Two specially equipped sailboats are attempting a voyage that’s never been done before – a trip to the North Pole. Led by a British explorer, the international crew has moved the boats from their home in Sitka up to Nome, where they’re hoping to launch for their journey to the Pole this weekend.
KCAW - Sitka
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Fish and Game to shut down Southeast commercial and sport king fishing
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is shutting down all commercial and sport fishing for king salmon in Southeast Alaska.
Athabascan artist teaches others how to weave with fish skins
Fish skin: some people eat it, others throw it out, and some make baskets from it. This week at the Sitka Arts and Science Festival, five women are learning how to make a basket from fish skin, beads, and a needle and thread. Their teacher is Athabascan artist Audrey Armstrong, who comes to Sitka every summer to teach this class.
Murkowski in Sitka hours after critical health care vote
Less than 24 hours after casting a critical vote on health care, U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski was back in her home state of Alaska. She had choice words about voting her conscience, despite pressure from the GOP and President Donald Trump himself.
ADF&G maps out new zones for mountain goat hunting on Baranof
Baranof Island will now be divided into 34 small hunt zones. ADF&G says this will allow them to manage at the subpopulation level and reduce the risk of overharvesting.
Coast Guard medevacs man suffering chest pain aboard fishing boat in Southeast Alaska
A man suffering from chest pain was hoisted from a fishing vessel Wednesday night by the U.S. Coast Guard Wednesday night. Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Juneau received a medevac request the F/V Kindred Spirit, saying a crew member was suffering symptoms of a stroke. They were located in Stephens Passage near Port Snettisham. A…
Oprah’s visit to Alaska leaves lasting impact on fans
Oprah declared 2017 her “Year of Adventure” and launched a series of cruises – one to Alaska, where she had never been before. On her itinerary for Sitka was a visit to Fortress of the Bear, the Alaska Raptor Center, and watching the New Archangel Dancers at Harrigan Centennial Hall.
Ecosystem study unlocks the mystery of black cod survival
Over the past couple of decades black cod — or sablefish — has become one of Southeast Alaska’s most commercially important species. Longliners target them in deep waters off the continental shelf, during the same season as halibut. Although stocks are strong, biologists don’t fully grasp black cod population ecology. A research partnership in Sitka hopes to change that.
Troopers shoot bear after it kills and eats dog in Sitka neighborhood
This is the second bear killed in Sitka this summer. On June 14, a resident on the other end of town shot a bear who was reportedly threatening his dog.
Cutter Maple’s Alaskan farewell a possible journey to remember
The Maple’s trip is intended to celebrate the anniversary of the Coast Guard’s last trip through the Northwest Passage and to re-establish logistics with Canada for securing the important waterway.