Author: Joe Viechnicki, KFSK

Commercial dive fisheries and a fall Dungeness crab season get underway in Southeast Alaska in October. The season for geoduck clam diving starts October 1st. The first opening could be October 3rd or 4th depending on testing for the toxins that cause paralytic shellfish poisoning.

Voters will be filling two seats on the Petersburg borough assembly next week and five local residents are hoping for your vote. It’s the only contested in the municipal election this year. The five discussed their opinions on a wide variety of local issues during a Chamber of Commerce candidate forum Monday night.

As interest in Alaska grows and cruise ship companies are bringing more people to the 49th state, Petersburg could be a destination for a little bit larger cruise ships in the next few years. A company called Viking Cruises is exploring possibilities for future Alaska port calls and met with officials in Petersburg this summer.

A new run of hatchery chum salmon south of Sitka looks like it will wind up about five times what was forecast to return. And a larger run could be returning next year.

Five people running for the two Petersburg borough assembly seats this fall have a range of opinions on the one measure that is appearing on the local ballot. That’s a question about ending the sales tax exemption for anyone 65 and older and replacing it with an annual rebate check for low-income seniors.