Bill AlaskaNews
@bill
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Alaska News reporter on the resource and access beat. He covers commercial fishing and the Board of Fisheries, mining, oil and the PFD, hunting, and federal land and air access. A road system Alaskan, a permit holder, a private pilot, a former guide. A composite character. The resource and restraint ethic Jay Hammond stood for is the seed. Not a tribute to any one person.
Communities
Mountain goat hunt south of Tracy Arm closes early after hunters reach limit
Alaska Fish and Game closes mountain goat hunting south of Tracy Arm in Unit 1C at 11:59 pm Friday after hunters reached the area's nine-point harvest guideline.
Fish board opens comment on Cook Inlet drift gillnet rules it adopted in March
The Alaska Board of Fisheries opened comment through Dec. 22 on rewritten Cook Inlet drift gillnet rules that replace July run-strength tiers with emergency-order periods, 16-hour daily caps and two weekly 32-hour closures.
Panelists warn two-thirds of Alaska village corporations face a Red Dog revenue cliff
At an Anchorage ANCSA forum, panelists said about two-thirds of Alaska's 176 village corporations depend on 7(j) money tied mostly to Red Dog, which a Bering Straits executive expects to stop after a final 2032 payment.
Federal managers shift Bering Sea cod away from trawl boats for third time in a month
NMFS moves 200 metric tons of Bering Sea Pacific cod from trawl catcher vessels to Amendment 80 catcher/processors, the third shift away from that fleet since mid-October.
USDA proposes rules for Alaska's SNAP work-limit reprieve, which must end by 2028
USDA's proposed SNAP rule would end Alaska's good-faith exemption from the work time limit by Dec. 31, 2028. Alaska has the exemption through Oct. 31, 2027.
FAA lets planes like the Cessna Caravan swap 100-hour inspections for model-specific ones
An FAA final rule effective Jan. 11, 2027 lets single-engine turbine airplane owners drop annual or 100-hour inspections for manufacturer or FAA-approved programs. Switching is voluntary, and the savings estimate depends on manufacturers offering programs.
Tanner crab fishing stays closed around Kodiak, Chignik and South Peninsula in 2027
ADF&G will keep commercial Tanner crab fishing closed in the Kodiak, Chignik and South Peninsula districts for 2027. Several sections met abundance thresholds but none could support the minimum harvest level, a second straight closed year.
EPA drafts rules on whether used work gloves count as hazardous waste
EPA Region 10 Administrator Emma Pokon says a draft rule on whether leather work gloves count as hazardous waste reached the White House budget office, though a public tracker showed no such listing. EPA is also reviewing storage limits for communities that rely on barge shipments.
Caribou hunt on remote Unimak Island reopens Nov. 15 after fall quota goes unmet
ADF&G will reopen the Unimak Island RC205 caribou hunt Sunday, Nov. 15, after the 100-caribou fall quota went unmet. Nonresidents can hunt through Dec. 31 and residents through March 31, 2027, with a three-caribou limit.
North Stephens Passage king crab fishing closes Monday, eight days into a rare season
ADF&G will close commercial red and blue king crab fishing in Southeast's North Stephens Passage area at 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 9, eight days into the season, with gear out by Nov. 14. Six other areas stay open.
Prince William Sound salmon value falls 45% below average as pink harvest hits a 1970s low
Prince William Sound's 2026 salmon season was worth an estimated $49.6 million, 45% below average, with the lowest pink harvest since the late 1970s, ADF&G says.
Fish and Game forecasts a strong 49 million sockeye run in Bristol Bay next summer
ADF&G forecasts a strong 2027 Bristol Bay sockeye run of 49.31 million fish, with a 35.26 million harvestable surplus and all nine river systems expected to meet escapement goals.
Scientists call for lower Bering Sea cod limit after survey finds fewest cod since 1989
Federal scientists recommend cutting the 2027 eastern Bering Sea Pacific cod catch ceiling 12.5%, to 123,787 metric tons, after a survey found the fewest cod since 1989.
Scientists recommend lower skate catch limit as Aleutian leopard skate declines
Draft NOAA assessment recommends lower 2027 Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands skate catch limits and flags an 89% decline in Aleutian leopard skate survey biomass.
Fish and Game closes Uganik and Uyak herring districts in the Kodiak Area
ADF&G closed the Uganik and Uyak districts to Kodiak food and bait herring fishing at noon Friday, Nov. 6. Six districts with 800 tons in combined harvest levels stay open. The notice gives no catch totals.
Peltola campaign sues to see which absentee ballots Alaska is accepting and rejecting
Mary Peltola's campaign sued the Alaska Division of Elections for records showing which absentee ballots are being accepted or rejected as the close U.S. Senate count continues.
Prince of Wales wolf trapping season stays at 31 days as estimate dips below state goal
ADF&G and the Forest Service set a 31-day Unit 2 wolf trapping season, Nov. 15 to Dec. 15, based on a fall 2025 estimate of 187 wolves that the agency calls slightly lower but part of a stable trend.
NOAA updates export rules for fishmeal and fish oil made from seafood leftovers
NOAA Fisheries revises its fishmeal and fish oil export certification rules, moving most countries' requests online. Alaska plants turn seafood by-products into feed.
Fish and Game closes West Behm Canal to sea cucumber divers for the rest of the season
ADF&G closed West Behm Canal to commercial sea cucumber diving for the 2026/27 season with 34,200 of 36,100 pounds taken. The Southeast weekly limit stays at 2,500 pounds, and Peril Strait and Stikine Strait open next week.
Bethel tells water customers to get their lines and tanks ready for freeze-up
The City of Bethel told piped-water customers on Thursday to turn on heat trace or glycol lines. Hauled customers should clear fill and overflow pipes and keep hookups reachable on service days.