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SITKA - The Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced April 10 that under Chinook salmon management provisions of the Pacific Salmon Treaty the 2017 abundance index for Southeast Alaska has been calculated to be 1.27, which results in an all-gear harvest limit of 209,700 treaty Chinook (non-Alaska hatchery-produced Chinook). The preseason troll treaty harvest allocation for 2017 is 154,880 Chinook or 108,320 fish lower than the preseason limit available in 2016. While there is no ceiling on the number of Chinook salmon harvested in the...
Early Tuesday morning the Southern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association's floating net pens were being moved into position near the mouth of City Creek, when a structural failure took place. Employees had to move the pen into shallow water along the Sandy Beach tide flats to make repairs. Crystal Lake Assistant Hatchery Manager Kevin Chase explained that a metal beam came loose and had to be reattached, forcing them to realign and re-bolt the listing structure before continuing. By 8:30...
JUNEAU (AP) – An Anchorage-based scientist says paralytic shellfish poisoning is to blame for the deaths of more than 300 puffins that washed up in the Pribilof Islands in the Bering Sea last fall. Ecologist Bruce Wright’s opinion is different from most scientists who believe the puffins died of starvation. Wright, with the Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association, believes the puffins and the thousands of common murres that died in the Gulf of Alaska in 2015 were affected by the shellfish poisoning. “My colleagues are reluctant to say the thing...
ANCHORAGE (AP) – Repair work is underway for a pipeline that has spewed hundreds of thousands of cubic feet of processed natural gas into Alaska’s Cook Inlet, home to endangered beluga whales and other marine mammals. The 8-inch (20-centimeter) diameter pipeline supplies gas for power to four Hilcorp Alaska, LLC production platforms. A spokeswoman said Monday that divers over the weekend discovered a 2-inch (5-centimeter) hole at bottom of the pipeline where it rests on a boulder in the sea floor. “Divers have identified the leak locat...
JUNEAU (AP) – The city of Juneau has decided to put up another $100,000 to defend itself in a lawsuit brought by the cruise industry alleging it misused funds paid by cruise ship passengers. The $100,000 approved by the Juneau Assembly on Monday was drawn from the city’s sales tax fund levied on merchants within the city. It is in addition to more than $283,000 the city has already spent in legal fees in the case. Some of the funds have been covered by marine passenger fees. The lawsuit filed by Cruise Lines International Association in Apr...
WRANGELL – The Stikine River Birding Festival celebrates the spring arrival of migratory birds, including hundreds of thousands of shorebirds to the Stikine River Delta. The 20th year of this Wrangell festival takes place April 27-30, 2017. This year’s schedule is now available online at www.stikinebirding.org. Highlights include family activities, photo and art competitions, birding excursions, bird banding demonstrations, and guest speakers. Presenters this year include Dan Ruthrauff from the USGS Alaska Science Center, who will share his...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly approved a resolution opposing H.R. 232 — an act sponsored by Alaska Congressman Don Young that would transfer up to 2 million acres of Tongass National Forest to the state of Alaska. The assembly voted to table the resolution during its last meeting and rewrite some of the language member Bob Lynn said wasn’t in the best interest of the borough. The rewritten language, in part, states, “…transferring ownership of major portions of the Tongass National Forest within the Petersburg Borough to the State of Alaska w...
Mike Allen Jr. of Wrangell is nearing completion on a 400,000 BF State timber sale at Mile 26 Mitkof Highway. An 8-acre parcel has been cut along the uphill side of the highway. Falling work is complete and Allen is waiting for improved road conditions so he can haul the timber to Woodpecker Cove to load on a barge. The logs will be transported to his mill in Wrangell. Allen said the timber was a 50-50 mix of Hemlock and Spruce and the wood was sound. The wood is marketed, "all over," according...
Alaska’s US Representative Don Young, his wife, Anne, and staff Chad Padget will visit Petersburg on Monday, April 10, 2017. A community meeting will be held in the Assembly Chambers of the Municipal Building from 2:00-3:00 p.m. The public is invited to attend. In addition, Representative Young will hold a Business Round Table discussion at the Petersburg Elks Lodge for interested local business owners sponsored by John and Pam Jensen....
KETCHIKAN, Alaska (AP) – The death of a Ketchikan doctor remains under investigation after police learned that the friend who reported the doctor missing was accused of stealing money and valuable items from his home, authorities said. Eric Garcia was reported missing March 27 by his 31-year-old friend, Jordan Joplin of Maple Valley, Washington. He called police to say Garcia had not been seen for 10 days, the Ketchikan Daily News reported. Police say they later heard from Garcia’s family members that a coin collection, watches and alcohol wer...
JUNEAU (AP) - Carole Triem heard an unusual sound when she left an indoor swimming pool in downtown Juneau after her Friday morning workout. She thought she heard thunder, “which is strange because we don’t get thunder here in Juneau.” Instead, what she heard was an avalanche beginning its cascade down Mount Juneau. An avalanche in Alaska’s capital city isn’t an unusual event after several this year. But what was different for Triem, she said, was that she was able to pull her phone out and capture most of it on a 70-second video. “I looked...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly discussed a request made by the Petersburg School District and Petersburg Medical Center to pay a lower power rate but ultimately voted to only provide it to school buildings, instead of all municipal buildings including the hospital. The request comes after meetings between the Petersburg School District, Petersburg Medical Center and borough administrators on how to maintain services without increasing fees or taxes. “The school, the hospital and the borough have been getting together in these meetings to try t...
We find the Borough Assembly’s opposition to H.R. 232 to transfer up to 2-million acres of the Tongass National Forest to the State of Alaska very short sighted. According to their Resolution #2017-07 they would trade shrinking numbers of government jobs, dwindling federal handouts in the form of Payments in Lieu of Taxes and Secure Rural Schools funding for the opportunity to move acres of federal land into State ownership. Make no mistake. Government is a poor landlord. But with the transfer of Federal land into State hands, the landlord m...
WRANGELL – A Coast Guard cutter stationed in Ketchikan was due to stop in to Wrangell over the weekend for its Tent City Days celebration, but unexpectedly had to divert course and return home en route. The CGC Anthony Petit was about 31 miles away when it abruptly changed course Friday evening. “Unfortunately, just by Lincoln Rock, a member of our crew developed a serious medical condition,” explained Petty Officer 1st Class Jonathan Bauer. The ship made speedily for home, the crew member was successfully transported for emergency care, and i...
JUNEAU (AP) – The Alaska House majority leader says legislators are prepared to work past the scheduled end of session, if necessary, “to do things right.” Democratic Rep. Chris Tuck says lawmakers are dealing with weighty issues in trying to address Alaska’s deficit, and want to ensure bills are well vetted. The House has yet to complete work on an oil tax-and-credit system overhaul, which majority members consider a key component of a fiscal plan. That bill would still have to go to the Senate. Also pending in the House: legislation to rein...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly meeting as the Board of Equalization (BOA), on Monday, upheld the Assessor's property valuations on each property brought before them on appeal. Six appellants sought to have property values lowered on 10 parcels. According to Borough Clerk Debra Thompson 34 property owners brought appeals on 79 parcels. Of that number, the Assessor met with owners and resolved 69 of the appeals before the BOA met. Melinda Hofstad withdrew her appeal during the BOA meeting. Appeal...
WRANGELL – A Tlingit educator and Wrangell resident returned home late last month after taking part in a community research program at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C. Virginia Oliver was selected for the trip by Recovering Voices, a research initiative that supports indigenous communities in their efforts to save, document, and revitalize their languages, cultures and knowledge systems. Groups of scholars and elders are brought from around the country to the Smithsonian to exa...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – The state of Alaska’s toolkit for increasing moose and caribou numbers includes killing wolf pups in dens, shooting wolf packs from helicopters, and adopting liberal hunting regulations that allow sportsmen to shoot grizzlies over bait. But when state officials wanted to extend “predator control” to federal wildlife refuges, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said no. And after years of saying no, the agency late last year adopted a rule to make the denial permanent. Alaska’s elected officials called that an outrage a...
Sitka (AP) - On a door of the F/V Kamilar is a sticker with pink script: “Girls fish too.” And in the case of this boat, it is girls only. Vessel owner Brannon Finney is captaining the tender for the Sitka sac roe herring fishery with her all-female crew - something that’s rare for the fast and frenzied commercial fishery. Finney’s rotating crew is comprised of cousin Kelsey Kubik of Sitka; Bettina Nichols of Astoria, Oregon; Sandra Coats of Ketchikan and Annea Martinsen of Petersburg. They are packing for Petersburg’s Icicle Seafoods....
Sealaska directors approved a 2017 Spring Distribution to shareholders, totaling $10.6m. The distribution date is Friday, April 14, 2017. Sealaska will report another year of strong business growth and positive net income for 2016. “We continue to improve the financial performance of Sealaska by sticking to our strategic plan,” said Sealaska President and CEO Anthony Mallott. “Through this hard work, Sealaska operational income aims to cover all of our costs in 2017, allowing investment and ANCSA Section 7(i) income to drive sustainable busin...
JUNEAU (AP) – Researchers have found high levels of paralytic shellfish toxin in mollusks at a Juneau recreation area. Southeast Alaska Tribal Ocean Research is recommending against the harvest of shellfish from Auke Recreation Area until further notice, The Juneau Empire reported Monday. Ingesting shellfish with the toxin can cause paralytic shellfish poisoning, an illness that can result in tingling in the lips, tongue, fingers and toes as well as difficulty breathing. The illness can also eventually lead to death from paralysis of the b...
Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC) has completed its acquisition of Alaska Island Community Services (AICS), with the transition formally taking effect on April 1. Started in 1975, SEARHC is a non-profit tribal health consortium representing 18 Native communities in the region. Among its other programs, it operates Mt. Edgecumbe Hospital and the Ethel Lund Medical Center in Juneau. One of the largest private employers in the region before the merger, the deal with AICS extends its reach to 24 communities. Established in...
The 2017 Path to Prosperity Competition (P2P) sustainable business competition aims to identify and support innovative Southeast Alaska food businesses. The application period opened on April 1. Eligible businesses must operate primarily in Southeast Alaska and be involved in the growing, harvesting, processing, aggregation, preparation or distribution of food. “P2P applicants can be existing businesses or start-ups, but do not need to submit a full business plan in the first round of the application process,” said Paul Hackenmueller, P2P com...
For the second time since a new roof was installed on the borough downtown building, a leak has appeared in the ceiling of the Assembly Chambers. After the first leak appeared, the roofing subcontractor located and made repairs at the site of the leak. At last Friday's work session, another leak had stained the ceiling tiles in the chambers. According to Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht this is the second time the leak has appeared. The first leak happened in the early stages of construction...
The Petersburg Medical Center Board approved a budget of up to $250,000 plus design costs of $42,000 to renovate the basement kitchen at the hospital at a special meeting last night. The kitchen is located in the basement of the Long Term Care facility adjacent to the hospital. That building is located in the oldest section of the facility that was built in 1969. CFO Doran Hammett told the board that design and renovation expenses should be taken from the hospital's long-term investment...
