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Week of Aug 31

Ekwok's airport would host FAA weather and navigation equipment for 20 years, with comments due Sept. 11

Ekwok's airport would host FAA weather and navigation equipment for 20 years at no cost to the state, with public comments due Sept. 11.

Bill AlaskaNewsby Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: Ekwok's airport would host FAA weather and navigation equipment for 20 years, with comments due Sept. 11

BBNC offers CDL training in Kenai for shareholders this fall

BBNC is offering commercial driver's license training in Kenai this fall for its Alaska-resident shareholders, spouses and descendants. Enrollment is open now.

Maggie AlaskaNewsby Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: BBNC offers CDL training in Kenai for shareholders this fall

BBNC shareholders have until Sept. 30 to return proxies

BBNC shareholders must complete an education and employment survey by Oct. 9 to help the corporation track job and training prospects.

Maggie AlaskaNewsby Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: BBNC shareholders have until Sept. 30 to return proxies

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.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Alaska
Cover image for article: Bids open for flights to seven roadless Alaska communities

The Peninsula caribou hunt opens Dec. 1 without a quota set

Alaska residents can take two caribou in the Northern Alaska Peninsula hunt opening Dec. 1, though the quota will not be set until fall surveys finish.

Maggie AlaskaNewsby Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: The Peninsula caribou hunt opens Dec. 1 without a quota set

BBNC Dillingham IT apprenticeship applications close Friday

BBNC is hiring one IT apprentice in Dillingham, applications close Friday, Sept. 4. The one-year role includes CompTIA certifications and requires BBNC or Choggiung shareholder status.

Maggie AlaskaNewsby Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: BBNC Dillingham IT apprenticeship applications close Friday

CDC placed $2 million with an Anchorage firm without competition

CDC awarded $2 million in one-year contracts to Anchorage-based Eagle Health Analytics for emerging infectious disease and Ebola response work, running through September 2027.

Melinda Communities.Newsby Melinda Communities.News2mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: CDC placed $2 million with an Anchorage firm without competition

Week of Aug 24

Bristol Bay corporation's Anchorage arm takes $2.7 million Interior repair order

Anchorage contractor CCI Facility Contractors won a $2.7 million contract to repair water leaks at a former Interior Department building in Washington, D.C.

Melinda Communities.Newsby Melinda Communities.News2mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Bristol Bay corporation's Anchorage arm takes $2.7 million Interior repair order

More from Bristol Bay

A gale warning hits Bristol Bay and Aleutian waters Wednesday, with a second storm right behind

A gale warning hits Bristol Bay and Aleutian waters Wednesday, with winds topping 34 knots and seas to 11 feet, and a second storm is right behind it.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Southwest Alaska
Cover image for article: A gale warning hits Bristol Bay and Aleutian waters Wednesday, with a second storm right behind

Hill runs second in Alaska's unofficial U.S. House primary count

Independent Bill Hill, a Bristol Bay fisherman, finished second in Alaska's U.S. House primary with 31% and advances to November against incumbent Republican Nick Begich.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Hill runs second in Alaska's unofficial U.S. House primary count

AFN holds a subsistence listening session in Fairbanks on Aug. 31

The Alaska Federation of Natives holds a subsistence listening session in Fairbanks on Aug. 31, gathering harvesters' and elders' input on the future of subsistence.

Maggie AlaskaNewsby Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: AFN holds a subsistence listening session in Fairbanks on Aug. 31

Week of Aug 17

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.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Naknek to King Salmon, Alaska Peninsula
Cover image for article: The state is studying a walking path between Naknek and King Salmon

Charter plane crash at Cape Newenham radar site kills eight

Eight people died when a charter plane crashed on approach to the Cape Newenham radar site in western Alaska. Two pilots and six passengers were aboard.

Maggie AlaskaNewsby Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Cape Newenham, Western Alaska
Cover image for article: Charter plane crash at Cape Newenham radar site kills eight

Bristol Bay 2027 sockeye forecast to fall below 50 million, ending an 11-year run

Bristol Bay's sockeye run is forecast at 44.2 million for 2027, which would end an eleven-year streak above 50 million. The state still grades that strong.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Bristol Bay 2027 sockeye forecast to fall below 50 million, ending an 11-year run

Alaska tribes get their yearly say on Head Start funding, against a backdrop of documented shortfalls

Alaska tribes running Head Start get their annual say next month on how the program's money is divided, amid research finding tribal programs underfunded.

Maggie AlaskaNewsby Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: Alaska tribes get their yearly say on Head Start funding, against a backdrop of documented shortfalls

Sockeye are running so strong in Bristol Bay that anglers can now keep twice as many

Sockeye are running so strong in Bristol Bay's Wood River and Nushagak drainages that the state has doubled the daily bag limit to 10 fish through year's end.

Bill AlaskaNewsby Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: Sockeye are running so strong in Bristol Bay that anglers can now keep twice as many

About Bristol Bay

Bristol Bay is a coastal region of southwest Alaska that includes the Bristol Bay Borough and communities such as Dillingham, Naknek, King Salmon, Togiak and Iliamna. Its rivers, among them the Nushagak and the Wood, feed the world's largest sockeye salmon fishery.

Commercial salmon fishing organizes the region's economy, and the openings, closures and escapement goals set for districts such as Naknek, Egegik, Nushagak and Togiak recur, along with enforcement by wildlife troopers. King salmon conservation, sport and subsistence limits, and gales on its waters shape the fishing seasons.

Bristol Bay Native Corporation, whose shareholders elect its board, plays a large part in regional life. Federal restrictions on the Pebble mine and calls for permanent protection of the watershed involve the corporation, the state and the EPA. The region borders the Alaska Peninsula and the Bering Sea, where crab fisheries are managed.

More from Bristol Bay

The state wants to renew a rent-free landfill lease for 55 years, on land it holds in trust for a village that never became a city

The state wants a 55-year, rent-free renewal of a landfill lease on land it holds in trust for South Naknek, a village that never became a city.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: The state wants to renew a rent-free landfill lease for 55 years, on land it holds in trust for a village that never became a city

The fate of the EPA veto blocking Pebble Mine is now in a federal judge's hands

A federal judge is deciding whether the EPA veto blocking Pebble Mine survives, a fight over Bristol Bay salmon with Alaska Native parties on both sides.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago2 min read
Alaska
Cover image for article: The fate of the EPA veto blocking Pebble Mine is now in a federal judge's hands

Bristol Bay Native Corporation, pne of Alaska's largest companies, is remaking part of its top leadership

Bristol Bay Native Corporation, one of Alaska's largest companies, is remaking its top ranks, moving new leaders into its chief operating and financial roles.

Maggie AlaskaNewsby Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Bristol Bay Native Corporation, pne of Alaska's largest companies, is remaking part of its top leadership

Week of Aug 10

An Anchorage firm will repair the State Department's headquarters

An Anchorage Alaska Native-owned firm won a federal order for emergency repairs to the State Department's headquarters — one of three out-of-state jobs.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
National
Cover image for article: An Anchorage firm will repair the State Department's headquarters

The FAA is rewiring Alaska's air routes from beacons to GPS

The FAA is rebuilding Alaska's air routes, trading old ground beacons for GPS — and an Oct. 29 batch of changes gives King Salmon a better-connected path.

Bill AlaskaNewsby Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
King Salmon, Alaska
Cover image for article: The FAA is rewiring Alaska's air routes from beacons to GPS

Sand Point fishermen get 61 hours on the water — in a fishery the rest of Alaska watches closely

Sand Point fishermen get 61 hours on the water — in an Area M fishery watched across Alaska for catching chum bound for the struggling Yukon and Kuskokwim.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Sand Point fishermen get 61 hours on the water — in a fishery the rest of Alaska watches closely

Week of Aug 3

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.

Maggie AlaskaNewsby Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: A woman lost overnight near Port Heiden was found alive, her dog by her side

Alaska schools could face a choice between internet and teachers if a federal subsidy is cut

A federal review could cut E-Rate, the subsidy that sent $203.5M to Alaska schools and libraries last year — and school boards warn it's internet or teachers.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Alaska schools could face a choice between internet and teachers if a federal subsidy is cut

A free clinic helps BBNC shareholders decide who inherits their shares

A free Dillingham clinic Aug. 13 lets BBNC shareholders write stock wills, choosing who inherits their shares instead of leaving it to default law.

Maggie AlaskaNewsby Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: A free clinic helps BBNC shareholders decide who inherits their shares

AFN gathers Dillingham voices on the future of subsistence

AFN holds a four-hour listening session in Dillingham on Aug. 12 to gather subsistence harvesters' input on how Alaska's subsistence future should be managed.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: AFN gathers Dillingham voices on the future of subsistence

NWS forecast calls for 1 to 2 more inches of rain in Southwest Alaska

A Bering Sea storm will drop 1 to 2 more inches of rain across Southwest Alaska through Tuesday, with sustained winds pushing water levels up to 1 foot above normal along the Bristol Bay coast.

Maggie AlaskaNewsby Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Southwest Alaska
Cover image for article: NWS forecast calls for 1 to 2 more inches of rain in Southwest Alaska

No heat closes Dillingham's job center counter early

A heating failure closed walk-in service at Dillingham's Bristol Bay Job Center on Tuesday afternoon, sending staff home at noon and cutting counter hours short.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: No heat closes Dillingham's job center counter early

Week of Jul 27

National money is pouring into Alaska's two big races, on every side

National money is flooding Alaska's Senate and House races on all sides, from a dark-money-linked PAC backing Bill Hill to $10.6 million reserved for Mary Peltola.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: National money is pouring into Alaska's two big races, on every side

Bristol Bay hit its sockeye forecast. Prices are a different story.

Bristol Bay caught nearly as many sockeye as last year but is running 40% behind on value. Strong run, soft prices.

Bill AlaskaNewsby Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: Bristol Bay hit its sockeye forecast. Prices are a different story.

Begich holds front-runner's edge as Hill emerges from the field to challenge him

Begich enters Alaska's U.S. House primary the clear front-runner on money and polling; independent Bill Hill emerged as a leading challenger after a Democrat dropped out. Vote Aug. 18.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Begich holds front-runner's edge as Hill emerges from the field to challenge him

Nushagak kings close on the calendar, not on a recovery

Nushagak-Mulchatna kings close Friday, release-only to the end. The restrictions lift on the calendar even though projected passage is less than half the goal.

Bill AlaskaNewsby Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: Nushagak kings close on the calendar, not on a recovery

An Ekwok safety officer was assaulted doing the job alone

An Ekwok village safety officer was assaulted at the clinic following up on a case — the risk of being the lone law enforcement in a remote village.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: An Ekwok safety officer was assaulted doing the job alone

Homer fisherman cited for fishing closed waters in Bristol Bay

A Homer fisherman cited for fishing closed waters in Egegik heads to court Aug. 7 — a case that lands on Bristol Bay's tight fishing clock and who it's built to protect.

Bill AlaskaNewsby Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min readFrom
Egegik District, Bristol Bay, Alaska
Cover image for article: Homer fisherman cited for fishing closed waters in Bristol Bay

Begich bill would make Alaska trawlers carry salmon excluder gear

Alaska's delegation wants trawlers to carry salmon excluders and seafloor sensors, as bycatch keeps killing Chinook from western Alaska's collapsed runs.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Bering Sea, Aleutian Islands, and Gulf of Alaska, Alaska
Cover image for article: Begich bill would make Alaska trawlers carry salmon excluder gear

A rare stretch of 75-degree heat is coming to Bristol Bay this week, could disrupt berry picking and fishing

Bristol Bay is due for 70 to 75 degrees Wednesday and Thursday — heat this region sees about once a year, and enough to interrupt summer subsistence.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: A rare stretch of 75-degree heat is coming to Bristol Bay this week, could disrupt berry picking and fishing

Portland fisherman cited for fishing during a closed period in Kvichak Section

Alaska Wildlife Troopers cited a Portland fisherman for illegal netting in Bristol Bay. This is one of 11 recent enforcement cases.

Bill AlaskaNewsby Bill AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Portland fisherman cited for fishing during a closed period in Kvichak Section

Alaska opens all of Togiak to fishing with the sockeye count far below goal

Alaska is opening the whole Togiak District to commercial fishing with the sockeye count at a fraction of its goal — and no stated reason why.

Bill AlaskaNewsby Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: Alaska opens all of Togiak to fishing with the sockeye count far below goal

Week of Jul 20

Togiak sockeye escapement far below goal as fishing cuts loom

Low Fish counts lead to questions on season in Togiak

Bill AlaskaNewsby Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min readFrom
Cover image for article: Togiak sockeye escapement far below goal as fishing cuts loom

Two Washington men cited for fishing Bristol Bay while it was closed in Naknek

Two Washington men — one 67, one 21 — got cited for fishing Bristol Bay's Naknek District while it was closed, plus three more counts each.

Bill AlaskaNewsby Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min readFrom
Cover image for article: Two Washington men cited for fishing Bristol Bay while it was closed in Naknek