Alaska Gov. Bill Walker has appointed veteran commercial fisherman Sam Cotten as acting Commissioner of Fish and Game. The governor said Cotton is among those under consideration for a permanent commissioner appointment. Cotten served two terms on the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, and has fished for salmon in Kachemak Bay for many years. He […]
More than 25 years after the Exxon Valdez oil spill disaster, federal litigation revolving around part of the original 1991 billion-dollar settlement with Exxon continues to drag on. Documents posted on Nov. 10 by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility show that the US Justice Department and state of Alaska are once again asking for more […]
Federal fisheries managers have approved the 2015 annual deployment plan for the marine observer program, with several recommendations, including one for conditional releases for some vessels in the small vessel trip selection stratum. The recommendations to National Marine Fisheries Service came at the North Pacific Fishery Management Council’s fall meeting in Anchorage, during the second […]
Commercial fishermen in Alaska affected by the 2012 salmon fisheries disaster for Yukon Chinook, Kuskokwim Chinook and Cook Inlet salmon will share in $7.8 million in grants announced last week by NOAA Fisheries Alaska Region. The award includes direct payments to commercial fishermen, and breaks out as $3.2 million for the Yukon-Kuskokwim region and $4.6 million […]