused a complete blockage to salmon passage, said Troy Thynes, Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG) biologist. To address... Full story
Sport fishing in Blind Slough is now open according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Sport Fish. Anglers are reminded that specific area exemptions for Blind Slough, upstream of a line between Blind Point and Anchor point, remain in effect; Blind Slough is closed to snagging; only unbaited, artificial lures or flies may be used from November 16-May 31. King salmon limits are as follows: 28” or greater in length – 2 daily, 2 in possession; 28” or less in length- 2 daily, 2 in possession. A king salmon 28 inches or great...
Even to those well adjusted to Petersburg weather, the downpour of rain in the past weeks hasn't gone without notice. So far two days this month have set new precipitation records. National Weather Service data showed some 1.97 inches of rain fell on Petersburg last Saturday and 3.25 inches fell on Sunday, breaking previous precipitation records for those respective days in August. The normal average rainfall for each day is 0.20 inches, according to the National Weather Service. The all time...
The Sitka District Ranger, under authority delegated by the Federal Subsistence Board, is taking action to close the watersheds of Blue Lake, Medvejie Lake and the southern half of the Katlian River to the harvest of mountain goats. The closure took effect Monday, Aug. 11 and will remain in effect through the remainder of the 2014 season which ends Dec. 31. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has issued a closure in the same watersheds, effective Aug. 1, 2014 to the close of the season on Dec. 31, 2014. Continued mountain goat harvest in...
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Sport Fish is closing sport fishing in Blind Slough due to broodstock concerns at the Crystal Lake Hatchery. Fishing is prohibited in all waters of Blind Slough upstream of a line between Blind Point and Anchor Point from August 1 - August 31. Monitoring of king salmon returning to Crystal Lake Hatchery indicates that the hatchery broodstock goal for king salmon will not be met. The broodstock goal is 500 female and 500 male king salmon. On July 27, an aerial survey observed approximately 150...
WRANGELL — This year's Bearfest attracted a number of bear-knowledgable brainboxes, from biologists and behaviorists to wilderness managers, guides and artists. Over the course of the five-day event, experts shared their knowledge in a series of workshops, demonstrations, and lectures with the public. "It's a great opportunity for Wrangell residents and visitors alike to hear from some of the best bear experts in the world," explained Lance Craighead, conservation director at the Craighead Institute in Montana. A lot of what was discussed w...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – Gov. Sean Parnell has asked a federal agency to buy about 1 million cases of canned pink salmon to ease a glut that has weighed down prices for Alaska fishermen this year. Parnell made the request in a letter to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack this week. He wants the USDA to purchase $37 million worth of canned pink salmon under a federal law that allows for buying surplus food from farmers and donating it to food banks or other programs. USDA purchased $20 million worth of salmon earlier this year, which Parnell c...
July 25, 1914 – Workmen employed in blasting soft rock from a quarry in Connecticut recently came across a bit of rock which had been blown out about thirty feet underground which, when cracked, exposed a live worm that lived five days after it had been exposed to view. How long the worm had been occupying his cramped quarters is mere conjecture. July 26, 1974 Celebrating Pilot's 40th Year – Petersburg gets publicity in the strangest ways. It has come to our attention that the Department of the Interior, in a report on the subject of "Towing Ic...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — An Alaska Army National Guard soldier was wearing a combat helmet and other protective gear when he was attacked by a bear while participating in a training exercise at a military base, officials said Monday. Sgt. Lucas Wendeborn of Valdez is being treated for puncture wounds and lacerations after the mauling Sunday at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. The female brown bear was defending her two young cubs, base officials said. Wendeborn's injuries are not life-threatening, National Guard spokeswoman Maj. Candis O...
The Southeast Seine fishery is performing as expected despite a closure last week, said Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG) biologist Dan Gray. “As expected, we have a fairly low pink salmon forecast and it’s early yet in the development of that run, but it looks like what we thought,” Gray said. In the Hidden Falls terminal harvest area, the Northern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association needs 180,000 chum salmon for brood stock. As of July 8, only 5,000 passed the barrier net and into a containment area. “Without that in place i...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Southeast Alaska's watersheds are changing quickly, and researchers are working to figure out how, why, and what those changes mean. Sanjay Pyare, Assistant Professor of Geographic Information Systems and Landscape Ecology, Sonia Nagorski, Research Assistant Professor of Environmental Sciences, Brian Buma, Assistant Professor of Forest Ecosystem Ecology, and other researchers affiliated with the University of Alaska and the Alaska Coastal Rainforest Center _ including graduate and undergraduate students _ on a recent F...
“Butterflies are amazing, how the hell do they navigate?” One of the many things Paul Garceau wondered about. That wonder ended when Paul passed away, June 8th,2014 at Prescott Valley, Arizona. Paul was born at North Attleboro, Massachusetts on April 4th, 1930. He always enjoyed being outdoors, the woods and lakes were favorite areas to explore. He was setting his own trap lines by the age of eight, a free spirit even as a boy. He knew at a young age he needed to go to Alaska, and he did, hitchhiking across country in 1950. Before his jou... Full story
Salmon takes center stage in Alaska every summer, but many more fisheries also are going on all across the state. The world’s biggest sockeye salmon run is expected to surge into Bristol Bay any day, where a catch of about 17 million reds is projected. Elsewhere, the annual summer troll fishery in Southeast Alaska kicks off on July first with a target of just over 166,000 Chinook salmon. Lots of crab fisheries are underway each summer— Dungeness fishing began on June 15 in Southeast where a harvest of 2.25 million pounds is expected. The reg...
The Crystal Lake Hatchery reconstruction project has one less hurdle to jump through after Kim Rice, Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities deputy commissioner, delegated authority to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG) in order to expedite project completion. “(DOT&PF) generally oversees state facility projects such as the Crystal Lake Hatchery,” Rice wrote in a letter to Petersburg Mayor Mark Jensen. “However, because DOT&PF is aware of the critical nature of this facility to the community of Petersburg, my staff... Full story
You’ve heard it before and you’ll hear it again: The seafood industry is Alaska’s largest private employer, putting more people to work than mining, oil/gas, timber and tourism combined. The annual revenue the seafood sector contributes to State coffers is second only to Big Oil. So where does the seafood industry rank for the major candidates running for Alaska Governor and the US Senate? Here’s what a thorough look at each of their campaign websites reveals, starting with the race for Governor (all in alphabetical order)— Byron Mallott (...
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has announced this summer’s first Southeast Alaska purse seine fishery opener. Areas in District 2 and District 12 will be open 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. from Sunday, June 15 through Wednesday, June 18. An ADFG press release states the 2104 chum salmon return to Hidden Falls Terminal Harvest Area (THA) is 1,072,000. “Of this return, 180,000 are needed for brood stock leaving 892,000 available for common property harvest,” the press release states. King salmon landing restrictions for Kendrick Bay state fish great... Full story
Petersburg High School seniors are graduating next Tuesday in the high school gym. Petersburg School District teacher Sue Harden is retiring this year and will be the honored speaker during the ceremony. Among the many highlights at the event, the school’s band and choir will perform and Class Historian Fran Abbott will provide a history of the class. Petersburg High School and Mitkof Middle School Principal Rick Dormer said the senior class tends to set a tone for the school’s climate each year. This year’s class has created a quieter and c...
Salmon season is just getting underway, but seafood companies are still selling last summer’s record catch of 226 million pink salmon - and it has prompted lots of creative thinking. “The challenge is to market all this fish and still maintain the value,” said Tyson Fick, communications director for the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI), the state’s lone marketing arm. “It wouldn’t be any problem for the producers just to flood the market, and then we would see a tremendous downward pressure in years to come. More so, we see this as...
Gerald "Jerry" Patrick Wollen, 58, was born in Aberdeen, Washington on June 14th, 1957 to parents James and Ruth. He had wonderful memories of his early years growing up with older brother Jamey and younger brother Randy, his many cousins and friends in the little town of Oakville, Washington. He remembered fondly their paternal grandparents Oscar and Alice Wollen, often telling stories of those early years that remained a cornerstone of the childhood adventures of his youth. As the boys grew... Full story
