The North Pacific Fishery Management Council has decided to reexamine the management of the Bering Sea’s deepest canyons.

Regulators on the council voted to assess the impact commercial fishing has on Pribilof and Zhemchug canyons and to come up with potential preservation strategies if necessary.

The decision follows the release of a study by Greenpeace, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the University of California that looks at the role the canyons play in the ocean ecosystem.

Tuesday night’s City Council budget work session brought good news for Unalaska's non-profits. A $1,084,458 budget allocation for community support funding means there’s plenty to go around. That represents a 35 percent increase over last year and about $30,000 more than the combined total requested by non-profits.

The Coast Guard is still on track to bring security forces up to Unalaska this summer. Last week, an injunction was filed against Greenpeace protesters that would prevent them from getting in close range of Shell Oil vessels during their drilling season, but the Coast Guard says that they’re still in favor of creating “temporary safety zones” around the drill fleet.

"We just want to make sure if there are protesters that go to Dutch Harbor, they are protesting in as safe a manner as possible and in accordance with state and local law," says Chief Petty Officer Kip Wadlow.

Those safety zones would be in place from June 15 to July 1, and they would regulate any space within 25 yards of a Shell vessel.

The federal government is taking comment on the safety zone proposal through May 3.

A 34-year-old man was found dead at the Unisea bunkhouse on Monday.

According to Public Safety Director Jamie Sunderland, Gregory Minerich of Seattle, Washington, passed away in his room on Monday. Police and emergency medical services were called to the scene at approximately 12:30pm, but Minerich appeared to have died hours before. No attempts to revive him were made.

Cause of death has not yet been determined, but police do not suspect foul play. The body has been sent to the state medical examiner in Anchorage for an autopsy.

City Council met Monday night to review the budget for fiscal year 2013. Total proposed operating expenditures are $24.2 million. That represents a 4.6 percent increase over last year.

Most departments kept proposed budget increases below 3 percent, in keeping with fiscal goals set by Council. The major exception was the planning department, which proposed a 268 percent increase in non-personnel operating expenses. Director Erin Reinders said during the meeting that with Shell and potentially other oil companies setting up shop in Unalaska, there will be increased development pressure. She said dealing with that will require more resources. 

It’s official. The Bangun Perkasa is now property of the United States. Fisheries blog Deckboss reported on Friday that a federal judge in Anchorage has signed a decree of forfeiture for the pirate vessel. That means the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is now free to get rid of it. Senator Mark Begich has previously called for scuttling the vessel while others have suggested selling it for scrap metal or auctioning it off as-is. NOAA couldn’t comment at this time on plans for disposal.

The Bangun Perkasa was caught high-seas driftnetting by the Coast Guard in October. That method of fishing is banned by the United Nations because of its damaging effect on ocean ecosystems.

City Council approved funding for an emergency mooring buoy on Friday during a special meeting. Mayor Shirley Marquardt explained during the meeting that the buoy is necessary to make Unalaska a true port of refuge for vessels transiting the Great Circle shipping route.

Currently, there’s nowhere for extremely large vessels in distress to tie up. Marquardt says that’s caused problems a number of times over the last few years, particularly with the disabled bulk carrier Golden Seas. The vessel’s deep draft made it impossible to bring it into the Port of Dutch Harbor or Captain’s Bay, so it ended up anchoring off of Hog Island in gale force winds and 25-foot seas. Although the Golden Seas’ anchor held, Marquardt pointed to it as an example of a potential disaster.

A grant from the Denali Commission will cover the cost of the $250,000 project. Marquardt says that’s a bargain compared to the initial cost estimate of $10 million. She says the city was able to bring down the price by enlisting the help of Shell Oil and its subcontractors. Harvey Gulf is shipping the buoy’s components from Louisiana for free and Shell is going to use its vessels and equipment to install the buoy. It’s slated to be deployed in Broad Bay this summer.

It’s highly unlikely that Unalaskans will get to see the likes of Xena, Warrior Princess, chained to a Shell drill ship this summer.

U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Gleason has granted an injunction that would prevent Greenpeace protesters from coming near Shell Oil vessels while they’re within 12 nautical miles of U.S. coastline. If Greenpeace protesters try to board Shell’s assets, like Lucy Lawless recently did in New Zealand, a court could find them in contempt and levy a heavy fine and even require jail time. They also can’t go within a kilometer of their two drill ships or within 500 meters of Shell’s 20-odd support vessels.

Two processors were arraigned on sexual assault charges in Unalaska on Thursday. Diego Mayuyo, 48, and Ismael Balallo, 45, allegedly attacked a woman at a Unisea bunkhouse on Tuesday night.

Both are accused of engaging in unwanted sexual contact with the woman. Balallo is also accused of penetrating the woman without her consent. For that he’s charged with sexual assault in the first degree, which is an unclassified felony, the most serious level of offense.