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Bottom-trawl gear to blame for most of this year’s fishery-related killer whale deaths, NOAA says
A federal investigation into the unusually large number of Bering Sea and Aleutian killer whales found dead this summer determined that most but not all of the deaths were killed by entanglement in fishing gear. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Alaska Fisheries Science Center on Friday released some details about the deaths in the […]
Study points to concurrent marine heat waves as culprit in Western Alaska chum declines
Successive marine heat waves appear to have doomed much of the chum salmon swimming in the ocean waters off Alaska in the past year and probably account for the scarcities that have strained communities along Western Alaska rivers in recent years, a newly published study found. In the much-warmer water temperatures that lingered in the […]
Federally funded project will search for rare earth elements in Southeast Alaska seaweed
What if prized rare earth elements could be extracted from seaweed, avoiding the need to dig into the ground for the materials used in technology and renewable-energy equipment? That question will be addressed by a new project to examine whether those elements can be found in seaweed growing in the waters of Southeast Alaska. The […]
Inuit group, citing dramatic effects in the Arctic, calls for bigger role in international climate action
The Inuit people of the Arctic, facing some of the most dramatic effects of climate change, are seeking a bigger voice in any international action taken to address it. In a position paper issued just before the start of a major international climate change conference, the Inuit Circumpolar Council listed five major recommendations for ways […]
Deadly Wrangell landslide is part of a pattern in vulnerable Alaska mountainous terrain
As the Southeast Alaska community of Wrangell mourns and continues to respond to a landslide disaster that killed at least four people, Alaskans face a longer-term challenge: how to prevent similar tragedies in the future as mountainous regions become more unstable. “These landslides affecting Alaskans are going to keep happening, and we need to get […]
EPA gives partial approval to state plan for improving Interior Alaska air quality
Federal regulators have dropped a proposal to require ultra-low-sulfur diesel use to help clear winter air pollution in the Fairbanks area, accepting state arguments that such a mandate would not be a cost-effective way to address the problem. The Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday made final its decision on Alaska’s plan to reduce particulate pollution […]
Steller sea lions top list of Alaska marine mammals killed by human activities
Encounters with humans from 2017 to 2021 killed hundreds of Steller sea lions and other marine mammals that swim in Alaska waters, along with dozens of Alaska whales, according to a new federal report. Of 819 human-mammal interactions reported in the period, 710 were found to have caused death, serious injury or some other result […]
Alaska’s Sen. Murkowski and colleagues make another attempt to win ratification of oceans treaty
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, has joined with several colleagues to make a third push for ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Murkowski is sponsoring a resolution calling for Senate ratification of the treaty, which establishes a legal framework for management of the world’s oceans and ocean resources. She and […]
Alaska minimum wage set to increase in new year; additional hikes proposed in ballot initiative
Alaska’s minimum wage will increase on Jan. 1, 2024 from $10.85 to $11.73 an hour, in accordance with a law put in place by a 2014 citizen initiative, the state Department of Labor and Workforce Development announced. The law mandates regular increases in the minimum wage to match inflation rates as determined by the Consumer […]
Climate change report highlights impacts to Alaska infrastructure, security, health, livelihoods
Alaska is warming at two or three times the U.S. rate, with impacts ranging from individuals’ health and safety to the military security of the nation, according to a new federal report. The Fifth National Climate Assessment, a multiagency scientific report issued Tuesday by the Biden administration in accordance with federal law, includes a chapter […]
Western Alaska salmon crisis affects physical and mental health, residents say
The salmon crisis in the Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers is harming more than local economies, food security and culture, according to people in the region. It is also harming human health. That was a message emphasized on Friday at a field hearing held by U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, in Bethel, the regional hub for […]
Debate over Pebble mine in Alaska’s Bristol Bay region moves to dueling Supreme Court briefs
The company trying to build a huge copper and gold mine in the salmon-rich Bristol Bay will keep fighting for the project, despite a decision by the federal government to keep the proposed development site off-limits to large-scale metals mining. John Shively, chief executive officer of the Pebble Limited Partnership, made that vow in a […]