News

By Margaret BaumanFederal officials have extended through Sept. 21 the comment period on the proposed halibut catch sharing plan, which was to have ended Sept. 6, to assure that everyone has their say in the public process.The extension was announced Sept. 1, in the wake of a visit to Alaska in August by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Administrator Jane Lubchenco, who spent time in Homer with Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, listening to comments about the draft plan from both charter and setline halibut harvesters.Lubchenco said she wanted to make sure that everyone has a chance to give their input in this public process of shaping the final halibut catch sharing plan.”“While many fishermen have already submitted comments, this extension will allow additional time for fisher...

Voters in Southwest Alaska’s Lake and Peninsula Borough have approved by a vote of 280-246 an initiative that could bar permitting for large-scale mines that would have a significant adverse impact on existing salmon streams.The initiative, aimed at halting development of the Pebble mine at the headwaters of the Bristol Bay watershed had been the subject of extensive campaigning on both sides. Borough manager Lamar Cotten said this was the largest number of votes ever cast in a borough election.Proposed development of the Pebble copper, gold and molybdenum mine has been a hot topic in Southwest Alaska for several years. Mining firms like London-based Anglo-American, which has invested millions in mine exploration along with Canada’s Northern Dynasty Minerals, have maintained that they can ...

Senators Mark Begich, D-Alaska, and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, have introduced two new pieces of legislation aimed by stopping production of genetically engineered fish. Each senator co-sponsored the other’s measure.Begich introduced the Prevention of Escapement of Genetically Altered Salmon in the Unites States (PEGASUS) Act to ban the interstate commerce of genetically modified fish. PEGASUS would make it unlawful to ship, transport, offer for sale, sell, or purchase genetically altered salmon or other marine fish, or a product containing genetically altered salmon or other marine fish, in interstate or foreign commerce, or to have the same in custody, control or possession of for those purposes.Violations would be subject to penalties under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and M...

Final action is set for the December meeting of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council in Anchorage on the council’s revised salmon fishery management plan.This comes in the wake of the council’s review of the initial review draft analysis of options to revise and update the plan during its fall meeting at Unalaska. The council chose to retain alternative 3 as its preferred preliminary alternative, which it adopted in April of this year. That preferred preliminary alternative modifies the plan to exclude from its scope the three historical net commercial salmon fishing areas in the west area excusive economic zone, and to maintain the prohibition on commercial salmon fishing in the remaining west area. The sport fishery in the west area would also be removed from the scope of the pla...

Oral arguments are set for Nov. 15 in U.S. District Court in Anchorage in the latest multi-million dollar litigation of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill disaster. ExxonMobil is seeking to have dismissed efforts to make the oil giant pay an additional $92 million for additional cleanup of the oil spill in Prince William Sound.ExxonMobil argues in its brief that a 1991 agreement and consent decree handed down by the court precludes the governments of the United States and the state of Alaska from demanding additional funds for cleanup pursuant to the court’s reopener for unknown injury. ExxonMobil attorneys said that because the consent decree released ExxonMobil from obligations to conduct further “cleanup” and that the parties explicitly limited the scope of the reopener litigation to “rest...

The U.S. District Court in Anchorage has ordered oral arguments in the Exxon Valdez in mid-November in litigation aimed at making Exxon Corp. pay up an additional $92 million for additional cleanup of the oil spill disaster in Prince William Sound. Back in 1991, Exxon agreed to pay $900 million n damages over the next decade for cleanup costs, in a deal that allowed the government to reopen the case, in the event there remained issues not adequately addressed in the cleanup.Five years ago, in 2006, given evidence that habitat and species were still impacted by the spill more than 22 years ago, both the Justice Department and the State of Alaska filed a claim asking that Exxon make an additional $92 million in payments.To date Exxon has declined to pay any additional monies, and the Justice...

Election officials in Southwest Alaska’s Lake and Peninsula Borough plan to release results Oct. 17 on an Oct. 4 election initiative that could bar permitting for large mines that would have a significant adverse impact on salmon streams.The Save Our Salmon initiative’s aim is to halt development of the Pebble copper, gold and molybdenum mine at the headwaters of the Bristol Bay watershed, home of the world’s largest wild sockeye salmon fishery.Mine proponents maintain that available technology would allow the mine to operate without disrupting the fisheries, which are critical to the region’s commercial, sport and subsistence fishing economies.Mine opponents, including biologists who have studied salmon habitat in the region for decades, contend that the project threatens spawning streams...

By Bob Links October 2011 When the time comes to decide whether to rebuild your old engine or replace it with a newer model, there are several factors that should come to mind. The condition and age of the existing engine, overall price of overhaul compared to new, environmental concerns, including working environment and how your engine treats nature, are all things that should be carefully thought about before jumping into a decision half-heartedly. The condition of your old engine should be your first consideration. Has it been overhauled before? Are parts still readily available for the model engine you have? How much downtime will you have waiting for your engine to be rebuilt? Is there a reliable mechanic available to rebuild your engine? All of these things...

On the eve of Alaska’s commercial crab fisheries season, prices for Bristol Bay red king crab in particular were still unknown but expected to be high, considering the demand and reduced allowable harvest. University of Alaska fisheries economist Gunnar Knapp noted that the combination of limited supply and the growing strength of the yen against the dollar indicated higher prices, while the quota on the red king crab had been slashed by 47 percent. “Any time you have that kind of cut in the quota you will have a price squeeze that will drive the price up,” he said. Rob George of “The Crab Broker” in Las Vegas said he’ll be happy to lock in on 450,000 pounds of red king crab clusters this year, as opposed to just over one million pounds a year ago.The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has...

The Alaska House special committee on fisheries will meet Oct. 19 at the Dena-ina Civic and Convention Center in Anchorage to discuss salmon management in the Arctic-Yukon-Kuskokwim region of western Alaska. Committee chairman Steve Thompson, R-Fairbanks and Rep. Bob Herron, D-Bethel, have scheduled two and a half hours for the session, which will be teleconferenced, at the request of constituents with concerns about management of those fisheries. Herron said information gathered would be provided to appropriate legislative subcommittees in the Alaska House and Senate to possibly implement management and funding changes. Herron said there are a number of concerns, from changing ocean conditions to high seas intercepts of salmon and international salmon treaty obligations voiced by constitu...