Bill AlaskaNews
@bill
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Kenai Peninsula, Alaska 99610, USA
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
Chignik District red sea cucumber divers get first fishing period Sept. 30 to Oct. 7
ADF&G opens the Chignik District red sea cucumber commercial dive fishery Sept. 30 to Oct. 7, with a 15,000-pound guideline harvest level for the 2026/27 season.
Lake George mountain goat hunt closes early Tuesday after hunters reach harvest limit
Alaska Department of Fish and Game closes Unit 14C Lake George mountain goat registration hunt RG869 at 11:59 pm Sept. 29 after harvest reaches its limit.
Prince William Sound fall herring fishery opens Thursday with 749-ton cap
Prince William Sound's fall food and bait herring fishery opens at noon Thursday, Oct. 1, capped at 749 tons, less than half of last fall's 1,750-ton limit. ADF&G cites weak spring spawn.
Troopers say Eagle River hunter used a $5 license he did not qualify for
Alaska Wildlife Troopers cited an Eagle River man, 47, duck hunting at Jim Lake in Palmer on Sept. 26 with a $5 Resident Low-Income license troopers say he did not qualify for. Bail is $320.
Yakutat set gillnetters get another opening, but still can't keep king salmon
Yakutat commercial set gillnet opening Sept. 27 to Oct. 1 in Yakutat Bay, Situk-Ahrnklin Inlet, Alsek and Dangerous rivers; Chinook retention still prohibited.
Board of Fisheries committee weighs how to let the public weigh in on last-minute rewrites
Alaska Board of Fisheries committee weighs how the public can comment on last-minute substitute language before the board deliberates; more talks set for October.
Juneau kelp farm study suggests minimal influence on fish and invertebrates
A one-year NOAA study at two kelp farms 10 miles west of Juneau suggests the farms had minimal influence on fish and invertebrate communities. A missed sampling trip left researchers unable to test whether the farm effect was significant.
State extends Unit 9B resident moose season to Sept. 30 after bad weather limited hunting
An Alaska Department of Fish and Game emergency order gives RM272 resident moose hunters in Unit 9B five more days, through 11:59 p.m. Sept. 30, after high water and heavy rain cut into boat access along Iliamna Lake's north shore.
Fish and Game proposes flagging struggling salmon runs a year earlier so the public can weigh in
Alaska Board of Fisheries stock of concern timing: ADF&G Commissioner Doug Vincent-Lang proposes designating struggling salmon stocks a year earlier.
NOAA weighs 77 Gulf of Alaska sites for future kelp and shellfish farms
NOAA Aquaculture Opportunity Areas in Alaska: 77 Gulf of Alaska sites mapped for seaweed and shellfish farms; environmental review draft expected spring 2027.
The Kenai's coho limit stays at two through November
Kenai River anglers are limited to two coho a day through Nov. 30 after Fish and Game blocked the usual fall increase to three, citing weak catch rates.
Bering River moose hunt closes after hunters reach 15-bull cap
Alaska is closing the Bering River bull moose hunt in Unit 6A West at 11:59 pm Friday after reported harvest reached the department's ceiling of 15 bulls.
Alaska closed its Bering Sea scallop grounds after the two-boat fleet hit the cap
Alaska Fish and Game closed commercial weathervane scallop fishing in Registration Area Q on Wednesday after the fleet reached the area's guideline harvest level.
Kodiak's salmon fishery opens for 54 hours starting Thursday at noon
Alaska Fish and Game opened Kodiak commercial salmon fishing for 54 hours from noon Thursday through 6 pm Saturday across Afognak, Northwest and Eastside districts.
Federal subsistence permits and harvest reports move online in new Alaska portal
The federal Office of Subsistence Management has a new online portal for permit applications and harvest reports, built by Arctic IT Government Solutions.
Nome utility board member says new housing project's septic units will need heavy upkeep
Nome Joint Utility System board discusses above-ground septic units at the North Ice View housing project, maintenance concerns, owner responsibility and a lift station.
Halibut commission staff propose letting AI read half of the fish earbones behind catch limits
IPHC staff proposed using a ConvNeXt-Small AI model to age half of Pacific halibut otoliths, a change that would affect the data behind Alaska catch limits.
Unalaska renewed the seafood waste line easement for another decade
Unalaska renewed a 10-year easement for Westward Seafoods' seafood waste outfall line, putting cleanup costs for any rupture on the company, not the city.
Bristol Bay's 2026 sockeye run falls below 50 million for first time since 2014
Bristol Bay's 2026 sockeye run came in at 45.7 million, the first under 50 million since 2014, with a preliminary exvessel value of $264 million.
Nome's utility is five years behind on audits and borrowing costs more
The Nome Joint Utility System has not completed an audit since 2021, and its manager says the delay likely raised borrowing costs on the utility's fuel loan.