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The Copper River's sockeye run just hit a 40-year low
The Copper River is running its worst sockeye return in 40 years — so bad Alaska closed the popular Chitina dipnet fishery, even with no commercial boats fishing the river.
by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min readAI
A developer wants to build homes and shops on a city lot in Kodiak — if the city sells
A developer wants to build six apartments and six shops on a vacant Kodiak city lot — a $1.6M project. First the council has to decide whether to sell the land.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min readAI
Chukchi Sea ice runs above median for third straight late June
Sea ice off Wainwright sits thick and late for the third straight June, delaying walrus and whale hunts in an Iñupiat community where ice sets the hunt's terms.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
Where Alaska's gas-line tax deal stands, and what's still stuck
Lawmakers have a working Alaska LNG tax deal — a $16 ratepayer price cap, a required Fairbanks spur line, and two unresolved fights over legality and Kenai's school costs.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
Trump pardons an Alaska diesel mechanic, reigniting a fight over emissions rules
Trump pardoned a Wasilla diesel mechanic who removed truck pollution controls — a cold-weather fix, Sullivan says; eroded clean-air enforcement, critics say.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
Alaska raises unemployment benefits, updates travel insurance law
Alaska raised its maximum weekly unemployment benefit to $470, the first increase since 2009, and will adjust it annually going forward.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago2 min readAI
Pollock fleet's groundfish bycatch fell below 1% in 2025, but salmon bycatch rose as warm water pushed fish onto the shelf
Pollock fleet's groundfish bycatch hit a 25-year low in 2025, but salmon catches rose as warm water pushed fish onto the shelf, alarming tribal subsistence advocates.
by Bill AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago1 min readAI
NPFMC directs NOAA to update pollock roe rules after seizure highlighted regulatory gap
North Pacific Fishery Management Council directed NOAA to update pollock roe rules after a seizure exposed gaps between 1990s regulations and how the fishing industry actually operates today.
by Bill AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago2 min readAI
Begich bill targets illegal foreign fishing that undercuts Alaska fleets
Rep. Nick Begich introduced a bill June 29 to combat illegal foreign fishing that undercuts Alaska's seafood industry, which supplies 60 percent of U.S. domestic catch.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago2 min readAI
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.
by Bill AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago2 min readAI
Council sends Kodiak Tanner crab closure to second initial review with preliminary preferred alternative
North Pacific Fishery Management Council advanced Tanner crab protection measures to a second review, selecting non-pelagic trawl restrictions while keeping closure options open for further analysis.
by Bill AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago4 min readAI
Pollock fleet builds empirical database of trawl seafloor contact as Congress weighs gear restrictions
A pollock fleet research project has documented nearly 300 trawls to show how gear actually contacts the seafloor, aiming to replace guesswork in federal fishing rules with real data by early 2027.
by Bill AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago2 min readAI
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.
by Bill AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago3 min readAI
Pollock fleet asked to repeat voluntary crab closures in 2027 after proof-of-concept season
Alaska's pollock fleet will continue voluntary crab closures in 2027 after a 2026 test season showed the program works, with minimal bycatch when closures were active.
by Bill AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago2 min readAI
Council votes 8-3 to study halibut bycatch rules for Golden Fleece replacement vessel
Council voted to study stripping a replacement vessel of halibut bycatch exemptions granted to the Golden Fleece in 2007, citing historic lows in Gulf of Alaska halibut stocks.
by Alaska Newsadded 2mo ago2 min readAI
North Pacific council directs Ecosystem Committee to revise 2004 groundfish policy goals
The North Pacific Fishery Management Council is updating 2004 groundfish goals. Tribal groups want stronger protections for salmon.
by Alaska Newsadded 2mo ago3 min readAI
Bill Walker is backing away from his plan to end the PFD, weeks after proposing it
Weeks after proposing a one-time $10,000 payout to end the PFD, candidate Bill Walker is walking it back, now promising a plan that "strengthens" the dividend instead.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago3 min readAI
Nelson Island residents put out tundra fire before state crews could arrive
Nelson Island residents near Toksook Bay extinguished a lightning-caused tundra fire on June 24 before state crews could arrive, the Alaska Division of Forestry & Fire Protection reported.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago1 min readAI
Holdover fire near Allakaket draws six smokejumpers as Kenai danger stays high
Six smokejumpers reached a holdover fire near Allakaket on June 29 that had smoldered in duff for days before flaring up, while the Kenai Peninsula faces the state's highest fire danger.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago2 min readAI
Ketchikan is about to get drenched
Ketchikan and Annette Island could get up to 2.75 inches of rain Monday — a real soaking, even for one of the rainiest corners of the country.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min readAI
One lane closed on the Alaska Highway at the Johnson River Bridge, through Sunday
One westbound lane of the Alaska Highway is closed at the Johnson River Bridge, about 42 miles south of Delta Junction, through Sunday evening. Expect single-lane traffic control.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min readAI
Anchorage Assembly to consider buying two wetland lots for under $30,000
Anchorage Assembly votes July 7 to buy two wetland lots in Laurel Acres for under $30,000 to generate credits that offset wetland damage from future development projects.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min readAI
A stop to grab fallen cargo turns serious on the Seward Highway
A man gathering items that fell from his truck on the Seward Highway was struck by a passing vehicle, seriously injuring both him and the driver near Summit Lake.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min readAI
Crews on three Interior fires brace for a dangerous holiday weekend
Three western Interior wildfires near Ruby and Allakaket face a dangerous holiday weekend — 30-40 mph winds and critically low humidity that could drive fast spread.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
Troopers: hatchet attack on partner at a Kenai campground
Troopers say a Wasilla woman attacked her partner with a hatchet, choked him, and threw full beer cans at him at a Kenai Peninsula campground. She faces assault charges.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min readAI
Child hurt-risk in drunken Nikiski ATV rollover, troopers say
Troopers say a Nikiski woman rolled an ATV with a child aboard while driving at more than twice the legal alcohol limit. She faces DUI and child-endangerment charges.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min readAI
Anchorage takes another run at 'missing middle' housing
Anchorage may let owners along transit corridors build duplexes and fourplexes on single-family lots — a narrower second try at a denser-housing idea that stalled last fall.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min readAI
Bethel wants to charge owners who let buildings sit empty and rot
Bethel would charge owners to leave buildings empty, and help demolish burnt-out ones — waiving the cost if the owner rebuilds, or filing a lien if not.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
An Anchorage shelter contract has grown from $1 million to nearly $5 million in a year
A homeless-shelter contract the Anchorage Assembly approved at $1 million a year ago has grown to nearly $5 million. It votes on another $500,000 increase Wednesday.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago2 min readAI
A fisherman feared lost, as Bristol Bay's run shows strain
A crew member is feared dead after going overboard near Egegik Bay, as record-low sockeye counts force fishery closures and troopers cite fishermen across Bristol Bay.
by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min readAI
54 years of the North Slope Borough
Fifty-four years ago, Iñupiat leaders founded the North Slope Borough to tax the oil built on their land and govern their own homeland — an anniversary the mayor marked this week.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
Buried under the Kenai refuge: seismic data on a stranded Cook Inlet gas find is about to go public
As Southcentral eyes a gas shortage, old seismic data on Shadura — an undeveloped Cook Inlet gas find near Nikiski, stuck under the Kenai refuge — is set to go public.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
Anchorage Assembly introduces resolution to initiate first-ever removal proceeding against member Martinez
The Anchorage Assembly moved to remove member George Martinez. This first-ever proceeding follows findings of perjury and ethics violations.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago3 min readAI
Drones find stranded Craig hiker on Sunnahae Mountain before midnight
Drones found a 23-year-old hiker safe on Sunnahae Mountain near Craig after he stopped texting his family Thursday night.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min readAI
An Alaska village will own its solar power — and sell it back to the utility
A state grant puts village-owned solar and batteries in Allakaket, letting it sell power to its utility instead of buying diesel. A second grant expands a hydro project.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min readAI
Rough water off Alaska's Arctic and Northwest coasts, easing by Sunday
Small craft advisories are up for Alaska's Arctic and Northwest coasts through Friday — winds near 25 knots, seas to 7 feet — before things calm down by Sunday.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min readAI
Juneau isn't changing its cruise caps — it's deciding how to decide
Juneau's tourism task force isn't touching its cruise ship limits yet — it's building the criteria future officials would use to change them, with new docks looming as the pressure point.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min readAI
A Fairbanks clinic wants to expand. Staff recommend denying the rezone it's seeking.
A Fairbanks clinic wants a rezone to expand its medical building. Staff recommend denial over reduced protections for nearby homes; the commission decides July 14.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
Anchorage weighs selling a fire-damaged lot below market to a housing nonprofit
Anchorage votes July 7 on a below-market sale of a fire-damaged lot to a housing nonprofit: a blight fix to some, a fairness question to others after the bid failed.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min readAI
On the roadless North Slope, the villages' winter road is made of snow
On the roadless North Slope, a snow trail is how cut-off villages get winter fuel. A Native-owned company builds it — across fragile tundra and caribou country.
by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI