Sorted by date Results 876 - 900 of 936
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...
The Southeast Alaska 2012 season’s pink salmon catch was less than half of last year’s but a little higher than expected. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game predicted an all year harvest of 17 million and came in at around 20 million, 19 million of which were caught by the seine fleet. According to Fish and Game Commercial Fisheries Coordinator Biologist Bill Davidson, the runs have been coming in weak in the even years and strong in the odd since 2006 and this year is no exception to the historical rule. “We are a little above forec...
(Sitka) — The brown bear hunting season in Game Management Unit 4 (GMU 4) opens September 15, 2012. The season is scheduled to run through December 31, 2012. Hunters must obtain a locking big game tag, valid hunting license, and current registration permit (RB077) before hunting. The registration permit is valid for taking one (1) brown bear in GMU 4 which includes Admiralty, Baranof, and Chichagof Islands. In order to minimize the potential for closures by emergency order or a significant reduction in the 2013 spring hunts, the fall hunt w...
The U.S. Forest Service and Alaska Department of Fish & Game remind Southeast Alaskans to use extra caution when recreating outdoors at this time of year. A decrease in natural food sources leads to a greater likelihood of encounters between bears and humans. Rarely, these encounters can be aggressive. When in bear country, always be aware of your surroundings and keep pets under control. Avoid surprising a bear by being bear aware: be observant of bear sign and consider limited sight distances on trails. Remember to make noise while traveling...
Salmon season is winding down and it’s still a guess if the statewide catch will reach the 132 million fish forecast. Achieving that all comes down to those hard to predict pinks, whose catch makes up more than half of the total harvest. “I think it’s going to be close. It all depends on what happens with the pink salmon runs in the three major producing areas: Prince William Sound, Kodiak and Southeast,” said Geron Bruce, assistant director of the Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game’s commercial fisheries division. This summer a catch of 70.2 mill...
A joint resolution calling for the development of new fish hatcheries and releases was passed by Petersburg City Council Monday, July 16. This resolution was drafted by City and Borough of Wrangell Mayor Jeremy Maxand with several members of the fishing fleet. “There is a desire to see the development of a new hatchery in Southeast Alaska to expand the available number of fish for harvest, whether it be for commercial or sport fishing,” Maxand said. “We thought a joint resolution and letter from both Wrangell and Petersburg to the gover...
July 28, 1982 - Max Haube, Rose Haube and John Silva Sr. were given the honorary title of Parade Grand Marshals during the past 4th of July in Petersburg. The honor was fitting, as both men are considered pioneers in the Petersburg fishing industry. Born in 1885, John Silva recently celebrated his 97th birthday, allowing him to lay claim to being the oldest man in Petersburg. John came to Petersburg from Wrangell in 1918, and was employed by Alaska Glacier Seafood and P.F.I. for 38 years. His...
The OceansAlaska Marine Science Center has barely opened its doors and tiny oysters are already growing out at the new floating facility at George Inlet in Ketchikan. The 28-acre site was granted to the non-profit by the state and Ketchikan borough in 2006. The Center houses the first home grown source of oyster ‘seed’ for Alaska growers, and aims to be the go to place for mariculture research and training. There are 29 shellfish farms producing in Alaska so far in Southcentral and Southeast regions. The main crop is oysters, with sales val...
Petersburg is filled with fishermen, who spend much of the year fishing and don’t have the time or opportunity to voice concerns regarding the heavily-regulated industry. This is where organizations such as the Petersburg Vessel Owners Association (PVOA) come in. PVOA acts as the voice for these fishermen, and women, who represent a very diverse, multi-gear, multi-species industry. After six years, PVOA executive director Julianne Curry is leaving her position. Curry’s main responsibility at...
