Unalaska, AK – This morning, the Unalaska Raiders and Lady Raiders squared off against the Dillingham Wolverines.
The boys team came close to pulling off a win, but lost in the last minute of triple overtime. The final score was 56-52. Andrew Seman was a top scorer with 25 points.
The girls team lost their game against Dillingham 44-20.
Both teams will continue to compete in the Delta Junction tournament. The boys game will be at 11am, with their opponent to be determined. The girls will be playing the Monroe JV team at 12:30pm.
Unalaska, AK – The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has opted to extend the comment period on the potential listing of ringed and bearded seals as endangered.
In December, NOAA proposed that two distinct populations of bearded seals and four subspecies of ringed seals be protected under the Endangered Species Act. The bearded seals are found in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas in Alaska, while the ringed seal subspecies are found in the Bering Sea and the Arctic Ocean. The 60-day public comment period was supposed to end yesterday, but it has been extended 45 days to March 25.
Unalaska, AK – A fishing vessel has run aground on Unalaska Island. The TerriGail hit Alimuda Bay -- just southwest of Makushin Bay - at 2:50 pm, after having spent approximately 11 hours adrift and without power. The five crewmen aboard the vessel were successfully rescued by a Coast Guard HH-65 helicopter.
The TerriGail crew first issued a mayday call over the radio at 4:04 am. At the time, they reported that the 58-foot longliner had experienced a marine casualty and that they were located about 40 miles from Unalaska.
Unalaska, AK – On Tuesday morning, City Manager Chris Hladick made a presentation to the State House Committee on Community and Regional Affairs on the status of the wastewater treatment plant.
Because the Environmental Protection Agency has determined that the current facilities do not meeting their permitting standards, the city is working on the development of a new treatment plant, which could cost up to $24 million.
Unalaska, AK – This weekend, ten Unalaska City High School students traveled to Seward to participate in the 14th annual Alaska Region National Ocean Sciences Bowl - commonly known as Tsunami Bowl. The competition tests students' knowledge of ocean science, history, geography, and it includes a quiz bowl, a research paper, and a presentation.
One of the two teams that Unalaska sent - the Frisky Phrominas - gave a presentation on the effects that increased vessel traffic would have on Unalaska. The second team, the Teal Turtles, looked at the effect of marine debris on the Unalaska Bay ecosystem. Shoshannah Jacob is one of the coaches, along with Reid Brewer and Shawna Rudio. She describes what the presentation process is like.
Unalaska, AK – The National Marine Fisheries Service is now accepting applications for its Crab Individual Fishing Quota loan program. These loans allow crews on crab vessels to borrow up to 80 percent of the cost of a crab quota share, and they can also be used to refinance IFQ loans that had been made previously.
The Bering Sea Aleutian Island Crab IFQ loan program was finalized in December, and NMFS is making $8 million available. The program is open to all current and former skippers and crewmen.
Unalaska, AK – Shell Oil has decided not to pursue an offshore drilling program in the Arctic this year, citing a lengthy permitting process as the rationale behind the move.
To drill an exploratory well in the Beaufort Sea, Shell must receive an air permit. The Environmental Protection Agency granted that air permit last year, but the agency was challenged by Alaska Native and environmental groups. An independent review board ultimately overturned the permit.
