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Unimak Bight scallop grounds close tonight with the season's 7,500-pound quota filled
Alaska closed Unimak Bight to commercial scallop fishing for the rest of the 2026/27 season effective Thursday after catch reports showed the 7,500-pound guideline would be met.

Three Aleutians dams could be reclassified as threats to life downstream
Three Aleutians dams could be reclassified "high hazard," meaning their failure would threaten lives downstream, under a draft open for public review.

Chignik opens four districts to salmon fishing for 48 hours starting Monday
Alaska opens four Chignik districts to commercial salmon seining for 48 hours starting Monday as the region's weak king salmon run strains both fishing crews and conservation goals.

Bids open for flights to seven roadless Alaska communities
The federal government is taking bids for subsidized air service to seven Alaska communities, with deadlines ranging from October through early 2027, as the per-passenger subsidy cap drops to $850.

A judge let Alaska start 2.8 miles of the King Cove road with the land swap vacated
A judge will not stop Alaska from starting 2.8 miles of the King Cove road, even though the land swap for the full route has been thrown out.

Tom Begich withdraws his campaign and endorses Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins
Tom announced he's withdrawing from the race for Governor and endorses JKT.

Seven small earthquakes logged across Alaska over three days
Seven small earthquakes hit scattered parts of Alaska between Aug. 26 and 29, ranging from magnitude 2.6 to 3.6. Only one has had human review.

Small cod boats return Sept. 1 in the Bering Sea and Aleutians
Small cod boats get their Bering Sea fishery back Sept. 1 after seven months out, with quota shifted from two fleets that will not catch theirs.

Judge vacates 490-acre Izembek land swap, reopening the fight over the King Cove road
A judge voided the land deal behind the King Cove road, reopening a decades-old fight. Crews stage construction as the court weighs a halt by Aug. 31.

The state is studying a walking path between Naknek and King Salmon
People walk the highway between Naknek and King Salmon with no separated path. The state has started studies on a $6.87 million pathway between the towns.

Eight Alaska fishery disaster requests are past the deadline federal law sets
Eight Alaska fishing communities are owed federal disaster relief the law says is already overdue, and until the decisions come, no one gets paid.

A sharp cut to West Coast salmon limits lands on fish Alaska shares
Federal managers cut West Coast Chinook troll limits by three-quarters, and because the salmon are shared, mixed stocks, the change reaches Alaska's runs too.

Judge asked to rule by Aug. 31 on whether King Cove road work can begin
A judge has been asked to rule by Aug. 31 on whether King Cove road work can start. The state says construction will not begin before Sept. 1.

Judge vacates Izembek land exchange for King Cove road
A federal judge vacated the land exchange behind the King Cove road through the Izembek refuge, reopening one of Alaska's longest fights on primary day.

NOAA is looking for a fishing boat to carry its scientists across the Gulf and Aleutians
NOAA is hiring an Alaska fishing boat to carry its scientists on a 55-day voyage across the Gulf and Aleutians, running the survey that helps set catch limits.

Chignik fishermen get a five-day opening, but most of the area stays closed on weak runs
Chignik Bay and Central districts open for commercial salmon Aug. 17-21, but the window is provisional and most other Chignik areas stay closed due to low pink and chum counts.

Chignik moves to surrender the federal license on its long-dormant hydro plant
Chignik moves to surrender the federal license on a hydro plant idle since 2012, to build a state-run replacement. Residents have until Sept. 10 to weigh in.

Alaska Peninsula salmon fishing keeps opening and closing as managers work around sockeye returns
Alaska Peninsula salmon fishing keeps opening and closing — 20 advisories in this season — as managers work around sockeye returns near Port Moller.

A woman lost overnight near Port Heiden was found alive, her dog by her side
A woman lost overnight near Port Heiden was found alive five miles off a trail, her dog beside her the whole time, having chased off a bear at one point.

King Cove road materials arrive on scene as local workers hit another milestone in the development of a contested project
A barge of equipment for the long-disputed King Cove-Cold Bay Road has reached King Cove, though the fight over the route through Izembek refuge continues.

Regulators shift unused halibut allowance to Bering Sea trawlers
Regulators shifted unused halibut bycatch to Bering Sea trawlers' cod season, reviving the bycatch fight as halibut stocks sit near record lows.

Bering Sea cod trawl fee drops to 2.09% after fishery value jumps
Federal cost recovery fees on Bering Sea cod trawlers dropped from 3% to 2.09% after the fishery's value jumped 42%. But fishermen still want to know what the fees pay for.

Bering Sea crab fee drops by half, but the itemization fight remains
The Bering Sea crab fee dropped by half — but because the fishery earned more, not because the fleet can finally see what it's being charged for.

Five Aleutians East Borough seats are up, and filing opens Aug. 24
Want to run for office in the Aleutians East Borough? You've got 12 days — Aug. 24 to Sept. 4 — for five seats, mayor included.

Aleutians East newsletter flags fisheries as defining issue in 2026 Alaska races
Aleutians East Borough won a legal fight over salmon fishing rules in May and is now directing voters to check where candidates stand on fisheries in the 2026 governor, Senate, and House races.

West Coast sablefish season loses its time-of-day rules Aug. 6
West Coast sablefish fishers stop watching the clock on Aug. 6 — the noon-to-noon season rules are gone. New federal fees arrive later, in 2027.

BSAI Pacific cod trawl season ends early for AFA catcher/processors
NMFS shut down directed Pacific cod fishing for AFA trawl catcher/processors in the Bering Sea starting Monday, July 20, after the sector hit its annual allowance.

Alaska Peninsula Bering Sea drainages: non-residents banned from keeping king salmon starting July 18
Non-resident anglers cannot keep king salmon in Bering Sea drainages starting July 18, while Alaska residents get a one-per-day limit.

The West Coast dips into the halibut stock Alaska shares
The West Coast opens its third halibut period July 21 — a small slice of the same coastwide stock Alaska's fleets and subsistence users draw from.

Chignik Bay District gets 48-hour window before Chinook plan closes it again Monday
Chignik Bay District opened Saturday for exactly 48 hours of commercial salmon fishing before closing again Monday under a plan designed to protect failing Chinook runs.

King Cove finally gets its road, and the lawsuits are still coming
King Cove's long-fought road to the Cold Bay airport has its final federal permit, with construction due in 30 days. Three lawsuits over the refuge land swap are still pending.

Sablefish fleet faces compliance gap as approved release rule sits in federal limbo until 2028
A federal rule allowing Alaska sablefish vessels to release undersized fish won't take effect until 2028, leaving crews facing fines for a nearly unavoidable practice.

North Pacific council moves toward enforceable pelagic trawl gear standards
North Pacific Fishery Management Council ordered staff to draft enforceable standards for pelagic trawl gear bottom contact, moving past years of conflict between pollock trawlers and crab harvesters.

After decades, King Cove's road may finally be coming
Decades of fighting for a road to Cold Bay's all-weather airport — a lifeline in emergencies. Now $18 million in construction money puts it closer than ever.

Sullivan's Bycatch Bill Wades Into Alaska's Hardest Fish Fight
Sullivan's sweeping bycatch bill targets trawl salmon catch — a real and raw grievance, even as federal science pins Alaska's river collapses mostly on a warming ocean.

Tidal energy permit application opens in Isanotski Strait near False Pass
Tidal energy permit in Isanotski Strait. Small ask. Alaska has the biggest U.S. tidal resource, and Cook Inlet gas is running down.

Federal highway chief commits to King Cove Road action
Federal Highway Administrator committed to finalize the Road, an 11-mile project connecting the community to Cold Bay's airport, and will visit Alaska in late June.
