Southeast Alaska: Federal Court Delays Decision on Temporary Restraining Order; TRO would increase the daily charter halibut bag limit in Southeast Alaska - Following a hearing Wednesday morning, the U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia deferred a ruling on whether to grant a temporary restraining order (TRO) that would increase the daily charter halibut bag limit in Southeast Alaska to two fish and would allow charter halibut harvest to exceed sustainable harvest levels recommended by the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC).

The lawsuit was brought by the Ketchikan based Charter Halibut Task Force in an eleventh-hour effort to reverse a rule that took effect last Sunday, June 1, 2008. The Charter Halibut Task Force filed the lawsuit in US District Court for the District of Columbia seeking both a Temporary Restraining Order and Preliminary to block the one fish halibut charter bag limit in Area 2C (Southeast Alaska) and alleges violation of the Halibut Act and Administrative Procedures Act. 

Judge Rosemary Collyer on Wednesday granted both sides - the Charter Halibut Task Force and the Government (U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and National Marine Fisheries Service) more time to present their arguments and set a second hearing date for Tuesday, June 10, 2008.

Charter fishermen along the coast of Southeast Alaska united to file the lawsuit on May 29, 2008, against Secretary of Commerce Carlos M. Gutierrez over a rule that took effect June 1 changing the daily bag limit for anglers fishing from charter boats in Southeast Alaska from two halibut per day to one halibut per day.

Charter fishermen claim the one halibut daily limit will bring economic harm on the economy of Southeast Alaska coastal communities. Affidavits attached to the motion for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction that was filed along with the complaint already show losses to the 11 plaintiffs of approximately half a million dollars. In addition, two charter operators from Southcentral Alaska filed affidavits in support of the lawsuit showing that anglers are already shifting from Southeast Alaska to Southcentral Alaska, where anglers can still catch two fish a day, in response to the one halibut a day rule. Canada also maintains the traditional two halibut daily limit.

The plaintiffs (Charter Halibut Task Force) argue, despite the lengthy public process and economic analysis done in recent years, that certain requirements of the Halibut Act and the Administrative Procedures Act have not been met. The U. S. Department of Justice is representing the Government with help from National Marine Fisheries Service.

The Juneau-based Halibut Coalition agrees with the Department of Justice that all requirements of both Acts have been met. Linda Behnken of the Halibut Coalition stressed the Halibut Coaliton is not a party to this suit. Although they are monitoring the situation out of concern for the sustainable management of the resource said Behnken.

"This lawsuit is without merit," said Jev Shelton, Halibut Coalition spokesperson. "It is a thinly-veiled attempt to use the justice system to block a management tool that is needed to conserve the halibut resource."

"The resource is limited and abundance is down," said Shelton. "The setline quota has been reduced by 43% over the past two years to allow Southeast stocks to rebuild. All commercial fishermen-setline and charter-must share in conserving the resource."

Scott Van Valin, owner of El Capitan Lodge and co-founder of the Charter Halibut Task Force, said in a prepared statement, "Certainly, it would be neither environmentally responsible nor good for our businesses if the charter industry was seeking a two-fish limit when the resource was in danger. Regulatory officials repeatedly stated this is not the case. In fact, in our area, the biomass is projected to increase over the next 10 years." - More...
Thursday - June 05, 2008

Alaska Science: Giant dam not responsible for large earthquake By NED ROZELL - About nine years ago, I wrote in this column how the National Aeronautics and Space Administration funded two University of Alaska Fairbanks scientists to examine whether the pooling of water behind the massive Three Gorges Dam in China might cause earthquakes.

After the magnitude 7.9 earthquake in northern China on May 12, 2008, journalists from China and London, and an observant reader, e-mailed the UAF Geophysical Institute to see if the creation of the dam, which is nearing completion and holding back ever-increasing amounts of water, might have caused the earthquake.

First, a little background that was in the 1999 article: the Three Gorges Dam spans the middle portion of the third-longest river in the world, the Yangtze, which is more than twice the length of the Yukon. The concrete of the dam makes a wall 600 feet high and one mile long. The water behind the wall is more than 445 feet deep, with a maximum depth of 575 feet, expected when engineers complete the filling of the dam in 2009. The lake behind the dam (made possible by the abandonment of more than 1,400 rural towns) is longer than Lake Superior. When the dam is at its peak, it will provide the electricity of 18 nuclear power plants. Engineers expect the dam to also help control floods that have killed hundreds of thousands of people along the Yangtze.

However, scientists were wary of putting that much load on the crust of the earth in an area with weak spots known as faults. Local faults can slip and cause earthquakes when dammed water presses on the earth. Some scientists believe that's what happened when a large earthquake followed the construction of a dam in Konya, Turkey that killed 200 people in 1967. Seismologists with the U.S. Geological Survey think the same thing may have happened at California's Oroville Dam in the 1970s when seismometers rang with small earthquakes after engineers raised the water level behind the dam. Along with the pressure all that water exerts on the earth's crust, the impounding of water can also change pore pressure within soils near dams, which can trigger nearby earthquakes.

Jeff Freymueller and Shusun Li are the scientists at the Geophysical Institute who have monitored the stresses on seismic faults in the Three Gorges region, using precise GPS receivers and satellite data. Li, who grew up in Shanghai, China, downriver from the dam, said he believes the giant dam was not involved in the recent earthquake. Freymueller agrees. - More...
Thursday - June 05, 2008

Southeast Alaska: Coast Guard responds to disabled cruise ship - The Coast Guard responded to a disabled cruise ship that was reportedly damaged when it touched bottom in Tracy Arm Wednesday morning.

At 8 a.m. Wednesday, Coast Guard Sector Juneau received a call from the cruise ship Spirit of Alaska reporting that they had touched bottom and were requesting assistance. The ship reported unknown damage affecting its rudder and no injuries to passengers or crew. - More...
Thursday - June 05, 2008

National: Republican crossover vote helps Obama, poll shows By THOMAS HARGROVE and GUIDO H. STEMPEL III - Illinois Sen. Barack Obama cinched the Democratic presidential nomination this week with the unprecedented help of an estimated 3 million Republican voters who cast ballots in their rival party's primaries.

About 12 percent of Obama's aggregate vote in presidential primaries came from people who normally align themselves with the GOP, based on a survey of 1,003 adults conducted by Scripps Howard News Service and Ohio University.

About 5 percent of New York Sen. Hillary Clinton's support came from Republicans.

The poll also found that Arizona Sen. John McCain, who won the Republican nomination in the early months of the primary season, received virtually no Democratic crossover votes.

"McCain didn't need my vote since he already had the nomination locked up," explained life-long Republican voter Jerry Maisel, 64, of Plano, Texas. "So I thought that this was my chance to be a spoiler with the Democrats. Barack Obama is the first Democrat I've ever voted for in a presidential race. Can't say I enjoyed the experience."

But like many of the Republicans interviewed in the poll, Maisel's motives are complex. Since many conservatives are unenthusiastic about McCain, they've taken extraordinary interest in which Democrat wins the nomination. Maisel was fearful that Clinton might win.

"I just couldn't see her in the White House," Maisel said. "Obama's still a Democrat. But he wouldn't be the end of the world."

Other Republicans came to an opposite conclusion.

"I voted for Clinton because she's a little less dangerous than Obama. He's 180 degrees from what he pretends to be," said Dan Curtin, 58, of Marblehead, Mass. - More...
Thursday - June 05, 2008

Public Meetings 7:00 pm - Thursday - June 5, 2008: The Ketchikan City Council will hold a regular meeting in the City Council Chambers Download the agenda and information packets pdf (Once the agenda is downloaded to your computer, click on the various items on the agenda to download each packet of detailed information.) Ketchikan Ketchikan Police Report AK Troopers Daily Dispatch Today's Forecast Satellite Today's Weather Images Marine Forecasts Ketchikan Weather Data Current AK Weather Map CLASSIFIEDS Publish ad Please select the proper category before posting. CLASSIFIEDS' CATEGORIES Announcements and       Help Wanted For Sale / Free Stuff Garage Sales Homes / Apts/ Property Pets Wanted Lost & Found Local Services Publish your ad   Front Page Archives April - May 2008 S M T W T F S 30 31 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 01 02 03 04 05     More Front Page Archives

Alaska's Personal Information Protection Act By Sen. Gene Therriault & Re. John Coghill - For the past four years we have worked together with other legislators in a true bipartisan effort to pass legislation to protect the identity of individual Alaskans. In the modern world of electronic commerce and massive databases, it is now common place to read headlines detailing the latest data breach and steps that can be taken by people to protect themselves. However, as the concern by Alaskan consumers grew, it became increasingly apparent that Alaska laws lagged behind most states when it came to personal information protection. With that in mind we set out to develop a solution to help you better protect yourself. These efforts resulted in the passage of House Bill 65 this year, and Alaska is now poised to become a leader in protecting individuals' personal information while allowing modern commerce to continue. - More...
Wednesday - June 04, 2008

Congratulations Ketchikan Assembly By Lance Mertz - I was happy to see that you stuck to your earlier decision and confirmed the lease of White Cliff for the Borough offices. Dawson says it will have the building ready in seven months and I believe them. - More...
Wednesday - June 04, 2008

RE: Noise Pollution: Continued By Savanah Stewart - There might be a shooting range in the Ketchikan city limits, but at least you know when you hear a shot ring out it's the gun range and not some lunatic shooting up your neighborhood. - More...
Wednesday - June 04, 2008

Re: One last point By Kathleen Svenson - Eileen Small's "One Last Point" letter is particularly disturbing. Not only does the comparison between adult behavior by an adult (American in Aruba) and this child ejected from Kanayama for "not fitting in" not add up, but Small's referring to the Ketchikan child as "chaffe," is really way out of line. - More...
Wednesday - June 04, 2008

Unsupervised young people By Charles Ratcliff - Obviously, the Natalee Holloway case was very tragic. But the letter specifically mentioned young people traveling out of the country. Do you not concede that young people without proper adult supervision also create a high-risk group for irresponsible behavior when they travel domestically? Every year, there are fatalities in Panama City Beach, Florida that involve unsupervised young people behaving irresponsibly. - More...
Wednesday - June 04, 2008

Downtown / Newtown by Rodney Dial - Ketchikan has come a long way since the demise of the pulp mill and it's exciting to see the improvements occurring in the downtown and Newtown areas. If I could make a suggestion to our elected officials it would be to keep a close eye on the image being communicated to our visitors, especially during the weekend nights. - More...
Monday - June 02, 2008

K-Hi/Sitka Softball Class Acts By Dave Smith - As the Iraq war drags on, and the Polar Bear count drops, I witnessed cause for hope this last Saturday afternoon. The K-Hi girls were in the midst of a several game weekend with the Sitka Wolves, and my little T-Ball team (ages 4 to 7) and I were scheduled for a game in between, while the high school girls took a break. As the girls wrapped up their game in the hot sun, I approached K-Hi head coach Joe Austin, and asked if any of his girls would like to be in the dugout or on the field with the T-ball girls? Joe asked his team, and much to my surprise I think all of them stayed. - More...
Monday - June 02, 2008

Noise Pollution: Continued By Sharon Preston - I'm happy to see my letter got some attention. I have received some calls at home in support of my view. However, some of you may have missed the main point. "The firing range within city limits and close proximity to homes is a bad idea" was my main point. The floatplanes are a whole other issue. - More...
Monday - June 02, 2008

Damen Bell-Holter By A. M. Johnson - Was not the article on Demen Bell-Holter in Saturday's issue of the Ketchikan Daily News uplifting, inspiring,gratifying and compelling? Mr. Cohen caught the spirit of this lad in words that can only encourage other like mined young persons to take it up another notch. Particularly noticed was the candor relating to his desire to succeed at every opportunity and his expectations of having to demonstrate this desire at the college level. - More...
Monday - June 02, 2008

Getting the message out By Kathleen Svenson - Expatriate Tony Hatano-Worrell, writing from half a world away, appears to have more information and to know more about the Kanayama Board deliberations leading up to the ejection of the student who had participated in all fundraising and educational activities than the student's own family knows! Is Hatano-Worrell a Kanayama Board member too? It's unclear exactly who the Kanayama Board members are; it's a kind of secret society. Apparent board members are: Ginny Clay, Jim Alguire, Gail Alguire, Ole Sullivan, Pat Perrier, Eileen Truitt, Carrie Allen, Christa Bruce, and who knows who else. Hatano-Worrell it appears. With a board that refuses to share its by-laws and which has no due process, nor policies and procedures for Ketchikan students, anything is possible after all. - More...
Monday - June 02, 2008

A Bit Harsh By Kathleen Svenson - Eileen Small's harsh criticism of a Ketchikan student who went on the Kanayama Student Exchange to Japan a few years ago was way out of line. The student simply became separated from the student's father-chaperone and the group of students in a Japanese city because the child walked out the wrong door of a shop. According to the child's father, the child was only "lost" for about a half-hour. According to the Kanayama Board it was five hours. Some people say the student was located by cell phone GPS; others say our cell phones don't work there. Who knows? This story has passed into legend as far as I'm concerned, and to dredge it up now seems peculiar at best. - More...
Monday - June 02, 2008

Reverend Pflagler Quid Pro Quo? By Mark Neckameyer - Rev. Michael Pfleger, the race baiting, rabble rousing proclaimed buddy of Rev. Wright, Louis Farrakhan and Senator Barack Obama, clearly went way over the line this week in his loudly cheered racist, anti-feminist tirade at Wright/Obama's Trinity church. He sounded every bit as terrible as any White Supremacist or Klansman ever has on the other extreme side as he mocked and belittled Hillary Clinton and the entire White race. As soon as the video got out, Obama faintly rejected the man and even Pflager made a halfhearted apology but is this enough? - More...
Monday - June 02, 2008

One last point By Eileen Small - One last point: I am sure that all parents and many young people remember the tragic mess in Aruba several years ago when a young woman on her senior trip went "missing" and still remains so -- probably dead -- today. - More...
Monday - June 02, 2008

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