 Contact 
Call 617-9696
Webmail
Letters
News Tips
Copyright Info
Archives
Today's
News
Alaska
Ketchikan
Top Stories
U.S.
News
U.S. Politics
Stock
Watch
Personal Finance
Science News
US Education News
Parenting News
Seniors News
Medical News
Health News
Fitness
Offbeat
News
Online Auction News
Today In History
Product Recalls
Obituaries
Quick News
Search
Alaska
Ketchikan
SE Alaska
Alaska News Links
Columns
- Articles
Dave Kiffer
Fish
Factor
More
Columnists
Historical
Ketchikan
June Allen
Dave
Kiffer
Louise
B. Harrington
Ketchikan
Arts & Events
Ketchikan
Arts
Ketchikan
Museums
KTN Public
Library
Ketchikan
Recognition
BBBS
Matches
Lifestyles
Home & Garden
Food & Drink
Arts & Culture
Book Reviews
Movie Reviews
Celebrity
Gossip
On the Web
Cool Sites
Webmaster Tips
Virus Warnings
Sports
Ketchikan Links
Top Sports News
Public Records
FAA Accident Reports
NTSB
Accident Reports
Court Calendar
Court Records Search
Wanted:
Absconders
Sex Offender Reg.
Public Notices
Weather,
Webcams
Today's
Forecast
KTN
Weather Data
AK
Weather Map
AK Weathercams
AK Earthquakes
Earthquakes
TV Guide
Ketchikan
Ketchikan
Phone Book
Yellow
Pages
White
Pages
Government
Links
Local Government
State & National
|
Tuesday
July 19, 2011
Herring Cove Fishing: Black Bear & Cub
Front Page Photo By CARL THOMPSON
Fish Factor: Summer means Dungies By LAINE WELCH - Summer also means pulling up pots of Dungeness crab throughout Southeast Alaska and around Kodiak Island. Dungeness, which are named for town of the same name in Washington, are one of the Pacific’s most important crab fisheries and have been fished commercially in Alaska since the 1960s.
About 7 to 8 million pounds of dungies come out of the state’s summer and fall fisheries; about one million pounds from Kodiak and the bulk from Southeast.
“The fishery is very cyclic,” said Adam Messmer, a state crab biologist in Juneau. “Last year and the year before it was around 3 million pounds, then it was four and five million. The highest catch was 7 million pounds in the 2002-2003 season.”
Unlike other Alaska crab fisheries where annual surveys are used to assess the stocks, managers use “three S” management for Dungeness: size, sex, and seasons.
“That means there is a specific size allowed to be taken, which is 6.5 inches, and only the males can be taken during a specified season of May through December,” explained Wayne Donaldson, regional manager at ADF&G in Kodiak.
Fifteen to 20 boats are dropping pots for dungies this summer around Kodiak. For Southeast, 114 boats are targeting the crab, down from 129 last this summer.
“I think one of the driving factors is the price of salmon,” said Adam Messmer. “A lot of guys have both dungie permits and seine or gillnet permits and a lot went and hit gillnetting instead of doing dungies.”
Dock prices for Dungeness crab are on a nice upswing, averaging $2.20 per pound, compared to $1.60 last year. At Kodiak all dungies are cooked and sold in sections due to domoic acid levels in the crab viscera. Not so in Southeast, where the Dungeness can go into the more lucrative whole crab market.
The Dungeness crab fishery was valued at over $10 million at the Southeast docks last year, and $2 million for Kodiak.
Skedaddled
Alaska’s pollock fleet has skedaddled to stay clear of a big chum salmon run headed to the Yukon River.
To prevent bycatch of chums in their nets, the Bering Sea fleet agreed last week to add another 1,000 sq. nautical miles of fishing grounds to its no trawl zones. That brings the total closed area to 5,000 sq. nautical miles, an area larger than the state of Connecticut.
The pollock fleet can respond quickly to closures because all boats work co-operatively, in real time and report bycatch encounters as it happens (or not) out on the fishing grounds. The system is dubbed “rolling hot spots. - More...
Tuesday - July 19, 2011
|
|
Southeast Alaska: Wrangell Man Indicted By Federal Grand Jury For Growing Marijuana On United States Property - United States Attorney Karen L. Loeffler announced Thursday that a Wrangell man was indicted on June 21, 2011, by a federal grand jury in Anchorage for one count of manufacturing a controlled substance on federal property controlled by the U.S. Forest Service.
The one count indictment named Jeffery R. Cox, 36, a resident of Wrangell, as the sole defendant. Cox was arraigned on July 5, 2011, in federal court in Juneau before United States Magistrate Judge Leslie C. Longenbaugh. Cox was released on conditions pending trial.
Deputy Criminal Chief Attorney Frank V. Russo, who presented the case to the grand jury, indicated that the law provides for a maximum total sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of $1 million, or both. Under federal sentencing statutes, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant. - More...
Tuesday - July 19, 2011
Alaska: DMV Refusal to Correct Transgender Driver’s Licenses Unconstitutional; ACLU Lawsuit Challenges Requirement that Transgender Persons Undergo Surgery for Proper Gender on License - The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Alaska filed a brief yesterday seeking to allow transgender individuals to correct the gender marker on their driver’s licenses without undergoing major surgery. The state’s surgery requirement places an undue burden on transgender individuals and presents a gross violation of an individual’s right to privacy.
“It is unfair and unnecessary to require that transgender people undergo prohibitively expensive and drastic surgery in order to have accurate identity documents,” said Jeffrey Mittman, executive director of the ACLU of Alaska. “No one should have to disclose sensitive personal information or be forced to make major medical decisions in order to get an accurate driver’s license.” - More...
Tuesday - July 19, 2011 |
|
 DAVE KIFFER: Navn Som Skibet!!!! - Hey boys and girls, it’s time again to play “Name That Cruise Ship!”
Y’all remember three years ago when Royal Caribbean asked the public for names for their newest ships. Our suggestions, “Humongous of the Seas” and “Gargantuan of the Seas,” of course did not make the final cut, but you can’t win if you don’t play, eh?
Royal Caribbean got 91,000 entries and they selected “Oasis of the Seas.” Not sure what that really means because an oasis is usually a spot of water surrounded by sand and not an endless midnight buffet surrounded by water. They must have been leaning toward a “ships of the desert” theme.
Anyway, now comes Norwegian Cruise Lines with its own contest to name future vessels. You have until August 14. But only if you do not live in Quebec. I kid you not, the contest is open to all Americans and Canadians, except those who live Quebec.
I guess they don’t want any suggestions such as the “Norvegian Incroyable” or the “Norvegian Choisire.” No word on whether it’s okay for Califorianos to submit “Noruega Increible” or “Noruega Fiesta.”
Funny, it just occurred to me that Holland America – Home of the Dam Ships – has never asked the public for suggestions. Probably just as well.
As usual, I digress.
The NCL contest seems to have only two rules for the name.
First off, you can’t use “Titanic, Andrea Doria, Lusitania” or “Edmund Fitzgerald.” Those names apparently are considered unlucky. Go figure.
Secondly, it must have Norwegian in the title.
This stands to reason because the name of the line is not Swedish Cruise Lines and we appreciate how touchy those Scandinavians are to their specific national identities. As if a non-Nordic type can really tell a Norsky from a Swede from a Dane from a Finn anyway. After all, they all have the same shaped heads, don’t they? (No screaming letters please, I’m also a wee bit Norwegian, too!) - More...
Tuesday - July 19, 2011 |
| |
|
Viewpoints
Commentary
Opinions/Letters
Basic
Rules &
Freedom of Speech
Questions, please contact
the editor at editor@sitnews.us or call 617-9696
Alaska needs to get out from under AGIA By
Bill Walker - Last week Dan Fauske, Executive Director of Alaska Housing Finance Corporation, released the long-awaited report on the in-state bullet line. The Legislature and Mr. Fauske's team are to be commended for their good start. Unfortunately, the analysis was limited by the constraints of the Alaska Gasline Inducement Act (AGIA). - More...
Tuesday - July 19, 2011
Ketchikan By
Greg Harris - When I look at Ketchikan sometimes it makes me wonder if the Planning and Zoning Committees are run by Laurel and Hardy. There is no other reasonable explanation for the way this town of Ketchikan is laid out. - More...
Tuesday - July 19, 2011
Recent major fire in Ketchikan By
Ernie Mueller - In regards to the July 13 fire in Ketchikan, the American Red Cross provided assistance to the family of nine displaced by the fire. This assistance was provided through Katherine Wylie, a very busy disaster volunteer in Ketchikan. She made sure that the family had temporary lodging in a local hotel, and that they received financial assistance from the Red Cross for food, clothing, bedding and other needs. - More...
Tuesday - July 19, 2011
Ketchikan King Salmon Derby By
Dan McQueen - I was just informed that one of the longest donating businesses to the King Salmon Derby may quit donating. I asked the owner I was talking to why they were that upset? His answer needs to be made public! - More...
Tuesday - July 19, 2011
Weatherization Assistance in Saxman, Ketchikan, Prince of Wales By Carrie James - Tlingit-Haida Regional Housing Authority is accepting applications for the 2011 Weatherization Assistance Program Grant year. - More...
Tuesday - July 19, 2011
Ultra Run of one By
Charles Edwardson - My name is Charles (Chas) Edwardson and I am representing only myself. No other groups, boards, corporations, assemblies, clubs, or committees are affiliated with this letter. - More...
Tuesday - July 19, 2011
RE: Thank you, Don Thornlow By
Vanessa Nowland -
I know where I'll be taking my business in the future. - More...
Tuesday - July 19, 2011
Thank you, Don Thornlow By
T.J. Wilson - A recent severe house fire in Ketchikan displaced many individuals, mostly children. In an effort to assist these people, my daughter called the hotels in town for a room for one night since the fire completely destroyed their home and contents, and it happened in the afternoon. With the exception of Don Thornlow of The Narrows, every other hotel in town declined to donate a room for the night, and a couple of these owners, managers were rude about it. Don Thornlow did not have an empty room as they were fully booked, but he did say "If one was available it would yours." No one else did. - More...
Thursday - July 14, 2011
Building a Barn at a Local Gravel Pit By Robert D. Warner - Recently a citizen wrote to SITNEWS that the design for the new library looks like a "barn." Ketchikan cannot solve its public library problems by simply building a "barn" at a semi isolated local gravel pit and dump site. That's the easy part. It is more of a challenge to build quality collections and assemble a library staff that knows what they are doing. This important challenge reminds me of the definition of a library inscribed on a coffee cup in my collection. - More...
Thursday - July 14, 2011
Tongass Road Work By
Laurie Sivertsen - Good grief, are we all immature?!? I'm talking about the cones for the road construction on Tongass Avenue, and the idiot(s) who find it fun to knock them over and run over them. - More...
Thursday - July 14, 2011
Home Rule By
Ed Fry - Having followed a disappointed taxpayer threads, the checks that are going out for consulting economic development, it points to the direction of "stalemate" in innovative thinking. So it makes me think of "the five ape theory." - More...
Thursday - July 14, 2011
Another tour incident By
Christina Bush - We have enough tour vehicles on the road during the tour season, it seems to me that the popular land and sea tour bus/boat is a bit much considering drivers have proved difficulty seeing around their own vehicle. I have personally witnessed this specific tour bus/boat make mulitple close calls with parked cars and pedestrians in cross walks.
I have decided to post this letter because of a recent incident where a bus/boat bumped or cliped a child riding a bike causing minor injury. - More...
Thursday - July 14, 2011
"Home-Ruin" Government By
A. M. Johnson - Regarding the move to Unify (cancel) consolidate (cancel) Home Rule the Ketchikan Gateway Borough: If you voted for Unification or Consolidation, then you will really want Home Rule. This is an end run to achieve the goal of Unification/ Consolidation. If you were opposed to Unification or Consolidation and voted against, you will not be happy with a Home Rule Borough. Even with the assurances that there no authority to propose a move towards the two offerings. Bet me!! - More...
Monday - July 11, 2011
Just Imagine By
Tara Jollie -
The nation’s June jobs report listed national unemployment at 9.2% with an estimate of 16.2% as the more realistic rate measure of American joblessness. It went on to say the private sector created 18,000 new jobs in June; not nearly enough to claim a viable recovery from the recent recession. I hate to be insensitive to the nation’s unemployed, but imagine a 9%, or even 16%, unemployment rate in rural Alaska. We would be dancing in the streets. - More...
Monday - July 11, 2011
Ketchikan & Chloramine Disinfection By
Susan K. Pickford -
It is my understanding that Ketchikan will be converting to a chloramine disinfection system in the public drinking water. I am the director of The Chloramine Information Center in Pennsylvania. I have been corresponding with Thomas and Kristine Bellanich, customers in your water district and submit this letter together with them. I would ask that you consider this letter and the information attached to this email in educating your readers as to whether it is prudent to proceed with Chloramine in your water system. I sent a similar letter to the mayor, council and water company manager prior to the July 7th meeting. - More...
Monday - July 11, 2011
Webmail your letter or
Email Your Letter To: editor@sitnews.us
|
Articles &
photographs that appear in SitNews may be protected by copyright
and may not be reprinted or redistributed without written permission
from and payment of required fees to the proper sources.
|
|
|
|
|
