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SitNews - Stories In The News - Ketchikan, Alaska
Tuesday
November 15, 2016

Front Page Feature Photo By JERRY REYES

Deer Mountain Goats
The Mountain Goats were photographed grazing close to Blue Lake. In the background is Ketchikan and Tongass Narrows.
Front Page Feature Photo By
JERRY REYES ©2016

 

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Fish Factor: Alaska’s premiere crab fishery likely to fetch record prices By LAINE WELCH - It was fast and furious for Alaska’s premiere crab fishery with the fleet catching the nearly eight-million pound red king crab quota at Bristol Bay in less than three weeks.

The overall take was down 15 percent from the 2015 fishery and will likely fetch record prices when all sales are made.

“The only price we have is an advance price so fishermen can pay fuel, bait and other trip expenses. The final price will be determined from now to January,” said Jake Jacobsen, executive director of the Inter-Cooperative Exchange, which represents 70 percent of the Bering Sea crab harvesters.

Crabbers fetched an average price of $8.18 per pound for their king crab last year and the fishery was valued at over $81 million at the docks.

The hauls since the fishery got underway on October 15 averaged 37.4 red kings per pot, compared to 32 crabs last year, Jacobsen said, adding that some boats were catching 60 to 70 crab per pot, even as the fishery was coming to a close.

That’s where the furious comes in – the crabbers believe there are lots more crab on the grounds than were revealed in the standardized summer survey upon which the catch quotas are based.

“It’s not one of those things where we don’t think the crab is there, it’s a result of the survey not being able to find them,” said Ruth Christiansen, science adviser and policy analyst for the trade group, Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers.

Jacobsen agreed, saying “Fishermen were very pleased with the good fishing and at the same time furious that the catch could be so low when the resource is more abundant than they’ve seen in many a year.”

He added that they also saw high numbers of female and undersized crab, which bodes well for next year. Only legal-sized males are allowed to be retained for sale.

The Bering Sea crab fisheries are co-managed by the state and the federal government. Federal biologists conduct the annual summer surveys and calculate the catch quotas; the state Dept. of Fish and Game manages the crab fisheries in-season.

Trump take downs

What might the election of Donald Trump mean for the seafood industry? Economic reports already are pointing to his platform of opposing trade and pulling out of the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), a stance that goes against more than 30 years of American policy under presidents of both parties.

NAFTA connects trade between Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, and Trump has pledged to impose trade barriers that could reduce markets for seafood and other U.S. exports and drive up the cost of imports, causing banks to restrict lending, according to the New York Times.

It also is a foregone conclusion that he will tank the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership. If Trump does implement trade protectionist policies, it could tip the economy into a recession, cautioned global economists.

Trump also has vowed to place a 45 percent tariff on Chinese imports and declare China a currency manipulator on his first day in office. How this will affect the millions of pounds of Alaska seafood that are sent to China for reprocessing and then shipped back for sales in the U.S. is anyone’s guess.

The Wall Street Journal said Trump’s victory could begin “an era of U.S. combativeness” with two of our biggest trade partners - China and Mexico – and prompt trade wars and stall international growth.

Tom Sunderland, vice president of marketing and communications Ocean Beauty Seafood agrees. - More...
Tuesday AM - November 15, 2016


Senior Citizens:
Trump's election was a victory for the nation, says senior advocacy organization - "The election of first time politician Donald Trump to be the 45th president of the United States was not so much a victory for Trump as it was a victory for the country," according to Dan Weber, president of the Association of Mature American Citizens.

Weber said that Trump's election was a "repudiation of eight years of inept governance, a leadership that steered our country in the wrong direction. We have an opportunity now to set things right. We have a chance to rebuild our economy, to create jobs, to regain the respect of our allies abroad and to show our enemies that we mean business. Perhaps, most important, is Mr. Trump's promise to reset the balance of power on the Supreme Court by appointing justices who will strive to protect our Constitutional rights."

The AMAC chief noted that he looks forward to the repeal of the Affordable Care Act and its replacement with a law that will actually make healthcare affordable for all Americans. The across the board Republican sweep in the 2016 election cycle was, to a large extent, the result of the failure of Obamacare, he said.

"The slate needs to be wiped clean. What we need is a comprehensive healthcare insurance system such as one proposed in Congress that includes the use of Health Savings Accounts (HSA), and puts patients in charge of their health care."

The preservation of Social Security is of keen interest to Weber's senior advocacy organization. He has long promoted measures to ensure its continued viability. - More...
Tuesday AM - November 15, 2016

National: Dakota Access Pipeline: Additional Discussions Needed Before Decision to Grant Easement– Monday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers informed the Standing Rock Siou x Tribe, Energy Transfer Partners, and Dakota Access, LLC, that it has completed the review that it launched on September 9, 2016. The Army Corps of Engineers has determined that additional discussion and analysis are warranted in light of the history of the Great Sioux Nation’s dispossessions of lands, the importance of Lake Oahe to the Tribe, our government-to-government relationship, and the statute governing easements through government property.

The Army Corps of Engineers has invited the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe to engage in discussions regarding potential conditions on an easement for the pipeline crossing that would reduce the risk of a spill or rupture, hasten detection and response to any possible spill, or otherwise enhance the protection of Lake Oahe and the Tribe’s water supplies.

The Army Corps of Engineers has also invited discussions of the risk of a spill in light of such conditions, and whether to grant an easement for the pipeline to cross Lake Oahe at the proposed location. The Army Corps of Engineers said in a prepared statement they continue to welcome any input that the Tribe believes is relevant to the proposed pipeline crossing or the granting of an easement.

While these discussions are ongoing, construction on or under Corps land bordering Lake Oahe cannot occur because the Army Corps of Engineers has not made a final decision on whether to grant an easement. - More...
Tuesday AM - November 15, 2016


 


Alaska: Why do seabirds eat plastic? - If it smells like food, and looks like food, it must be food, right?

Why do seabirds eat plastic?

Fork-tailed Storm-Petrels (Oceanodroma furcata) are found only in the North Pacific Ocean and are most abundant in Alaska. The subspecies Oceanodroma furcata plumbea breeds from islands off Southeast Alaska to northern California.
Photo courtesy US Fish & Wildlife

Not in the case of ocean-faring birds that are sometimes found with bellies full of plastic. But very little research examines why birds make the mistake of eating plastic in the first place.

It turns out that marine plastic debris emits the scent of a sulfurous compound that some seabirds have relied upon for thousands of years to tell them where to find food, according to a study from the University of California, Davis. This olfactory cue essentially tricks the birds into confusing marine plastic with food.

The study, published Nov. 9 in the journal Science Advances, helps explain why plastic ingestion is more prevalent in some seabird species than in others. Tubenosed seabirds, such as petrels and albatross, have a keen sense of smell, which they use to hunt. They are also among the birds most severely affected by plastic consumption.

The Birds' Point of View

"It's important to consider the organism's point of view in questions like this," said lead author Matthew Savoca, who performed the study as a graduate student in the lab of UC Davis professor Gabrielle Nevitt and who is with the Graduate Group in Ecology. "Animals usually have a reason for the decisions they make. If we want to truly understand why animals are eating plastic in the ocean, we have to think about how animals find food."

The study could also open the door to new strategies that address the ocean's plastic problem, which plagues not only seabirds, but also fish, sea turtles and other marine life. - More...
Tuesday AM - November 15, 2016


 


Columns - Commentary

jpg Tom PUrcell

TOM PURCELL: Why 'Deplorables' Elected Trump - "They still don't get what the Trump win was all about. All those people protesting and calling their fellow citizens racists, sexists and xenophobes don't have a clue why Hillary really lost."

"It's a bit silly to protest nearly 60 million Americans who exercised their constitutional right by voting for a candidate the protesters opposed. The fact is, there are dozens of sound reasons why millions voted for Trump."

"You raise a fair point. It's very difficult for either party to hold the White House for more than two terms. According to, About.com, the last Democrat candidate to succeed a two-term Democrat president was James Buchanan way back in 1857."

"And after eight years of Obama's policies, no small number of Americans were ready for some serious changes. Nothing motivated me to cast a vote for Trump more than my soaring health-care premiums."

"To be sure, health insurance premiums have shot up again this November because of the massive disruptions brought on by ObamaCare. Millions of Americans are still angry that they could not keep their doctors and that the average family did not save $2,500 a year in premium costs ---- two whoppers Obama told to win support for his health-care overhaul." - More...
Tuesday AM - November 15, 2016

jpg Michael Reagan

MICHAEL REAGAN: Get a Grip, Losers - It's all over.

So why are people still arguing about something Donald Trump said three weeks ago?

Why are protestors milling around the streets of our cities holding up misspelled signs and promising revolution?

The argument ended early Wednesday morning when the votes were counted.

Trump won.

It was shocking, amazing, impressive, historic ---- all that and more.

The billionaire with no ideology except egoism, the ex-Democrat no one thought had a chance, turned everything upside down and made fools, losers or incompetents out of both major political parties, the liberal media, the pundits, the pollsters, the financial markets, the weathermen...

You hear suicidal talking heads in the liberal media saying that Trump tapped into something they didn't see.

Of course they didn't see it. They're liberals.

The reality is that Trump tapped into the kinds of issues that talk radio has been talking about for 25 years. - More...
Tuesday AM - November 15, 2016

jpg Editorial Cartoon: Rioting

Editorial Cartoon: Trump Riots
By Nate Beeler ©2016, The Columbus Dispatch
Distributed to subscribers for publication by Cagle Cartoons, Inc.

      

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letter AMHT Open to Federal Buyout - But Questions Linger By Rebecca Knight - The Alaska Mental Health Trust develops resources it owns to fund its operations. Controversy is churning this year in Southeast Alaska over AMHT’s threat to immediately log forestland it owns within communities unless, by mid-January, Congress passes a bill exchanging those lands for 21,000 acres of the Tongass National Forest. The threatened logging in the communities would ruin cherished viewsheds and, because the slopes are steep, jeopardize residences and domestic and municipal waters supplies. - More...
Tuesday AM - November 15, 2016

letter A Commitment to Prevention By Susan Johnson - One of the greatest, under-appreciated, benefits of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which remains the law of the land until amended, repealed, or replaced, is access to preventive care services. According to the CDC, potentially preventable chronic diseases (e.g., heart disease, cancer, diabetes) are responsible for millions of premature deaths each year among Americans. Because health problems impact productivity, they are a major drain on the economy, resulting in 69 million workers reporting missed days due to illness each year. This loss of productivity reduces economic output by $260 billion annually. - More...
Tuesday AM - November 15. 2016

letter Protests By Rob Holston - I'm just finishing up a great vacation in Kauai and viewing nightly "Not My President" protests in the streets of major cities. I don't recall that similar protests by Republicans broke out when President Obama became President Elect. - More...
Tuesday AM - November 15, 2016

letter Democratic Party Wrecked By David G. Hanger - Hillary Clinton, just disappear, I never want to hear your name again. You are the biggest loser in the history of this country, and your vanity and incompetence have just sent the whole kit-and-kaboodle over the cliff. - More...
Tuesday AM - November 15, 2016

letter No Position For LT. GEN. Flynn (Ret.) By Donald Moskowitz - We have to support Donald Trump so he can hopefully perform well as President. He won the election, and a large segment of the U.S. population has spoken. I agree with many of the policies he wants to implement, and I believe he will stop the nasty rhetoric that he used in the primaries and the general election. I am convinced his rhetoric was contrived to draw attention to himself and away from other candidates. Every time he said something controversial he received extensive and free media coverage and he was in the spotlight. He played the media very well. - More...
Tuesday AM - November 15, 2016

letter AN OPEN LETTER TO BENEFICIARIES OF THE ALASKA MENTAL HEALTH TRUST By Amy Simpson - Tens of thousands of Alaskans are beneficiaries of the Alaska Mental Health Trust. If you yourself are not a beneficiary, you almost certainly know someone who is. Every Alaskan who experiences an intellectual or developmental disability, mental illness, chronic alcoholism or other substance use disorder, traumatic brain injury, or Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementia is a beneficiary of the Alaska Mental Health Trust.

The Alaska Mental Health Trust was established at statehood to ensure that the State of Alaska had the resources to provide services to Alaskans with mental and cognitive disabilities. The Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority is a public corporation that was created in 1992, as part of the settlement of a lawsuit brought by beneficiaries. It is responsible for ensuring that an integrated comprehensive mental health program is provided to beneficiaries. The Board of Trustees must preserve and protect the trust corpus (the principal). Trust income can be used to provide for the integrated comprehensive mental health program, as well as administrative expenses of the Mental Health Trust Authority. - More...
Thursday PM - November 10, 2016

letter Open Letter to deceitful Republicans: Until next time By Tuckerman Babcock - Dear Reps. Gabrielle LeDoux, Louise Stutes, and Paul Seaton, First, congratulations on your re-election. We are sorry you have chosen to part ways.

You won your elections running as Republicans in your respective Districts. That was an illusion, a false picture you presented to the voters of your districts.

Because of your recent actions abandoning your team and joining with the House Democrats, we invite you to drop the pretense that you are Republican and leave the Republican Party. - More...
Thursday PM - November 10, 2016

letter Thoughts on the Election By A. M. Johnson - The election has been held, the results are known. Best wishes to the successful candidate.

This District 36 House election for me personally has to have been the hardest to make a determination. That said as the goal of dealing the the state budget gap is so huge as to require a tremendous amount of personal sacrifice on the part of elected officials in a true dedicated effort to bring the deficient down over a reasonable amount of time. In my opinion, the thinking to success will require reviewing conditions know to exist during the depression of the 30 s to gain perspective. Perhaps conditions are not that sever, yet, they sure as heck are not very rosy. Will or would either Dan or Bob be able to deal with what will be required?
- More...
Thursday PM - November 10, 2016

letter Alaska remains solidly Republican By Tuckerman Babcock - Alaskans just won a more hopeful future for our state with President-elect Donald Trump. It means we won a stronger Supreme Court. It means we won with a more friendly Department of Interior. It means we have hope to unwind the disaster that is Obamacare.

Nationally, Republicans won the President, the US Senate and the US House. We even added three more Republican governors, bringing the total to 33. - More...
Thursday PM - November 10, 2016

letter Thanks Ketchikan By Brent Cunningham = Young Life Alaska would like to thank the community of Ketchikan for their wonderful support of the Young Life ministry. It was so wonderful to see so many folks in attendance at the recent Young Life Fundraising banquet.

Thank you also for welcoming Ashley Wardrop to the community of Ketchikan. Ashley is Young Life’s first ever full time staff person in Ketchikan. - More...
Thursday PM - November 10, 2016

letter Make Mental Health a Priority By Susan Johnson - Many of us ignore physical symptoms - an aching tooth, a shoulder which locks up, early signs of diabetes or high blood pressure. Maybe we’re afraid of the dentist, don’t want to face possible surgery, or don’t want to deal with medications and lifestyle changes.

We may also ignore signs of depression and other mental illnesses for a variety of reasons. We might feel mental illness is a sign of weakness, or fear that friends, family, or employers would judge us or discriminate against us. Already, too many Americans experience prejudice, discrimination, abuse, and victimization based on a mental health diagnosis. And for too long, Americans paid for health insurance that did not recognize that treatment for mental health and substance use disorders is as essential as other medical treatment. - More...
Thursday PM - November 10, 2016

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“Hundreds of Alaskans have reached out to my administration saying health care costs are increasingly unaffordable,” Governor Walker said. “This law will provide relief from large premium hikes for

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