News Articles

The 2010 Alaska fishing season proved to be a banner year for salmon. All totaled, the catch throughout the state equaled nearly $534 million, the best numbers in 18 years. Of this total, over half came from Prince William Sound and Bristol Bay. For those of us who make a living fishing in Bristol Bay, we have much to be thankful for looking back. Our total catch of sockeye in the Bay came in at 29 million fish, the 11th largest since statehood equaling $149 million. This has all come as fish prices continue to rise and the 2011 forecast from Alaska Department of Fish and Game looks promising. As we celebrate this bounty we also celebrate the decision by the Obama Administration last March to halt offshore oil and gas leasing plans that had been rapidly moving forward in Bristol Bay and the southeast Bering Sea. After countless meetings, public comments and even a visit to Bristol Bay from Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Alaska Sen. Mark Begich, a wise call was made to remove Bristol Bay and the southeast Bering Sea from the five-year outer continental shelf (OCS) leasing program .... [W]e know very well that what is in place is only temporary and will expire in 2017 — or could be removed even sooner if a new president is elected in 2012. Many of us who have fished and lived in the region for generations have fought in this ongoing battle through a long cycle of plans to drill, buybacks, and different positions from various administrations.

The staff of a state agency, the Local Boundary Commission, has recommended approval of the city of Dillingham's petition to annex extensive commercial fishing grounds. The staff's conclusion starts on p. 84 of this preliminary report. At the end of the report, you can find letters from people for and against annexing the new territory. The annexation is still subject to commission approval, plus a vote of Dillingham area residents.

A new survey on the proposed Pebble Mine, paid for by Alaska Wild Salmon Protection Inc. and conducted by Hellenthal and Associates of Anchorage, found that 51.2 percent of Alaska's registered voters oppose the mine, with 35 percent of respondents strongly opposed. "Interestingly, Alaskans support for or opposition to the Pebble Mine is not defined by whether they are 'pro-environment' or 'pro-development' as over 90 percent of registered voters believe you can support development and still oppose this mine," said Marc Hellenthal, president of the survey firm.  

A casting call is out for Alaska women to star in an Animal Planet reality show.  “The name of the show we are casting is Alaska Fishermen’s Wives,” said Annette Ivy, casting producer with Shed Media US in Los Angeles. “We are looking for a kind of flip side of Deadliest Catch, and that would be the fishermen’s wives and their lifestyle. We’re interested in the stresses and challenges they go through when their husbands are out at sea and they’re left holding down the fort.”