Ketchikan in High Definition
Front Page Photo By JIM LEWIS

Fish Factor: Lower Alaska salmon harvest predicted By LAINE WELCH - State fishery managers project a lower Alaska salmon harvest this year, due to an expected decrease in those hard to predict pinks. 

The total catch forecast by the Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game is 132 million salmon, down 25% from the 177 million fish taken in 2011.       

The statewide breakdown is 120,000 Chinook salmon (in areas outside Southeast, where catches are dictated by treaty with Canada);  38.4 million sockeye salmon, a decline of 4%;   4.3 million coho (similar to last year); 19 million chums, 12% higher; and 70.2 million pinks, a 40% decrease.  

Each year’s annual report on salmon harvest projections also includes a detailed review of the 2011 season for every Alaska region. In all, the fishery produced a catch valued at $603 million at the docks, the third highest ever.

 Some 2011 highlights: Southeast Alaska’s salmon catch rang in at $200 million, a record since statehood, and the highest value salmon fishery for the year. The region’s pink salmon catch of 59 million fish fetched an average price of 42-cents a pound at the docks, and totaled   $94 million.  Chums at 81-cents were the second most valuable, adding another $60 million to the Panhandle this summer. More than 1,900 permit holders fished in Southeast, a 4% increase.

At Prince William Sound, the salmon harvest topped 39 million fish, most of which were pinks (33.4 million). At Copper River, the sockeye catch topped 2 million fish, nearly double for the previous decade. The 20,000 Chinook catch was below the 10 year average.

At Upper Cook Inlet, the harvest of 5.5 million sockeye salmon was the fourth largest in the past 20 years. The dockside value of $51.6 million was the fifth highest since 1960, and the highest since 1992. All five salmon species are caught in the upper Inlet, but sockeye have accounted for nearly 93% of the fishery over the past 20 years. The estimated value of $518,000 for Chinook salmon was about 1% of the value of the UCI fishery. 

Bristol Bay’s sockeye catch of 21.9 million was 21% below expectations.  The preliminary value of the Bay’s total salmon catch of 22.7 million fish was  $137.7 million, 17% above the 20 year average.  

Kodiak had its highest participation in 11 years with 339 (57%) of the region’s 593 permit holders going fishing. Kodiak’s salmon catch of 20 million fish value topped $44.2 million, the highest since 1990 and double the 10 year average. Kodiak salmon seiners (175) averaged $120,161 last summer; set gillnetters (157) averaged $31, 137. - More...
Friday - February 24, 2012

POW: New Doctor of Family Medicine Comes to the Island - What lures a bright, energetic doctor and his family of five to a remote Alaskan island like Prince of Wales? Likely, it is the same kinds of things that called the rest of us to southern Southeast Alaska—the rugged wilderness, vast open spaces, amazing fishing, outstanding hunting, and the unending outdoor recreation opportunities. Dr. Patrick Ballard, wife Patricia, and their three teenage boys are all excited to call Prince of Wales home as he joins PeaceHealth Medical Group as the fulltime doctor of Family Medicine.

Dr. Patrick Ballard

Dr. Ballard, comes to PeaceHealth Medical Group: POW after serving his residency in Eagle River, Alaska, through the University of Washington’s Alaska Family Practice Residency program and having recently served with the Alaska Army National Guard in Afghanistan. Dr. Ballard earned his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) at Oklahoma State University. Dr. Ballard’s experience prepares him to provide excellent care in a rural setting and his many certifications are sure to come in handy in a remote location including: Basic Life Support; Advanced Cardiac Life Support; Advanced Trauma Life Support; Advanced Disaster Life Support; Wilderness Advanced Life Support; and Neonatal Resuscitation. - More...
Friday - February 24, 2012

Ketchikan: UAF Names Honors Students - The University of Alaska Fairbanks has announced the students named to the deans' and chancellor's lists for the fall 2011 semester. The lists recognize students’ outstanding academic achievements.

Students receiving a 3.9 grade point average or higher are placed on the chancellor's list, while those receiving a grade point average of between 3.5 and 3.89 are named to the deans' list.

Myrn McCord of Ketchikan was named to the Chancellor’s List.

Students from Ketchikan named to the Dean's List were Chazz L Gist, Jesse W. Lindgren and Jessica R. Thompson. Joel P Teune of Ward Cove was also named to the Dean's List. - More...
Friday - February 24, 2012

Alaska: State reports increase in new HIV, syphilis cases; Testing encouraged for early detection - The Department of Health and Social Services HIV/STD Program is reporting an increase in reported cases of HIV and syphilis during 2011. The new HIV cases were clustered in the Fairbanks area, while the syphilis outbreak is mainly concentrated in Anchorage.

An analysis of the data shows the HIV infection case count in Fairbanks spiked in 2011, with a total of nine cases of HIV reported between Jan. 1, 2011, and Jan. 31, 2012. Of the nine cases, eight involved men having sex with men, seven of whom reported meeting anonymous sexual partners online. In addition, seven of the nine were either in the U.S. Army or had sexual partners associated with the military, and four were 20 years old or younger. - More...
Friday - February 24, 2012

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