Unalaska, AK – It's that time of year again in Dutch Harbor--the 2006-2007 season for most of the Bering Sea crab fisheries opens at noon on Sunday.
Eighty-nine vessels are registered for Bristol Bay red king crab this season and similar numbers for bairdi and opilio crab. That's the same number of crab boats as last year, when crab rationalization took effect and individual fishing and processing quotas replaced the legendary derby in the Bering Sea. But it's barely a third of the number of boats that fished for red king crab in 2004, and a study by University of Alaska economics professor Gunnar Knapp that was released in May estimated that more than 1,200 fishing jobs were lost in the transition to a rationalized fishery.
Unalaska, AK – After a four-year hiatus, the Qawalangin Tribe is hoping to resurrect its recycling program in Unalaska.
The tribe has presented a proposal to the Unalaska City Council for a program that would recycle aluminum and fiber products, and would cost the city about $158,000 in its first year.
Tribal administrator Sharon Svarny-Livingston said that as the city runs out of space to store its garbage on the island, the need for recycling in Unalaska is becoming more and more urgent.
Unalaska, AK – In one of the final sessions of its meeting in Unalaska on Sunday, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council agreed to keep on the table a proposal that would restrict bottom trawling in parts of the Bering Sea.
The plan would mark off essential fish habitat areas in the Bering Sea, establishing limits to where vessels using high-impact trawl gear can fish. The council also agreed to consider a northern boundary to trawling in the region, a measure that had been sought by environmental groups.
Unalaska, AK – Representative Carl Moses has left Unalaska after forty-six years in the community.
Moses left on Saturday for Sand Point, where he's opening an auto garage and store. His store in Unalaska, which he opened in 1960, is closing, possibly as soon as the end of this month.
KIAL spoke with Moses Saturday afternoon onboard the ferry Tustumena, where he was waiting to depart. When asked for any words of farewell to the town, he was characteristically brief.
Unalaska, AK – A pre-indictment hearing will be held in Unalaska tomorrow for an Adak man who allegedly stole and crashed two vehicles, broke into three buildings and caused thousands of dollars worth of damage in August.
William Krukoff, 18, was arrested on September 29 and now faces twelve different charges for an early morning crime spree on August 30. Krukoff told officers that he found a vehicle with the keys in the ignition that morning, then drove it a short distance before crashing it into a pole in front of the Adak transportation maintenance building.
Unalaska, AK – This week, the Department of Energy shifted responsibility for the nuclear test site on Amchitka Island to the department's Legacy Management program, signaling a shift away from more active management of the island. But some people are still concerned about the radioactive material buried deep beneath Amchitka. KIAL's Charles Homans has the story in Unalaska.
Unalaska, AK – A week and a half after losing the coin toss that decided the Democratic primary in House District 37, Representative Carl Moses has announced that he's running as a write-in candidate in an effort to keep his seat in the Legislature. KIAL's Charles Homans has the story in Unalaska.
