KDLG - Dillingham

The Bristol Bay borough is the epicenter of fish processing during the short sockeye fishery, and its population grows exponentially as seafood workers and fishermen come to the region.

Alaska’s fishing industry was allocated $50 million in CARES Act funding in early May

There are now five confirmed cases of COVID-19 tied to Bristol Bay.

The case is not associated with the seafood industry, and the person wasn’t tested in their home community.

This will be the first commercial service to Bristol Bay in more than a month, since RavnAir shut down all operations and filed for bankruptcy in early April.

Yuraq encompasses more than just the English translation of “dance,” which is most familiar to non-Natives.

The test result was positive, but it was not from a real patient. Instead, it was a practice result that was sent over to the state’s raw data site.

Thousands of commercial fishery workers coming to Bristol Bay will be operating under a strict set of guidelines this season, laid out in the new mandate released last week by Gov. Mike Dunleavy. But some local leaders say it’s not enough.

Alaska has designated fishing as “critical infrastructure” — including sport fishing. But travel mandates could make trips to fishing destinations an upstream battle for people trying to come in from out of state.

The mandate targets independent fishing boats, many of which are operated by captains and crew who travel to Bristol Bay from outside Alaska.