Author: Joe Viechnicki, KFSK

Nearby vessels and the U.S. Coast Guard helped a fishing boat taking on water near the northern end of Prince of Wales Island Tuesday.

A Petersburg-based whale watching and charter company has documented a rare white orca swimming the waters of the Inside Passage of Southeast Alaska this summer. The young killer whale has been sighted frequently in British Columbia and Washington state as well.

The cost of garbage and recycling service in Petersburg may need annual increases of between one and five percent a year. That’s based on a review by a consulting firm hired by the Petersburg borough, which has been pondering the future of curbside recycling collection. But the size of rate increases depends on whether elected officials decide to continue with the existing program or make changes.

It’s been a woeful year for hatchery chum salmon returns in Southeast Alaska. Hatchery managers are taking unusual steps just to ensure they’re able to collect enough eggs for future generations. It’s a far cry from the bumper crop that has bolstered commercial salmon catches in the region for many years.

The commercial fishing season for pink salmon in Southeast Alaska is nearing its peak. Its going pretty close to forecast so far – that is to say, not great.