Unalaska, AK – Dozens of earthquakes have rocked the far western Aleutians over the past several weeks, most recently early Tuesday morning near Amchitka Island. The quakes thus far have been confined to this mostly uninhabited part of the island chain. But the largest, on Saturday and also near Amchitka, was felt by residents of Adak Island. Adak is 200 miles east of Amchitka and home to about 300 people.

Unalaska, AK – After 27 years in Unalaska, Mike Gebhart is getting ready to leave town. But when he takes off today, he's going to do it in an unusual way: by sailboat.

Unalaska, AK – Record low sockeye salmon numbers have forced the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to extend the closure of subsistence fishing in part of Unalaska's Reese Bay. The closure was scheduled to end Sunday as it has in years past, but Fish and Game management biologist Forrest Bowers said it will be extended on account of tumbling salmon escapement numbers, which have fallen from a high of nearly 102,000 in 2003 to less than a tenth of that this summer.

Unalaska, AK – The weekly fisheries roundup with city natural resource analyst Frank Kelty.

Unalaska, AK – The National Marine Fisheries Service crab rationalization program was tweaked slightly Thursday, closing a loophole that allowed crab fishermen unrestricted access to Pacific cod in state-managed waters.

The amendment, which was published Thursday morning in the Federal Register, extends sideboard protections for Pacific cod to state waters in the Gulf of Alaska. A sideboard is a fishery-wide cap, in this case applying to boats that fish mainly for opilio crab in federally managed waters. The change will subject all fishing vessels to the same set of rules.

Unalaska, AK – It may be July 6, not July 4, but Unalaska will finally get its fireworks show tonight. The holiday display was scheduled for the 4th but was postponed twice because of the weather. Lieutenant Jamie Sunderland of the Unalaska Department of Public Safety says all systems are go for tonight.

The fireworks will be launched from Summer Bay Road, just past the cemetery. The best viewing from Unalaska will be from Front Beach.

Unalaska, AK – Next month, for the first time since 2000, 37th District House Representative Carl Moses, D-Unalaska, will face a challenge in his party's primary election.

Unalaska, AK – The Coast Guard rescued a man and his dog who had spent three days adrift off the coast of Unalaska Island near Chernofski Harbor Friday afternoon.

Josh Zyelinske, 22, was drifting in his 15-foot skiff 10 miles northwest of the island after his engine was disabled by a submerged object. He happened to cross paths with the Coast Guard cutter Morgenthau on its routine patrol, a meeting that Coast Guard petty officer Eric Chandler described as incredibly lucky.

Unalaska, AK – The Unalaska City Council approved the purchase of about twelve thousand square feet of land for a proposed new powerhouse earlier this week. The land, which belongs to the Ounalashka Corporation, is located on Amaknak Island near the site of the current powerhouse.
The vote does not mean the land purchase is a done deal, or that a new diesel generator will be built. But increased utility use has strained the capacity of Unalaska's existing powerhouse, which is about 8 megawatts.
Still, the city government hasn't decided yet how best to meet growing energy needs. It's still exploring options such as geothermal power, which some council members see as increasingly attractive as gas prices continue to rise.
The purchase approval won't be final until mayor Shirley Marquardt signs off on it.