Unalaska, AK – This week, Congress passed legislation that would rationalize the Pacific cod fishery in the Bering Sea and Aleutians Islands.

The "Longline Catcher Processor Subsector Single Fishery Cooperative Act" will create a Bering Sea cooperative for freezer longline fleet. The legislation will result in a slower season for the fleet, and it has been endorsed by industry groups such as the Freezer Longline Coalition.

Unalaska, AK – The Alaska Department of Fish and Game today announced the harvest levels for the Aleutian Islands black rockfish management areas. The guideline harvest level has been set at 90,000 pounds, and maximum bycatch of black rockfish in other fisheries has been set at five percent.

The management area is divided into three sections, labeled as the Unalaska, Akutan, and Western portions. The Unalaska area is further divided into five subsections. The Unalaska Bay and Wislow subsection, Beaver Inlet and Sedanka Island subsection, and Cape Kalekta and Unalga Island subsections each have allocations of about 3,000 pounds. Meanwhile, the South Unalaska subsection and the West Unalaska subsection each have allocations of about 12,000 pounds.

Unalaska, AK – On Wednesday, Gov. Sean Parnell released his preliminary budget, which the state legislature will use as a starting point for discussion. The budget lists two items for Unalaska.

Included in the budget is $25.7 million in expected federal funding for airport maintenance. That project involves pavement rehabilitation and improvements to the runway safety area.

The governor's budget also includes over $3 million for the water treatment plant, which would come from the state's general fund. That project is estimated to cost $6 million, and must move ahead because of EPA compliance rules.

Unalaska, AK – About 20 community members gathered at the Father Gromoff Senior Center on Wednesday to hear about the status of Office of Children's Services position based in Unalaska.

The position has been vacant since 2009, and there have been four attempts to fill it. However, weather and travel challenges have driven some candidates for the position off.

Tim Bolles, who is the Children's Services Manager for the South Central region, answered questions from the group about the likelihood of filling the position and solicited ideas from Unalaskans on how to keep an OCS field office here. He says that the Aleutians region position is the most expensive one for OCS to maintain and also includes the fewest cases. He says it's unclear that the position will continue to be based in Unalaska if there continues to be difficulty filling it.

Unalaska, AK – Last week, Jason Neil Downard, 29, was found guilty of assault in the second degree.

The case centered around an alleged sexual assault that took place in False Pass in 2008. The case was initially to be tried in Sand Point, but because of difficulty selecting a jury, the trial took place in Unalaska. He was charged with three felonies: assault, attempted sexual assault, and rape.

Unalaska, AK – Last night's city council meeting was focused on financial review.

The work session opened with a presentation of the city of Unalaska's audited financial report for Fiscal Year 2010 by Dan Rozema of KPMG. Finance director Tonya Miller also answered questions about the city's expenditures and revenue.

Expenditures were higher this year, going up 27% to $44.1 million. The city generated $31.1 million in revenue, a 20% drop from the previous year. In 2009, it generated $38.8 million. The drop in revenue was in part attributable to the aftershocks of the recession and to a lower pollock quota.

Unalaska, AK – The state of Alaska has filed suit against the National Marine Fisheries Service in an effort to overturn a rule that would limit fishing in the western Aleutian Islands. The rule is set to take effect on January 1, and has been put in place in order to protect the endangered western stock of Steller sea lions.

The decision to close the Atka mackerel and Pacific cod fisheries in the Western Aleutians so that the sea lions would have more fish available to them was announced last week by NMFS, and has come under fire from the fishing industry. These fisheries may employ as many as 900 people according to the state, and their closure could have an economic impact of upwards of $66 million. The state of Alaska is concerned that the research done on the decline of Steller sea lions does not justify these restrictions.

Unalaska, AK – Tonight, city council will review the city's finances.

The work session will begin with a presentation of the city of Unalaska's audited financial report for Fiscal Year 2010 by Dan Rozema of KPMG. Next, council will discuss the suspension of the sales tax penalty for APL.

There are two items on the consent agenda. One resolution would approve the audited financial statements for fiscal year 2010, and the other would adopt what is called the "alternate allocation method" for the shared fisheries business tax program for fiscal year 2011, which has been traditional adopted by communities that are economically impacted by fishing activity outside of their municipal boundaries. This method has been used in Unalaska for the past 18 years. If it is used, the city is expected to collect $435,000 in tax revenue. There are no estimates for how much the standard method - which wouldn't count areas like Beaver Inlet as part of Unalaska - would bring in.

Unalaska, AK – This weekend, the Unalaska City School wrestling team traveled to Nikiski for the State wrestling tournament. The Raiders came in 22nd out of 42 teams, earning 17 points total.

Eight members of the team qualified for state, and co-captain Zac Call placed highest among them. He won four out of six matches in the 145-pound weight class.

Coach Steve Gregory says that in all, it was a good showing from the Raiders.