Unalaska, AK – The Carl E. Moses Small Boat Harbor is entering a new phase of construction.
The first set of floats for the harbor arrived on Saturday morning from Seattle. The materials are now staged on a barge in Captains Bay. The contractor is expected to arrive in Unalaska within the next two days, and in-water work on the small boat harbor is scheduled to begin on April 1.
Unalaska, AK – The catcher-vessel trawl sector for the Bering Sea-Aleutian Island Pacific cod fishery has finished its season. The National Marine Fisheries Service made the closure at noon on Saturday, and now the state-waters fishery will open up on Wednesday.
The total allowable catch for Pacific cod was set at just under 228,000 metric tons, and the trawl sector has harvested nearly 40,000 of that this A season. Now, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game will be allowing vessels to harvest approximately 5,500 metric tons through April 1st. The federally managed B season will then open up that day.
Unalaska, AK – The number of living speakers of Unangam Tunuu is declining, but one group is working on an innovative way of turning this trend around. KUCB's Alexandra Gutierrez has more.
Unalaska, AK – Starting in April, the National Marine Fisheries Service will no longer require groundfish cooperatives to submit draft reports to the North Pacific Fishery Management Council.
Previously, cooperatives that harvest pollock in the Bering Sea were required to submit two reports - one draft, and one final - to the Council, which contained both catch and bycatch data. Now, an amendment to the American Fisheries Act has cut down this reporting requirement. The change was made because the drafts were not contributing to the Council's quota recommendations and because the groundfish plan team's Stock Assessment and Fishery Evaluation Reports contained more comprehensive catch data.
Unalaska, AK – Last night city council adopted a resolution that would make adjustments to the accounting classification of the general fund, and it advanced an ordinance that would make some changes to the current budget.
But the most contentious item discussed last night wasn't on the agenda. Before the council moved into the work session, council member Dennis Robinson brought up a recent EPA penalty levied against UniSea. The seafood company was fined nearly $2 million for an ammonia leak that was not reported in a timely fashion.
Unalaska, AK – Alaska's congressional delegation has introduced legislation that would prohibit maritime liens from being put on commercial fishing permits.
The Maritime Lien Reform Act of 2011 would make it illegal for a creditor to put a claim on a permit as a way of recouping debt. Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Rep. Don Young have said that these maritime liens are counterproductive, since they take away a fisherman's ability work and ultimately make money to repay the initial debt. Sen. Mark Begich also supports the bill, and sees it as a way of keeping permits in Alaskan communities.
Unalaska, AK – City council will be meeting tonight to consider an amendment to the comprehensive plan and changes to the budget.
The work session will open with updates on the state legislative session and the status of the wellness program. There will also be a presentation on Governmental Accounting Standards Board Statement #54.
There are two items on the consent agenda. One resolution would allow the City of Unalaska to sell surplus personal property, including office supplies, electronics, and gym equipment. The surplus sale would be scheduled for April 9. Council will also consider a resolution that would confirm the appointment of Chris Spengler to the city's planning commission. Spengler has been a resident of Unalaska for 15 years, and works as an engineer for Westward.
Unalaska, AK – Unalaska led a veritable sweep of this year's Alaska Science and Engineering Fair. All participating Unalaska student placed first in their respective categories, and one senior was selected to participate in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF).
Noah Betzen was one of the grand prize winners, coming in second overall for his project, "The Effects of Calcium Carbonate on Ocean Acidification." He also placed first in the high school environmental sciences category. His project looked at how ocean acidification, which can hurt shellfish and pollock, can be curbed.
Unalaska, AK – While Unalaska received a heavy battering this weekend, no residents were injured by Saturday's storm.
Between 11:15am and 6pm, winds blew at speeds of 75 miles per hour. At the airport, a gust of 114 miles per hour were recorded, and an advisory was issued by the National Weather Service instructing locals to secure items due to the heavy winds.
Even though precautions were taken to limit destruction, a substantial amount of damage was recorded. A finger float at the small boat harbor was partially submerged, and a bunkhouse owned by Pacific Stevedoring also had to be evacuated before part of it collapsed on nearby cars.
