The interest in kelp farming is there. Lease applications nearly doubled last year, and a recent training attracted hundreds of participants.
Fisheries
Lawmakers consider relaxing conflict of interest rules for game and fisheries boards
Alaska’s House Fisheries Committee is considering a bill that would allow Board of Fisheries and Board of Game members to join discussions even if they’ve declared they have a financial stake in the matter.
Skagway Traditional Council program teaches schoolchildren about salmon
Salmon in the Classroom lets kids follow the salmon life cycle, up close and personal.
Late winter snowstorm in Ketchikan wreaks havoc on land and sea
Ketchikan residents woke up this weekend to find their homes, cars and roads covered in as many as 20 inches of heavy, wet snow.
Metlakatla appeals to Ninth Circuit in fishing rights case against Dunleavy administration
Metlakatla’s attorneys say lawmakers implicitly granted tribal members the right to fish in nearby waters — even outside the reserve’s boundaries.
Lawmakers to quiz Department of Labor over its handling of COVID-19 related safety
Whistleblowers leaked documents to them showing that Department of Labor commissioner Tamika Ledbetter blocked about $450,000 in fines that her agency’s inspectors wanted to levy against Copper River Seafoods.
Researchers try to quantify COVID-19’s impact on seafood industry
The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute is sending out two surveys —one for fishermen and one for processors — about the effects of the pandemic.
Cleanup efforts conclude for Sitka Sound fuel spill
Impacts to the environment are unknown at this time. According to the Coast Guard, no wildlife was observed within the worksite.
Sunken fishing vessel causes fuel spill in Sitka Sound
According to a report from the Department of Environmental Conservation, the vessel owner reported 1500 gallons of diesel fuel and 55 gallons of hydraulic oil on board at the time of sinking.
Tribes, fishermen criticize Alaska and British Columbia decision to end transboundary monitoring
A 22-page final report released on Thursday culminates two years of data collected from water, sediment and fish tissue in three transboundary watersheds that straddle the frontier. And now, Alaska and British Columbia governments say their work is done.