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WRANGELL - Seattle-based Trident Seafoods will not open its Wrangell processing plant this summer, the third year in a row the operation has been closed. As in the past two years, the company cited weak chum salmon returns for its decision not to run the plant. Company officials did not return calls to the Sentinel last Friday or Monday. News of the plant closure was presented in Wrangell Borough Manager Jeff Good's report for Tuesday's assembly meeting: "They have notified us that they do not...
Waterbody, operated by Angie Flickinger, of Wrangell, won the grand prize for its Deep Blue Sea Bath Soak at the Alaska Symphony of Seafood awards ceremony on Feb. 24 in Juneau. Made with bull kelp and sea salts, the soak is described as “smelling like that first breath of fresh sea-salted air as you resurface from a skinny dipping swan dive.” Flickinger started her business in 2015 as Gathered and Grown Botanicals, when she wanted to give handcrafted soap as a gift. She later changed the name to Waterbody and expanded her offerings. The Ala...
The U.S. grows less than one-100th of 1% of the world’s $6 billion seaweed market, but Alaska has the goods to grow into a major contributor. A new report assesses the pros and cons of six communities as locations for seaweed processing facilities to assist companies interested in operating in Alaska. It was compiled by McKinley Research Group for the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation, which has played a central role in keeping Alaska seaweed in the resource development spotlight. The six study communities were evaluated based on three c...
January The assembly approved of a COVID-19 dashboard which tracked cases in the community. Local businesses received a total of $15.08 million in aid in the first round of COVID-19 aid released through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. PMC vaccinated approximately 350 residents aged 65 or older at a vaccine drive in the community gym. PMC was given permission by the borough to apply for a second PPP loan totaling $1.8 million. PMC applied and received a loan of...
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
Three passengers onboard a Boston Whaler skiff that crashed into a Hewescraft in the Wrangell Narrows in front of Trident Seafoods and OBI Seafoods on June 16 were transported to Petersburg Medical Center to receive medical attention, according to EMS Coordinator Josh Rathmann, with the Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department. The Boston Whaler was headed south through the Wrangell Narrows toward Petersburg Harbor when it crashed into a Hewescraft belonging to Island Point Lodge. Rathmann said he...
A local Boston Whaler vessel crashed into a Hewescraft belonging to Island Point Lodge in the Wrangell Narrows in front of Trident Seafoods and OBI Seafoods on Wednesday morning, resulting in at least two injuries, according to two eyewitnesses. Al Domon and Joe Pang, two fishermen from California staying at the Green Rocks Lodge, said between 8:45 and 9:15 A.M. on Wednesday, the Boston Whaler was headed south into the Wrangell Narrows in the direction of Petersburg Harbor. The Boston Whaler was... Full story
Cannery workers at Trident Seafoods are asked to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to work this season, while Tonka Seafoods is leaving that decision up to their employees. "Like last year, we are making the health and safety of our employees, fishermen, and community members our top priority," said Shannon Carroll, a representative of Trident Seafoods, in an email to the Pilot. He said both resident and non-resident employees will have to be fully vaccinated to work at the plant. Through...
Thank you Petersburg To the Editor: Thank you, Petersburg, for helping us all get through the 2020 salmon season safely and nearly COVID-19-free! Now it is winter, our selling season, and with every piece of fish we sell or eat, we are grateful for the changes you made to ensure the summer was a success. Although countless people helped make our gillnet season successful, there were many we didn't see so wish to acknowledge: OBI and Trident Seafoods with thoughtful, unwavering protocols; Karl...
Alaska coastal communities will get a bit of an economic boost in 2021 from increased catches of Pacific cod. The stock, which crashed after a multi-year heat wave starting in 2014 wiped out several year classes, appears to be rebounding throughout the Gulf of Alaska. No cod fishery occurred at all this year in federally managed waters (from three to 200 miles out) where the bulk of the harvest is taken, and a catch of under six million pounds was allowed in state managed waters (out to three miles). For 2021, the North Pacific Fishery...
Government money better spent To the Editor: ADF&G has crunched the numbers on the Red King Crab survey from this summer. Once again by hauling a few pots at the wrong time of year and a lot of extrapolation they came up way short of having a fishery. They do the survey every summer and rarely do we fish. Not sure what it costs for a large vessel and all the personnel that are crewing for the extra sea time pay, but it's significant. The only money made off Red Crab is by the personnel working...
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Alaska has faced its share of monumental challenges. The testing of all incoming travelers, providing relief for devastated tourism businesses, creating a new unemployment program from scratch. Yet none compared to the challenge of protecting our critical seafood industry and the communities that rely on their economic production. We commend Alaska's seafood industry for successfully navigating the most difficult season Alaska has ever experienced. Captains,...
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
Snacks that are good for people and the planet now come in the form of crispy chips that are made from Bristol Bay sockeye salmon skins. The new, flash fried snack was spawned by a Los Angeles-based company called Goodfish, which aims to “propel sustainable seafood into our mass-market consumer culture.” It is the second venture for partners Justin Guilbert and Douglas Riboud, a well-financed duo who are committed to trailblazing brands that have “higher standards of sourcing, manufacturing, and social ethos.” A decade ago they co-foun...
Twenty-one Petersburg residents pitched in to a GoFundMe to provide flowers for the cookhouse/breakroom tables at OBI Seafoods, Trident Seafoods and Tonka Seafoods, thanking the visiting processors for their extra hard work this summer....
A traveler coming into town through the James A. Johnson Airport has tested positive for COVID-19, according to a joint statement between the Petersburg Borough and Petersburg Medical Center released on Wednesday afternoon. The individual is a guest at Rocky Point Resort and has been at the lodge since his arrival from out of state earlier this week, according to the press release. The lodge guest did not have symptoms of COVID-19 upon arriving in Alaska. This new case of COVID-19 brings the...
On June 18, a positive case of COVID-19 was detected among Trident Seafoods employees, according to a press release from the EOC, and as of Wednesday, the case is still active. All Trident Seafoods employees that travel to Petersburg are tested for COVID-19 prior to arriving in town and are quarantined in a bunkhouse upon arrival, according to the press release. The workers are then tested again on the tenth day of a 14 day quarantine. It was on the individual's 10th day in quarantine when the...
An employee with Trident Seafoods has tested positive for COVID-19 on the individual’s tenth day of quarantine after arriving to the community, according to a press release from the Petersburg Emergency Operations Center. All Trident Seafoods employees that travel to Petersburg are tested for the virus prior to arriving in town and are quarantined in a bunkhouse upon arrival, according to the press release. The workers are then tested again on the tenth day of a 14 day quarantine. The individual’s roommate was also tested on the tenth day of...
WRANGEL - Several local fishermen have been volunteering their time and energy, more so than usual, at Wrangell's sole operating seafood processor. With the decision by Trident Seafoods to not operate this summer, Sea Level Seafoods has been the only local option available for fishermen to process their catches. However, thanks to a number of factors brought on by COVID-19, Sea Level has been shorthanded. This has led to a number of fishermen volunteering to help process crab, as well as catch...
An employee with Trident Seafoods has tested positive for COVID-19 on the individual's tenth day of quarantine after arriving to the community, according to a press release from the Petersburg Emergency Operations Center. All Trident Seafoods employees that travel to Petersburg are tested for the virus prior to arriving in town and are quarantined in a bunkhouse upon arrival, according to the press release. The workers are then tested again on the tenth day of a 14 day quarantine. The... Full story
Representatives from Icicle Seafoods and Tridents Seafoods laid out their plans for bringing in outside workers to Petersburg amid the COVID-19 pandemic at the COVID-19 community update last Friday. Julianne Curry of Icicle Seafoods said the company's plans for protecting its workforce and the community from an outbreak will adapt as new mandates are released from the state and as needed on a local level. "The situation is very fluid, so we'll incorporate new information into our plans and...
Giving COVID relief funds to the seafood industry and stepping on the gas for offshore fish farming are two big takeaways from the executive orders and congressional packages coming out of the nation’s capital. Recent news that Alaska would receive $50 million from the $300 million fisheries relief funds in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was well received by industry stakeholders and it’s likely to be followed by more. A May 15 hearing called “COVID 19 impacts to American Fisheries and the Seafood Supply Chain...
Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht told the borough assembly on Monday that the borough has been working with Icicle Seafoods and Trident Seafoods on their plans for bringing cannery workers into town during the upcoming fishing season. Giesbrecht said the two canneries' plans are being reviewed by medical professionals at Petersburg Medical Center. Both canneries are making modifications to their plans and submitting them to the state for approval, said Giesbrecht. The borough is having a...
WRANGELL - With Health Mandate 16, part of Governor Mike Dunleavy's plan to reopen Alaska's economy safely during the COVID-19 pandemic, communities across the state are considering what the near future may look like. Revenues have fallen for the city and businesses have had to get creative to stay open. While there is optimism to be found amongst some business owners, uncertainties loom for the economy in general. Alan Cummings, of All In Charters and Grand View B&B, said that they are looking...
As of Wednesday afternoon, Petersburg Medical Center has submitted 39 COVID-19 testing samples to state and commercial laboratories, 26 of which have come back negative and the remaining 13 tests are still pending, according to PMC's Laurie Miller at Wednesday's daily COVID-19 community update. "We're relieved everyday that we don't have a positive test, but we know they are coming," said PMC Chief Nursing Officer Jennifer Bryner. On Wednesday evening, the Alaska Department of Health and Social...
