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Two major Alaskan seafood processors have agreed to settle a class-action lawsuit alleging wage violations during the COVID-19 pandemic. OBI Seafoods and Ocean Beauty Seafoods were ordered to pay a total of $2.1 million as part of a settlement approved last week by Judge Marsha J. Pechman in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington. The case, brought by former employees Marija and Dusan Paunovic on behalf of processing facility workers, accused the companies of delaying wage payments and underpaying workers during...
Wally Swanson was born on March 22, 1928, in Everett, Washington, to Lloyd and Lillian Swanson. He was baptized on May 6, 1928, at the Swedish Covenant Church. His early years were spent at Silver Lake near Snohomish, Washington. Wally's official name was Lewellyn Swanson, but, as many of us know, he didn't care much for that name. His little brother, Norris, couldn't quite pronounce it, and so "Wally" was born. In 1929, when Wally was just a year old, his family made a life-changing move to... Full story
October 24, 1924 – Pep, and lots of it, marked the meeting of the Commercial Club held Wednesday night with every member playing strong in the role of “Pepper.” As one member remarked, “It was the peppiest meeting we ever had!” Mrs A. Thomas reported as a delegate to the Alaska Week celebration. She reported a royal good time. J.B. Warrack has said to certain residents of Petersburg that he would subscribe $20,000* toward the building and equipping of a modern community hotel, provided a like amount could be raised among the townspeop...
September 2, 1949 – Convicted on three out of six counts brought against him by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Frank Richardson, 72, was sentenced Wednesday by U. S. Commissioner Dale H. Hirt to thirty days in federal jail and fined a total of $750.* Richardson was apprehended on August 19 in Blind Slough by FWS Enforcement Agent L. J. Dugger. On that occasion the 45-year resident of West Petersburg was charged with fishing above the markers, using more than one net, using a gillnet, and fishing without a license or boat registration. On...
Bud was born on February 13, 1947, to Gainhart Samuelson, Senior, and Mildred (Massey) Samuelson. A lifelong resident of Petersburg, he grew up living with his mother and siblings on Hammer Slough. Summers were spent with his father at Portage Bay, where he loved fishing and hunting and grew determined to one day run a commercial fishing vessel of his own and to be a good provider for his family. After graduating from Petersburg High School in 1965, Bud landed a job on Andy Wikan's boat,... Full story
When Scott Roberge was in college, he made his way to Petersburg in the late 70s and worked at the cannery, then Icicle Seafoods, with a friend. With a beat up, old aluminum canoe and a couple of days off from work, the pair of pals paddled out from Petersburg and made their way to LeConte Glacier. "It was incredible - to be that close and really immersed into it," Scott recalled. "I love being out there. I didn't want a nine to five job." They camped, something Scott loves to do, in a couple...
Trident Seafoods issued a press release on Tuesday, Dec. 12 announcing a “comprehensive restructuring initiative” that will put the seafood giant “on a path toward streamlining its Alaska operations.” They announced plans to seek buyers for their shoreside processing plants in four locations: Petersburg, Ketchikan, False Pass, and Kodiak. “Our Kodiak operations are integral to the Gulf of Alaska fisheries,” said Jeff Welbourn, Senior Vice President of Alaska Operations at Trident Seafoods in the company’s press release. “They are highly effi...
October 26, 1923 – Sea water burns at Prince Rupert. What might have been a serious fire causing much damage to property was narrowly averted on the waterfront yesterday afternoon, says the Prince Rupert News. Gasoline had been spilled on the surface of the water from pumping the scow at the Prince Rupert Boat House. A passer-by coming along threw a match into the water after lighting his pipe and the combustible liquid still floating immediately ignited. The flames ran up to the scow occasioning a great deal of smoke and coming perilously c...
September 7, 1923 – The Petersburg schools, with the exception of the first and second grades, opened for the winter term on Tuesday. The two lower grades are closed for a time on account of whooping cough, which has been going the rounds of the younger children this summer. To limit as much as possible the further dissemination of whooping cough, the School Board, in consultation with the Health Officer, has ordered Principal Earl Shaeffer to issue the following edict: – “The contagious disease known as whooping cough is a serious disea...
July 6, 1923 – Two youthful “Penrods” weary of the humdrum routine of life in their hometown of Wrangell and determining to strike out boldly in search of adventure, boarded the Jefferson as stowaways on the last trip south of that boat, bound for the great outside world. By playing a skillful game of hide-and-seek, they managed to dodge the officers and members of the crew for a time, but finally an unkind fate brought the culprits to the attention of Captain Livingstone who, in spite of their boyish pleadings, wired Mrs. Jack Cool to meet the...
June 29, 1923 – Leonard Martins suffered a cracked bone in one of his legs and Leif Mathieson suffered a severely bruised foot last Thursday night, week, when a large wheel of an engine being installed at the West Lumber Company mill was tipped over and caught the boys as it fell. The two boys, with several others, were playing around the mill site and in some manner the wheel, which had been removed from the engine and set to one side, was pushed over and caught the two boys. Young Martins was removed to the hospital where his leg was d...
This year's sac roe herring fishery in Sitka Sound held unusual challenges for the fishing fleet, with vast schools of fish on their annual run settling in places tough for purse seiners to operate in during that critical period just before spawning, longtime seine skipper Jamie Ross told the Sentinel. Ross, whose home port is Homer, has fished for more than three decades in Sitka's seasonal herring fishery. This year's fishery was possibly his last. "This was a very complex year; the fish were...
December 1, 1922 – “I love them all – their father saved my life,” rejoiced Mrs. A. W. Thomas, widely known Alaska sportswoman, as she surveyed a family of eight spitz puppies in the basement of the Savoy Hotel yesterday. When Mrs. Thomas, the wife of an Alaskan canneryman, arrived in Seattle from Kodiak two days ago and brought with her Lady Queen, a pedigreed Spitz. Lady Queen celebrated her arrival here by bringing into the world a litter of eight pups. “Their father is Carlo, one of the best hunting dogs in Alaska,” explained Mrs. Thomas...
David Juel Marifern, age 30, of Shoreline Washington passed away unexpectedly Sunday, September 25, 2022 not far from Ballard, where he started his life. David was born in Ballard, Washington on April 27, 1992 to Barbara and Bruce Marifern, brother to his sister Samantha Marifern. He grew up and attended Petersburg High School where he swam competitively. Raised in a fishing family, he took pride in participating in different fisheries throughout his young years. David has always had a heart... Full story
In response to John Murgas’s letter last week To the Editor: I regularly use the marine haul out services offered by John Murgas and his crew at Petersburg Marine. Over the years, John has taken the initiative to meet the needs of the small boat fleet and kept a lot of boat work in town, to the benefit of his customers, local stores, trades, and sales tax revenue. I have also been on the Harbor Advisory Board for a long time and have not perceived hostility toward his business or seen a plan proposed that did not feature a public haul out ramp...
David Roy Lyons died peacefully at his home in Sitka on February 28, 2022 after a long battle with cancer. He will be laid to rest on Wednesday, March 2, at Sitka National Cemetery in a private service. He was attended at the time of his death by his wife and dear friends and crew members Suzanne Fuqua and Jeff Robinson of Petersburg. Born in Petersburg, Alaska in 1939 to George and Mary Lyons, he was the youngest of eleven children. He is survived by his wife of 34 years, Deborah, of Sitka. He... Full story
Breakthrough COVID-19 cases found in Alaska April 30 Between Feb. 1 and March 31, Alaska Department of Health and Social Services identified 152 positive cases of COVID-19 among people in the state who were fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to a report from DHSS. About 74 percent of the vaccine breakthrough cases, or 112 individuals, were among people who had received the Pfizer vaccine, according to the report. Thirty-eight percent of the breakthrough cases had received the Moderna... Full story
“Unprecedented” is how fishery managers are describing sockeye catches at Bristol Bay, which topped one million fish for seven days straight at the Nushagak district last week and neared the two million mark on several days. By July 9, Alaska’s statewide sockeye salmon catch was approaching 32 million, of which more than 25 million came from Bristol Bay. The only other region getting good sockeye catches was the Alaska Peninsula where nearly 4.6 million reds were landed so far. The Alaska Peninsula also was far ahead of all other regions for pi...
Eager buyers are awaiting Alaska salmon from fisheries that are opening almost daily across the state and it's easy to track catches and market trends for every region. Fishery managers forecast a statewide catch topping 190 million salmon this year, 61% higher than the 2020 take of just over 118 million. But globally, the supply of wild salmon is expected to be down amid increased demand. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game's Run Forecasts and Harvest Projections for 2021 Alaska Salmon...
Since the fall of 1989, Patrick Wilson has been the plant manager for Icicle Seafoods, later OBI Seafoods, but this summer he'll be leaving Petersburg to enjoy a retirement split between the Bahamas and Washington state. Originally from the greater Seattle area, Wilson got his start in the seafood business in 1975. He took a job working for Cossack Caviar in Seattle, because he heard the company sent workers to Alaska during the summers. "I thought that was pretty exciting," said Wilson. "It...
Nikolai Wendel has taken over as plant manager at OBI Seafoods, bringing 13 years of cannery experience with him. He arrived in town in late January, and following a two week quarantine, began transitioning into the role of plant manager. Wendel is taking over from longtime plant manager Patrick Wilson who will be retiring this summer. Wendel first experienced Southeast Alaska on a cruise through the Inside Passage after graduating from high school in 2007. It was then that he discovered that th...
By Patrick Wilson, retiring OBI Seafoods Petersburg plant manager and Nik Wendel, current OBI Seafoods Petersburg plant manager Petersburg Fisheries has been the cornerstone of the community since 1965 when the town pooled their resources and bought the processing plant that was about to go under. It was the partnership of members of the community and commercial fishermen that has helped keep our facility running over the past 55 years. Now under OBI Seafoods, we continue to keep this spirit as... Full story
January The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration proposed establishing critical habitat areas for humpback whales in three distinct population segments located off Mexico, Central American and the Western Pacific. The Petersburg Borough sent a letter of disapproval to the National Marine Fisheries Service regarding the proposed critical habitat for humpback whales after residents spoke out against the proposal. The Petersburg Borough authorized the hire of Josh Rathmann to fill the...
We have no desire to critique the public radio station's work but last week we had several people ask what we thought of station intern Corinne Smith's story that aired on KFSK. The story highlighted seafood workers' summer employment experiences in Petersburg under the state's Covid-19 mandates. The piece fell far below the level of excellence usually attained by the station's news department. More work was needed to add balance to a story that could have highlighted the achievements of both... Full story
Ocean Beauty Seafoods LLC and Icicle Seafoods, Inc. will be merging their wild salmon and Gulf of Alaska groundfish operations effective June 1, the two companies announced in a joint-statement on Friday, May 29. Both companies will each own a 50 percent stake in the new company, which will be called OBI Seafoods LLC. The company looks to modernize processing facilities and combine marketing product expertise. The merger has been in the works since the fall of 2018, said Mark Palmer, president a...
