A piece of legislation meant to help curb illegal fishing was introduced in the Senate yesterday. The Pirate Fishing Elimination Act would prohibit foreign vessels that could be carrying unreported and unregulated catch from entering American ports and offloading their fish.

The bill backs up a commitment the United States made in 2009 during the negotiations of an international accord to curb pirate fishing. That treaty still hasn’t been ratified, but this new legislation put in place a lot of the implementation measurements that it requires.

Almost two years ago, schoolteacher Candice Berner was found dead alongside the snowy road to Chignik Lake. There were animal tracks around her body, and at the time investigators determined that the 32-year-old Pennsylvanian had been mauled by wolves.

Now the Alaska Department of Fish and Game completed its DNA analysis of the evidence and confirmed that the state’s initial conclusion was correct. According to a report released today, Berner was attacked by up to four wolves during her evening jog. The wolves were not rabid or malnourished, and they were not used to being around humans.  

The 656-foot cargo vessel Morning Cedar is adrift in the western Bering Sea.  The ship was 10 miles northeast of Tanaga Island, near Adak, on December 5 when a hydraulic leak left the rudder stuck hard to starboard.

Using a combination of the ship’s bow thrusters and forward propulsion, the crew was able to direct the vessel away from land and keep it from turning in circles.  On December 6 crew were able to release the rudder from its fixed position, but still aren’t able to control it.

On Friday, the United States Department of Labor announced that the unemployment rate had come down to 8.6 percent. The State of Alaska won’t release its November numbers for another month, but its most recent data puts unemployment at just 7.4 percent. Alaska has now held below the national average for three years.

In Unalaska, the picture is even rosier. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in the Aleutians West Census area for October was put at 6.6 percent. That’s a slight drop from September rate of 6.8 percent. The area typically has a lower rate than the state does because of the large supply of jobs from the fishing industry.

When the Department of Justice announced earlier this year that Unalaska's wastewater treatment plant was not in compliance with the Clean Water Act, local officials may have wished for a trust fund to pay for upgrades.

Under legislation introduced last week by Rep. Don Young, they might have a shot at getting one.

The bill calls for the Environmental Protection Agency to create an environmental compliance trust using fines collected from the federal government and private companies.  Communities would be able to use the grant money toward projects that would help them comply with EPA regulations. 

After weathering a stormy night, the fishing vessel Rebecca Irene is on its way back to Unalaska. 

The 140-foot catcher-processor lost power in one engine on Tuesday morning, leaving it stranded in open ocean as the massive weather front hitting western Alaska moved in.

As a precaution, the Coast Guard cutter Sherman evacuated 20 of the 34 crewmembers on Tuesday afternoon and stayed with the Rebecca Irene through the night. Petty Officer Sara Francis says the conditions near Unimak Pass weren’t as extreme as forecast.

United Fishermen of Alaska has joined mounting calls for reinstatement of Alaska’s Coastal Management Program.

UFA is an industry association representing 37 commercial fishing groups.  The Coastal Management Program coordinated state and local input on federal development projects before sunsetting in June, after the legislature failed to renew it.

UFA Executive Director Mark Vinsel says the issue should be a priority during the upcoming legislative session.

A spending bill that includes money for fisheries research and essential air service was passed by the United States Senate earlier today.

The so-called “minibus” bill allocates $67 million to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. That money will be spent on stock assessments that determine how healthy the nation’s commercial fisheries are, and how much fish can be caught. Only $51 million was allocated toward the program during the last fiscal year.

At least a few Unalaska residents felt a small rumbling this morning. A 4.5-magnitude earthquake hit at 10:20am about 45 miles northeast of town.

While a few people reported feeling the quake to the Unalaska Department of Public Safety, the event did not cause any injuries or damage according to Director Jamie Sunderland. As the quake was relatively small, it also didn’t trigger any sort of tsunami warning.