Bristol Bay

Fish and Game takes caribou permits to three Bristol Bay villages

Fish and Game staff will hand out caribou permits in Levelock, Igiugig and Kokhanok before a Dec. 1 hunt near Iliamna Lake. It ends early if hunters reach 100.

by Maggie AlaskaNews3d ago3 min read

Fish and Game forecasts a strong 49 million sockeye run in Bristol Bay next summer

Fish and Game forecasts 49.3 million Bristol Bay sockeye for 2027, a "strong" run after this year's dip below 50 million. Its forecasts have run low on average.

by Bill AlaskaNews4d ago2 min read

Bristol Bay red king crab move farther west in warmer years, satellite study finds

NOAA satellite tags show Bristol Bay red king crab shift farther west in warmer years. That could reshape how fixed trawl closure zones protecting the crab are managed.

by Bill AlaskaNews1w ago2 min read

Contractor barged in whole plants to repair King Salmon's military airfield

No road to King Salmon, so a North Pole contractor barged in its own asphalt, concrete and rock-crushing plants to repair the military side of the airport.

by Bill AlaskaNews2w ago2 min read

Alaska Board of Fisheries picks Bethel and Dillingham for 2028 regional finfish meetings

The Board of Fisheries will take its 2028 AYK and Bristol Bay meetings to Bethel and Dillingham, after some debate over hotel rooms and winter dining.

by Alaska News2w ago2 min read

Chignik tribal coalition sues the state months after its Area M salmon rule was voided

The Chignik Intertribal Coalition sued the state in Dillingham. The record doesn't say why, but the state voided the coalition's Area M salmon rule in May.

by Maggie AlaskaNews2w ago1 min read

Bristol Bay fishermen get a guide to making their case for federal fuel relief

Bristol Bay's drift fleet is being told to send USDA its fuel receipts now. There are no payment rules yet, but early numbers may shape them.

by Maggie AlaskaNews2w ago2 min read

Six of seven Alaska air service routes draw one bid each, all seeking more federal money

Six of seven roadless Alaska towns up for federally subsidized flights got exactly one bid, from the airline already there. All of them want a raise.

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago3 min read

BBNC says a third party could help vet board candidates but the board keeps final say

BBNC says a third party could help vet board candidates, but the board keeps final say on nominations. Shareholders had flagged the current process as limiting their choice.

by Maggie AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read

United Tribes of Bristol Bay offers schools up to $5,000 for top voter turnout

United Tribes of Bristol Bay is offering up to $5,000 to schools in the Bristol Bay communities with the best Nov. 3 turnout. Voters themselves get nothing.

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read

Unmarried partner keeps boat bought with his own money, Alaska Supreme Court rules

Skipped marriage to skip divorce court? The Alaska Supreme Court says what you buy alone, with your own money and in your own name, stays yours.

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read

North Pacific council raises Tanner and Bristol Bay red king crab limits, keeps snow crab in rebuilding

North Pacific Fishery Management Council raised Tanner and Bristol Bay red king crab harvest limits for 2026-2027 while keeping snow crab in rebuilding.

by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Council advisers back Bering Sea crab ceilings after the state already set its catches

Federal advisers signed off on Bering Sea crab ceilings a day after the state set its catches. The unsettled part: what to do about hybrid crab.

by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

BBNC shareholders reelect two directors, add two new board members

Bristol Bay Native Corporation shareholders reelected Russell Nelson and DeeDee Bennis and added Eric Shade and Raina Thiele to the board Oct. 3.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Bering Sea Tanner crab limit nearly triples as snow crab falls 45 percent

Alaska tripled the Bering Sea Tanner crab limit to 32.1 million pounds for winter 2026, while cutting snow crab 45% to 5.1 million pounds, with all three major crab fisheries opening Oct. 15.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Follows: State reviews Bering Sea crab catch calculations Wednesday

Peltola pledges to finish the Izembek road, a goal Sullivan shares

Peltola pledged to finish the Izembek road and fight Pebble on a Southwest swing. Sullivan backs the road and has been on the record opposing Pebble, though not EPA's action on it.

by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Trump urges Alaskans to reelect Begich in video attacking Hill

Trump released a video Saturday backing Rep. Nick Begich for reelection on Nov. 3, crediting him with tax cuts and the Alaska LNG pipeline while attacking independent challenger Bill Hill.

by Alaska News1mo ago2 min read

Anchorage Assembly recognizes October as Filipino American History Month

Anchorage Assembly is set to approve a resolution Tuesday recognizing October 2026 as Filipino American History Month, a tradition it has repeated yearly since at least 2014.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

State reviews Bering Sea crab catch calculations Wednesday

Fish and Game reviews its Bering Sea crab catch numbers Wednesday. Last season's limits went up for red king, snow and Tanner crab. This season's? Stay tuned.

by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Every preregistered Bering Sea crab boat is selected for observer coverage

Every Bering Sea crab boat that preregistered for winter fishing must now carry a state observer or risk delayed fishing, with skippers needing to give 10 days' notice to the contractor.

by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Dillingham council votes Thursday on exempting Tribal land from property tax

Dillingham's council votes tonight on exempting land owned outright by federally recognized tribes from city property tax. Commercial buildings stay taxed.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Bristol Bay's smaller sockeye run pays 21 percent above average

Bristol Bay caught fewer sockeye than usual but got paid far more for them: $264 million, 21% above average. Togiak and Nushagak kings came up short.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Court orders former Curyung Tribal Council accountant to repay $125,834 to tribe

Federal court ordered former Curyung Tribal Council accountant William Corbett to repay $125,834 after he embezzled funds through forged checks and falsified payroll documents.

by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Togiak man, 19, dies after ATV hits shipping container

Tyler Lee Maines, 19, of Togiak died early Friday when the ATV he was driving hit a shipping container, troopers said. The investigation is continuing.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Fish and Game proposes flagging struggling salmon runs a year earlier so the public can weigh in

Alaskans often get the state's plan for a struggling salmon run too late to weigh in. Fish and Game wants to flag troubled runs a year earlier instead.

by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Alaska closed its Bering Sea scallop grounds after the two-boat fleet hit the cap

Alaska's whole commercial scallop fishery is two boats. An emergency order just closed the Bering Sea grounds to them for the rest of the season.

by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Bristol Bay's 2026 sockeye run falls below 50 million for first time since 2014

Bristol Bay caught the fewest sockeye since 2014 and still made more money than usual doing it. Togiak missed its escapement floor by 702 fish.

by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Sullivan's bycatch bill advances from Senate committee

A Senate committee advanced Sullivan's bycatch bill, which would set trawl-gear standards, expand monitoring and fund bycatch research.

by Alaska News1mo ago1 min readFrom Sep 16

Kotzebue gets $1.5 million to keep growing food above the Arctic Circle

Kotzebue gets $1.5 million for Alaska Native food sovereignty work. The USDA calls it national security. The people doing it call it something else.

by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

BBNC seeks permanent Bristol Bay protections as Alaska challenges EPA's Pebble restrictions

BBNC wants Congress to protect Bristol Bay permanently as Alaska challenges the EPA's narrower Pebble restrictions in a consolidated federal case.

by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Dillingham forum puts two open Southwest Alaska legislative seats on one stage

Two senior rural lawmakers are leaving, eight candidates want their seats, and seven are listed for a Dillingham forum.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min read

Senate panel will take up Native housing bill co-sponsored by both Alaska senators

The law that funds housing in Alaska Native villages is up for renewal. Overcrowding there runs about double the rate on tribal lands nationally.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

The state's analysis of Alaska's first crab hatchery says it would add little

Alaska's first crab hatchery wants a permit. The state's own analysis says the crab it releases would likely make no measurable difference to the fishery.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago5 min read

Ten sockeye a day holds through December in the Wood and Nushagak

Anglers can keep 10 sockeye a day in the Wood and Nushagak through December, double the usual. The kings in the same water are a stock of concern.

by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Katmai superintendent reports more bear cubs at Brooks Camp than in years

Katmai's superintendent says there are more bear cubs at Brooks Camp than in years, an observation with no published count behind it.

by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read

NOAA awards Bristol Bay fishermen's group $499,400 to push sockeye into restaurants and schools

NOAA awarded Bristol Bay's fishermen's group $499,400 to market sockeye salmon to restaurants and schools, though some fishermen question if demand campaigns raise dock prices.

by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read

Kodiak council moves toward leasing historic Griffin building to two museums

Kodiak City Council rejected a church's bid to buy the historic Griffin building and will instead lease it to two museums for storage and exhibits, though lease terms remain unsigned.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readFrom Sep 8

Bristol Bay's Nushagak opened late this year to protect its king salmon

Bristol Bay's Nushagak District opened weeks late this season to protect its struggling king salmon, delaying the fleet's access to the sockeye run.

by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read

The public dock at King Salmon Airport would stay open five more years

The public boat and floatplane dock at King Salmon Airport would stay open under the Bristol Bay Borough for another five years under a state extension.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read

Gunfire reports in Nondalton ended in an arrest on eight charges

Reports of gunfire in Nondalton brought troopers from King Salmon and ended with a 22-year-old man arrested on eight charges, including burglary and assault.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min readFrom Sep 4