Starting Monday, the U.S. Coast Guard is holding two weeks of public hearings as part of its investigation into the sinking of the F/V Destination.
Aleutians
Teaching the next crop of whale entanglement responders
Unalaska has experienced three entangled whales in the last two years. There used to be only one person on the island who could respond to the incidents. But thanks to a recent training, a new response team is in place.
Sand Point loses entire police force
Sand Point faces a problem with its police force: It doesn’t have one any more. In just three weeks, all its officers resigned. City Administrator Andrew Varner said the first officer wanted to be closer to a spouse who is in the military. A week later, two more officers, a married couple, left because of a “family decision.”
Competition for airspace between drones and eagles intensifies in Unalaska
Before sending a $6,000 drone to record aerial footage in Unalaska, Emmett Fitch warned the pilot he might want to reconsider one thing. “It was black with a white body,” Fitch recalls. “I said, ‘That looks a lot like an eagle. We should maybe paint it a different color.’”
With cut after cut, state food safety inspections stretch years apart
After several years of state budget cuts, fewer inspectors are paying fewer visits — especially to rural Alaska. State check-ins are intended to protect public health, but some places haven’t been visited for years.
After a rocky start, Unalaska’s subsistence salmon run hits target escapement
While this year the McLees Lake subsistence salmon run is below average, it is not the lowest recorded.
Underwater camera keeps an eye on Atka mackerel
Counting Atka mackerel became really important when Steller sea lions were declared endangered in 1997, according to National Marine Fisheries Service Biologist Suzanne McDermott.
U.S. House passes King Cove Road bill
The Senate hasn’t passed the bill yet. Don Young hinted the Trump administration might not need new legislation to take action.
Wreckage of crabber Destination discovered after disappearing in February
Wreckage from the F/V Destination has been found off St. George Island. The boat and its six crew members were fishing for snow crab when they disappeared Feb. 11.
Eruptions can’t stop sealife from calling Bogoslof home
Bogoslof’s unpredictable eruptions have prevented scientists from setting foot on the island. But it hasn’t kept them from seeing whether animals have returned.