Fish Factor: World's biggest red salmon fishery wraps up By LAINE WELCH - Fishermen are happy as they wrap up the world's biggest red salmon fishery at Bristol Bay. Even though the catch of 28 million sockeye salmon came up a bit short, they will get a better payday than they've had in over two decades.

All major processors are paying a base price of 95 cents a pound for sockeyes, compared to 70 cents last year. It's the best base price since1988 when Bristol Bay reds fetched $2.11 a pound. (The lowest price was 42 cents in 2001.) With bonuses for chilled and bled fish, this year's final price for many fishermen could top $1.20 a pound.

Fewer sockeyes all 'round has buyers scrambling for fish this summer, and the Alaska Wild brand is increasingly in demand by U.S. and foreign markets. Bristol Bay fishermen also got a boost from three more competitors that specialize in fresh salmon markets: Leader Creek, Snow Pac and Copper River Seafoods.

Early estimates peg the value of the Bristol Bay sockeye fishery at roughly $170 million at the docks, an increase of over $40 million from last year. The Bristol Bay sockeye salmon catch provides two-thirds of the total value of Alaska's statewide, all species salmon harvest.

tLandings tested

Tender vessels from Southeast to Western Alaska are field testing electronic reporting of all salmon deliveries this summer, called tLandings.

"Most deliveries of salmon occur onboard tenders, and that is where most fish tickets are completed. It's an ideal situation to do electronic reporting," said Gail Smith, electronic landings program coordinator for ADF&G. Between 600-700 tender vessels operate in Alaska each year.

tLandings are the latest in a series of interagency reporting programs that include the state, federal government and the International Pacific Halibut Commission. eLandings have been used in Alaska since 2002, and are required in halibut, sablefish, Bering Sea crab and all groundfish fisheries.

"tLandings for salmon is a voluntary program, and we never envision it will be mandatory," Smith emphasized.

In a "proof of concept" project this summer, 22 tenders are field testing a new application that computes the number of fish delivered, the weights, running totals of different species, and then prints out a fish ticket and tally sheet. The tenders are operating at Bristol Bay, Kodiak, Sitka and the Kuskokwim region.

All that is required is a laptop computer, an inexpensive laser printer, a magnetic strip reader for identification, and a thumb drive (also called jump drives or zip drives), that is provided for free by ADF&G. - More...
Saturday - July 24, 2010

Southeast Alaska: Wilderness Ranger Unveils Secrets of the Alaskan Fiords Story and photos TIM LYDON - When I first arrived in the fiords in the early '90s, I jealously guarded their secrets, fearful that publicizing the place would lead to overcrowding and lost wildness. But I feel differently today. In fact, I now wish more people knew about this special place.

Each spring, I make my first trip of the year to the Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness, usually in late April or May. Depending on the weather, it's a two- or three-hour skiff ride about 50 miles from downtown Juneau, past the scenic openings of Taku Inlet, Taku Harbor, Limestone and Snettisham.

With each mile, I grow eager to see how Tracy and Endicott Arms have survived the long winter.

For 14 years, I've spent most of my summers in this area. It's where I work as a ranger for the Forest Service, where I spend some of my free time - kayaking, camping or just relaxing - and when family comes to Juneau, it's the first place I take them. - More...
Saturday - July 24, 2010

Southeast Alaska: New life springs forth as summer warms Alaska's wilderness Story and photos TIM LYDON - For 30 minutes I've been squinting through binoculars at a tremendously pregnant harbor seal.

I'm perched on a ledge about 400 feet above an ice-choked Tracy Arm, and the seal is lying on a berg in the middle of the fjord. She's more than a mile away, but I'm guessing that her constant repositioning means she's in labor.

Then it happens. The ice berg turns red, and when the mother shifts again I see she is no longer alone. A tiny pup lies beside her. The mother cranes her neck to touch noses with her newborn, imprinting its scent.

The news spreads fast. Within a couple minutes, two big bald eagles descend on the berg with outstretched wings. Four ravens quickly arrive, and a couple gulls circle above. The birds jockey for fresh afterbirth, but the mother keeps them at bay with repeated charges. Each time the birds hop backward, she urges her pup toward the far end of the berg. Eventually, she shoves the pup into the icy water, then slips off the berg herself. Mom and pup surface a moment later, then swim away together.

Each June, pregnant harbor seals travel to the ends of Tracy and Endicott Arms Wilderness Area to give birth. Between 500 and 1,000 seals gather in each arm, about a third of them mothers-to-be. By mid-June, the fiords echo with the raspy calls of newborn pups. They shadow their mothers for about three weeks, spending long hours nursing atop flat bergs. - More...
Saturday - July 24, 2010

Former Ketchikan resident Pat Kazuo Hagiwara, 91, died June 24 in Seattle.

OBITUARY: Pat Hagiwara dies at 91; Former Resident Was Member of Most Decorated Military Unit in World War II By DAVE KIFFER - Hagiwara was born and raised in Ketchikan and served in the military in World War II. Like all local Japanese American residents he was swept up in the controversy over the World War internment of Japanese American citizens.

Hagiwara was born on March 7, 1919, the second son of local bakery owners Frank and Shima Hagiwara.

According to an oral history at the Alaska State Museum that Hagiwara sat for in 1990, his father Chokichi "Frank" Hagiwara and two friends left Seattle, Washington, in 1909, hoping to "make a fortune" in Alaska. They intended to earn money in Ketchikan before continuing to interior Alaska but Frank Hagiwara decided to stay in Ketchikan.

In 1916, Frank Hagiwara returned to Japan for an arranged marriage to Shima Kitagawa, a school teacher. Frank and Shima had four children in Ketchikan.

In the oral history, Pat Hagiwara noted that his family lived "modestly, kept a minimum amount of Japanese culture" in their home, and worked "many hours every day in the family bakery" from 1919 to 1942 when they were evacuated during the war.

Hagiwara also noted that he had both "hakujin" (Caucasian) and Japanese friends in Ketchikan, adding that discrimination was not a problem until World War II broke out.

In a letter to the Ketchikan Museum in 2000, Hagiwara sent along some youth baseball photos from his early years. He apologized for not being able to identify all the children in the photos.

"It has been nearly 70 years since I last saw most of them and, today, you might say my memory of sandlot baseball is not very good," Hagiwara wrote in 2000. "I still remember while I was in the 4th grade, I was a pitcher and we won a trophy that year and our coach was Clarence "Kelly" Foss (of the Kayhi class of 1931). I see Kelly (as I did this year) at our annual Ketchikan Reunion Picnic held at Edmonds City Park on the 4th Sunday in July."

Hagiwara graduated from Ketchikan High School in 1936 and worked in his family's bakery, the Alaska Home Bakery, on Stedman Street, until 1940. - More...
Saturday - July 24, 2010

Ketchikan: Ketchikan Pilot Killed In Crash - A Ketchikan pilot was killed in a float plane crash north of Ketchikan Friday morning. Josh Murdock, 38, was the sole occupant in a 1959 DeHavilland Beaver owned by Pacific Airways of Ketchikan that crashed at about 7:30 a.m.

Alaska State Troopers, North Tongass Volunteer Fire Department, U.S. Coast Guard and officers from the Ketchikan Police Department responded and located the plane.

Witnesses reported the plane clipped some trees, causing the plane to lose its right wing before crashing. The plane was found on a grassy knoll off of the Tongass Highway in the Ward Cove area. The plane was en route from Ketchikan to Thorne Bay when it crashed on the property of the old Ketchikan Pulp Mill's grassy knoll about seven miles north of Ketchikan.

The Federal Aviation Administration, National Transportation Safety Board and State Medical Examiner's Office have been notified of the death. The NTSB will take over the investigation to determine the cause of the crash. - More...
Friday - July 23, 2010

Ketchikan: Ketchikan man arrested on child pornography charges - Alaska State Troopers responded to a report Wednesday evening of a hidden camera that was discovered wired into a teenager's room at a residence on Strawberry Road, which transmitted to a video recorder in a separate part of the house.

When confronted by the complainant about the hidden camera, Jose Diorec III, age 35 of Ketchikan, reportedly grabbed the video cassette, destroyed it, and threw the film into the woods. Troopers responded, and a subsequent investigation led to Diorec's arrest for possession of child pornography and tampering with physical evidence. - More...
Friday - July 23, 2010

Real Time U.S. Debt Clock http://www.usdebtclock.org/ Public Service Announcements Public Meetings & Info Ketchikan Animal Control Adopt a Dog Adopt a Cat Adopt Another Animal Ketchikan Borough Assembly Agenda and Information Packets Live video stream of current meeting Assembly Meeting Minutes Calendar Ketchikan Planning Commission Agenda, Information Packets & Minutes Ketchikan City Council Agenda & Information Packets Ketchikan School Board Agenda & Information Packets Gravina Access Project SEIS Alternatives Development Gravina Access Website Ketchikan Jobs Ketchikan Police Reports AK Troopers Daily Dispatch Today's Forecast Satellite Today's Weather Images Marine Forecasts AK Weathercams Ketchikan Weather Data Current AK Weather Map CLASSIFIEDS Publish Publish Your Ad Click Here CLASSIFIEDS' CATEGORIES Announcements and       Help Wanted For Sale / Free Stuff Garage Sales Homes / Apts/ Property Pets Wanted Lost & Found Publish Your Ad Front Page Archives July 2010 S M T W T F S 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 More Front Page Archives

RE: Cape Fox Corp. Lack of Respect for Shareholders By Eric Trout - TO CAPE FOX SHAREHOLDERS: Marilyn Blair's letter is just another attempt to twist the issues while protecting her real personal interests. We all know there are two types of politicians, the ones who tell the truth and fight for what's right, the other politicians who twist the issues to benefit their own personal interests. Marilyn has been in the Cape Fox Board room for over 15 years I would say she has a history and experience in twisting issues. - More...
Monday - July 26, 2010

Water Street Sidewalks By Chris Elliott - We have a one-way tunnel with a road going the other way around it. Now we have parallel sidewalks on Water Street. - More...
Monday - July 26, 2010

Skateboard Park By Norm Noggle - I would like to second Vicky's suggestion to develop a skateboard park in Ketchikan. I agree that the existing half pipe at the rec center is very limited in developing skateboard riding skills. I would suggest that if there are a solid number of kids who want a qulaity skateboard park, then they need to organize (with adult assistance) and begin identifying the assets and barriers involved in the development of such a site. Some of the concerns that need to be addressed include: - More...
Monday - July 26, 2010

Re: Skate Park By Keith Woodard - Although I haven't really followed the skate park issue, I can sympathize with you Vicky. I know what it was like growing up as a bored teenager in this town with seemingly little to do. And I'm really saddened that as much community spirit this town has and as much as people would like to help the youth here, there still hasn't been a new skate park built among other things. - More...
Monday - July 26, 2010

RE: Skate park By Lexie Jones - I'm a 24-year-old who thinks we shouldn't always be looking for handouts! - More...
Monday - July 26, 2010

Doing Business without insurance By Terry Miles - Recently, I took my motorcycle, that happens to be a custom chopper into a local "Detail" shop here in the Ketchikan area, to have it cleaned and detailed. The bike is worth about $75k... it's a custom.  - More...
Monday - July 26, 2010

Concerned about Japanese Knotweed By Melinda Stewart - Browsing Sitnews this morning I saw the letter posted on Rotary Beach. Reading the description and looking at pictures online of knotweed, it is EXACTLY what I have growing in my yard!! - More...
Monday - July 26, 2010

Goodbye, Don & Lois Kralis By Bill Sullivan - I was saddened to read of the passing of Don and Lois Kralis. They will be missed. - More...
Monday - July 26, 2010

Adhere To Immigration Laws By Donald A. Moskowitz - The federal government, working with the border states, should provide the personnel and resources to secure our borders. - More...
Monday - July 26, 2010

Wrong one fired! By Hugh T. Wilson Jr. - I was a State Certified Police Officer for the town of Metlakatla for approximately 5 years. I served the people of the community of Metlakatla to the best of my ability and I never complained. I was fired June 9, 2010 by Chief of Police Nick Yliniemi in the driveway of my home for reasons I'm still trying to figure out. Now after overcoming adversity, working hard and putting the people that deserved it behind bars, I now have to figure out how I'm supposed to support and take care of my family of 4 with one (maybe 2) on the way. - More...
Monday - July 19, 2010

Glad for our black bears By Judith Green - OK Ketchikan, aren't we glad for our black bear population? Gives us lots of opportunity for photos and stories, along with eye to eye viewing. I never get tired of yet another picture of these grand creatures with whom we share a love for local-wild salmon and fresh off the bush vitamin packed berries. - More...
Monday - July 19, 2010

Skate park By Vicky Campo - I want to know when our kids are going to get their skate park. Everything I hear is that there is always a reason why it isn't being pursued. My son is a skate boarder and he is also involved in a lot of Ketchikan's activities including High School. He is involved in basketball, football, and baseball. These kids are always being told that can't skateboard anywhere in Ketchikan besides the rec center, with the talent they have the rec center only allows so much for them. - More...
Monday - July 19, 2010

More Letters/Viewpoints
Webmail your letter or
Email Your Letter To: editor@sitnews.us