January means plenty of boats out fishing in rough weather, and with that comes a higher risk for problems at sea.
The F/V Clipper Epic suffered a power failure near Unalaska this weekend. The 167-foot freezer longliner was successfully escorted to the Spit Dock on Sunday.
Earlier last week, the F/V Glacier Bay was brought in after experiencing an engine room fire. The 154-foot longliner was accompanied by the S/V Redeemer on January 18, and it is currently undergoing repairs at Magone Marine Service.
The City of Unalaska is advertising for a new ports director.
Alvin Osterback held the position for five years, through several major projects, including construction of the Carl E. Moses Small Boat Harbor. His departure comes at a moment when more big projects are being considered.
In a memo to Council earlier this month City Manager Chris Hladick outlined six major ports goals for the next year. Those included securing $1.75 million in funding for renovation of the Bobby Storrs harbor, seeking $40 million in funding for replacing Position 3 at City Dock and getting the legislative go-ahead for a study examining the feasibility of dredging the entrance bar to Dutch Harbor. Hladick also pointed out that Shell could bring up 80 vessels to Unalaska if they drill in the Arctic this summer.
After solid wins at their home tournament last weekend, the Unalaska Raiders lost three in a row this weekend at the Dimond Prep Shoot-out in Anchorage.
In the last game of the tournament the Raiders faced off against the Kenai Cardinals. The final score was 56-27.
Coach Jim Wilson says the kids played well against some of the biggest and best schools in the state.
"The Dimond Prep Shoot-out is probably the most prestigious, if not, one of the most prestigious tournaments in the state. So, for our kids to come in and compete in a tournament with schools ranging from a thousand to two thousand kids was a tremendous experience for our kids. And they certainly got better as the week went along."
The rats are gone from Rat Island and the name might follow suit.
The Aleut Corporation and the Aleutian Pribilof Island Association recently voted to ditch the now-inaccurate moniker and revert to the traditional Unangan name.
On Thursday, U.S. District Court Judge Timothy Burgess upheld the National Marine Fisheries Service’s decision to restrict fishing in the western Aleutians to protect the endangered marine mammals.
That’s been broadly characterized as a victory for NFMS and the conservation groups that intervened in the lawsuit. But the fishing industry is rallying around the part of the court’s ruling that requires NFMS prepare an environmental impact statement.
With its lengthy stretches of coast line, rapid currents, and big waves, Alaska could be capable of producing about a fifth of the nation’s electricity. That’s according to two new reports released by the United States Department of Energy that find that the state’s waters have enough energy in them to produce over 850 terawatt hours of electricity every year -- that’s enough to run over 800 billion space heaters all day, year round.
South Anchorage High School beat Unalaska in the second day of the Alaska Prep Shoot-Out.
The final score was 72 to 43. The Raiders boys basketball team led in the first quarter, but then South came up from behind in the second half and held their lead.
JJ Fernandez was Unalaska’s high scorer, with 23 points.
The tournament wraps up tomorrow at Dimond High School. The Raiders will be facing off against the loser of tonight’s match between Ketchikan and Kenai. That game kicks off at 1:45pm.
A federal judge has upheld the National Marine Fisheries Service’s decision to restrict fishing in the western Aleutians in order to protect an endangered stock of marine mammals.
The decision is the product of a year-long litigation process in which the State of Alaska, industry groups, and Aleut Enterprise sued NMFS over their efforts to stop the decline of the Steller sea lion population. They say that the closures of the Atka mackerel and Pacific cod fisheries are estimated to cost the industry over $80 million annually and that NMFS’ science doesn’t justify the restrictions. The plaintiffs also argue that NMFS failed to adequately consult the public in this process.
Unalaska Raider boys basketball team lost to Monroe Catholic in the first round of the Dimond Prep Shootout Tournament.
The final score was 34-68. Monroe Catholic has not lost a game this season, and prior to this match, the closest score against their team was a 40-point split against North Pole.
Raider Boys closed the game strong, scoring 21 of their 34 total points in the second half.
