Author: kfskadmin

Southeast Alaska’s commercial purse seine fleet had its first salmon opening of the summer over the weekend. On the docks in Petersburg, skippers and their crew were repairing nets and getting ready to head out to fish for hatchery chum salmon returning to the Hidden Falls hatchery on Baranof Island. Melati Kaye caught up with a few fishermen who hoped to make the first opening.

Volunteers with the Petersburg Humane Association have dreams for a new animal shelter and public dog park and they’re hoping to use the former Tent City site between the airport and Sandy Beach Park. That facility closed in 2003, after serving as an inexpensive seasonal housing option for over two decades. Since then, the city has removed and reused the metal shelter from Tent City. The remaining buildings and tent platforms have fallen into disrepair. The non-profit animal welfare organization sees the site as an opportunity to move the existing dog pound from the city bailer and their cat shelter from an association member’s private home. They also say the site could be a public dog walking area for the community. The group hopes to use volunteer labor and collect donations for the project. They are also seeking a cheap, long-term lease of the city’s land at Tent City and will ultimately need city council approval for the idea. The proposal is making its way through the city’s various advisory boards and commissions before it gets to the city council. Joe Viechnicki walked around tent city with volunteer Anne Lee last week, and talked about the association’s hopes for the site.

Governor Sean Parnell has appointed a Petersburg man to a statewide commission on community service. Ben Johnson was named this month to the 15-to 25-person Alaska Community Service Commission, a group which helps connect national service programs with Alaska communities.

Another long-time fishery manager with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game in Petersburg is retiring at the end of the month. Brian Lynch has worked various jobs with Fish and Game for over 30 years. For most of the last decade he’s been the regional troll management biologist, responsible for a fishery that produces millions of salmon each year with over a thousand commercial trollers actively fishing around Southeast. Joe Viechnicki spoke with Lynch this week about his time with the department and started out by asking him what changes he’s seen in Southeast fisheries over the past three decades.

Scientists say that boats coming from the south maybe carrying small, unwanted passengers on their boat hulls. They’re asking Alaskans to keep an eye out. Visiting biologist Cascade Sorte gave a talk on the invasive marine species last week. Her talk was the first of the Petersburg Marine Mammal Center’s summer lecture series. More…