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When one thinks of Southeast Alaskan wildlife the tendency is to imagine the grumbles and crashes of humpback whales, bears, moose and wolves trampling through muskeg and salmon ripping up sloughs and stReam. But Joshua Ream lives in a different wild. He turns over logs and peers into shallow ponds looking for and documenting native amphibians. “I chose to work with amphibians here in Alaska because there’s relatively little known about the species we have and a lot of people don’t even realize that they occur here,” Ream said. Ream, a wildlif...
Kevin Colson, Wildlife Biologist with the University of Alaska Fairbanks, gave a presentation in the public library conference room Tuesday night about moose populations and their long journey to Southeast Alaska. To help tell the story, Colson for the past year and a half has worked with Petersburg high school teacher Joni Johnson and her science students as they collect and catalogue moose DNA samples. Before moose made their way to Southeast, a very recent occurrence that didn’t happen until the early 1900s, they lived in the boreal f...
September 27, 1913 – Better than 40,000 cases of salmon already put up and still the fish keeps coming. That is the situation in which the Pacific Coast & Norway Packing Company finds itself today. Although late in the season when the management got through with the work of putting up the traps, the location of each trap seems to have been favorable and are still fishing quite profitable. It is rumored that the company has ordered more cans and purpose keeping the cannery working as long as the traps keep up the supply. September 28, 1983 – Che...
Want to know the average fish prices at the docks over a decade … or where most Alaska fishermen and fishing fleets call home? Or how Alaska’s seafood industry stacks up against other state industries? What is likely the most comprehensive, user friendly report ever done on Alaska’s seafood industry by region was just released by the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute. Titled “Economic Value of the Alaska Seafood Industry,” the report was compiled by the Juneau-based McDowell Group, and it includes all of the direct and indirect economic...
On cold winter nights long ago, Harvey Gilliland of Petersburg sometimes woke to the buzz of an alarm mounted on the wall of his kitchen. He kicked off the blanket, got dressed, pulled on his rubber boots, and strolled three city blocks to the building in which he worked. After Gilliland, an electronics technician, twisted a few knobs to restore normal power to an underwater communications cable, the buzzer stopped. The noise was there to alert him to excessive current on the cable’s power system. On his walks back home, he wondered what m...
Gardening, of any type, is a huge undertaking in Alaska and fall planting is no exception. Officials with the University of Alaska Extension Service have tried making this project a little easier and enjoyable with some explanations, tips and checklists. Gardening for recreation and for food production is popular in Southeast Alaska, just as it is in the rest of the world, but the short cool growing season and high rainfall levels present gardening challenges. However, SE Alaska also provides relatively low pest levels and long days. According...
John David Reid, 44, loving husband of Jill and proud father of Jacob and Megan, was taken too early doing what he loved to do. He was born April 21, 1969 in Petersburg, Alaska and was found at sea after an August 1, 2013 boating accident. He flourished living in Sitka and had enjoyed its abundance of sea and hunting activity since October 1998. John's young years were spent in logging camps with his family around his grandfather's business, Reid Timber, Inc. His love for the outdoors of...
JUNEAU (AP) — New District Attorney James Scott says not to expect any big, sweeping changes from the office, but there is a new mission statement. It's short, simple and penned by Martha Penrose, an 83-year-old local woman and customer service adviser who helped Scott set up his account at Alaska Electric Light & Power. “‘May the bad guys pay and hopefully learn from their mistakes. May the good guys keep being good and show society the value of a life well lived,’” Scott quoted her as saying in a recent interview at his office in the Dimon...
Amidst the salmon fisheries starting up all across the state, several Alaska crab seasons also get underway each summer. In mid-June, the summer Dungeness crab fishery opens in the Panhandle, as does red king crab at Norton Sound. Those are followed in August by golden kings along the far flung Aleutian Islands, which might soon take the title as Alaska’s largest king crab fishery. Unlike other Bering Sea crab stocks, surveys on golden kings have been limited due to distance and high costs. The deep water stocks have sustained a fishery for 3...
John Silva, Jr. a resident of Petersburg and Angoon, Alaska, passed away on March 3, 2013 at the University of Washington Hospital in Seattle, Wash. from a short battle with cancer. John was born in Petersburg to John Silva, Sr. and Maria Perez-Silva on May16, 1949. John was a very quiet and reserved person who took his job very seriously working as the Water Plant Operator—taking care of the City of Angoon water for 34 years. He was looking forward to retirement, but instead, due to his c... Full story
The body of 13 year old Mackenzie H. Howard was discovered late Tuesday evening, Feb. 5 in the entrance of the Memorial Presbyterian Church by community members. “We are investigating this as a homicide,” Alaska Department of Public Safety Public Information Officer Megan Peters said. “There are a lot of rumors and speculation going around and we have to weed through all of them to get to the truth.” Howard's body was sent to Anchorage for an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of death. “The autopsy was completed Friday and we have rece... Full story
Alaska’s seafood industry worked hard this year to ramp up its message to policy makers, especially those from rail belt regions who tend to overlook the industry’s economic significance. How important is the seafood industry to Alaska and the nation? At a glance: nearly 60% of all U.S. seafood landings come from Alaska and 96% of all wild- caught salmon. Seafood is by far Alaska’s #1 export, valued $2.4 billion last year. Alaska ranks 9th in the world in terms of global seafood production. The seafood industry is second only to Big Oil in re...
Don’t stomp on the process Letter to the Editor: Ahhh, Mr. Will Ware…ever the silver tongued speaker. My comments are in regards to last week’s letter to the Pilot. You’re certainly a born preacher…. but, someone I feel is qualified to give me lectures on dignity, integrity, honor and respect? …not so much. Your self-appointed role as moral compass for the tribe, is really the true “foolishness”, here. My grandmother, Amy Hallingstad, was instrumental in forming the Petersburg Indian Association as well as in writing the original by-law...
John Roy Winther, Jr., 67, well-known Alaskan businessman and fisherman and long-time resident of Petersburg, passed away on October 15, 2012 in Mesa, Ariz. following a battle with cancer with his wife, Berta, and daughter, Theresa, by his side. John was born on November 12, 1944, in Fairbanks to John Roy Winther, Sr., and Jane Wood Winther. He spent his childhood in Juneau, then returned with his family to Fairbanks to be close to his mother’s family, which settled there in 1899. John g...
Peter B. Iversen, Sr. of Anchorage, died on October 16, 2012 at the age of 62. He passed away while pursuing his lifelong passion of flying as a bush pilot in his home state. His plane went down near Skwentna, as he was heading to Nixon Fork Mine. Pete was born July 24, 1950 in Wrangell to Doris and Barney Iversen. He spent his youth hunting, fishing, playing basketball and dreaming of flying planes. He first snuck out of his home as a toddler, heading down to the docks to see the float planes. His high school sweetheart and the love of his...
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...
September 29, 1982- KRSA, Southeast Alaska’s newest radio station signed on the air at noon Friday, September 24 with a signal that reaches to Petersburg, Kake, Wrangell, Gustavus, Juneau and Telegraph Creek. In at least one case, the signal reached all the way to Eagle, Alaska, about 700 miles away. The official sign-on was followed by the national anthem, the Alaska State Flag song, a prayer of dedication and a song, “My Tribute,” to bring the radio station on the air. Finally, the station air...
Dave Ohmer presented his annual end of the season fishing report to the Petersburg Rotary Club last week and his comments mirrored statewide reports and comments made by Gunnar Knapp, longtime fishing economist at the University of Alaska. Ohmer, like Knapp cited that huge volumes of cheaper farmed salmon has driven prices for salmon, halibut and black cod lower. Chile, the world’s number two producer of salmon had to get back into the market after killing off their farmed fish stocks due to d... Full story
Maria Flora Sarah Silva and Brandon Michael Wagemaker were married on August 11, 2012 at 5:00 p.m., at the Petersburg Lutheran Church with Pastor Mike Schwarte officiating. The bride is the daughter of Lewie and the late Maybelle Silva of Petersburg. The groom’s parents are Wendy and Rick Wagemaker of Victoria, B.C. Canada. The flower girl was Rosebelle Silva and the ring bearer was Analia Perry. The ushers were Gene Bernaldo and Doug Whittlesey. The bridesmaids were Marylene Silva of Juneau, A...
As Alaska’s salmon season winds down, selling the bulk of the harvest gears up for seafood companies that purchased the pack. “This is the season for negotiations, you might say,” said salmon guru Gunnar Knapp, longtime fisheries economist at the University of Alaska/Anchorage. “You never know the price until the product is actually sold.” The salmon season runs on different tracks starting with sockeye, and fish sales have varying schedules and market patterns throughout the year. Plus, salmon markets depend on the species and how they are...
Kodiak fishermen are a happy lot, but they are also anxious about the future of their industry. Those are some of the early findings of an ongoing survey that focuses on the social and cultural perceptions of the fishing life in Kodiak and how things have changed over two decades. The survey is part of a multiyear project titled Social Transitions and Wellbeing in Kodiak Fisheries and Communities by Courtney Carothers, an assistant professor UAF’s School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences. Carothers lived for more than a year in Kodiak villages to...
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...
The amount of mature sockeye salmon present in the waters of Southeast Alaska and other areas of the Pacific Northwest has been on a downward spiral recently according to a study published last week in the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. The study states that the, “widespread decrease in productivity has important implications for management of salmon stocks and requires research into its potential causes to help determine future management strategies.” Dr. Randall Peterman, a professor in fishery science and management at...
Thanks to a nearly $3 million show of support from the state, high tech buoys will soon be measuring ocean acidity levels year ‘round, and Alaska fishermen will play an important role in the research. Basic chemistry proves that ocean waters are becoming more corrosive and it is happening faster in colder waters. The acidity, caused by increasing carbon dioxide emissions, can prevent shells from forming on crabs or oysters and tiny shrimplike organisms essential to fish diets. Alaska’s monitoring project will allow scientists to develop a “se...
It has taken a quarter of a century, but fishery managers are finally poised to take action to reduce the five million pounds of halibut allowed to be taken as bycatch in Gulf of Alaska (GOA) fisheries. Industry watchers are hoping that public comments will sway them to make the largest cuts under consideration. Currently, 2,300 metric tons of halibut bycatch is allowed in the GOA groundfish fisheries. That is further broken down to 2,000mt for the trawl sector and 300mt for hook and line fisheries, primarily the cod fleet. Those are the two fi...
