Fish Factor: Alaska's Salmon Season Winding Down By LAINE WELCH - Salmon season is winding down and it’s still a guess if the statewide catch will reach the 132 million fish forecast.  Achieving that all comes down to  those hard to predict pinks, whose catch makes up more than half of the total harvest.

“I think it’s going to be close. It all depends on what happens with the pink salmon runs in the three major producing areas:  Prince William Sound, Kodiak and Southeast,” said Geron Bruce, assistant director of the Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game’s commercial fisheries division.

This summer a catch of 70.2 million pinks were forecasted, down 40% from last year.  So far, the Kodiak pink catch had topped 15 million, 16 million at Southeast and nearly 25 million pinks  were taken at Prince William Sound.  That brings the total Alaska humpy harvest to more than 56 million so far.

“But all of the three areas are past their peak it appears. So we’ve got maybe a couple weeks left of decent fishing if these pink salmon runs have a nice tail on them and stretch out a little bit,” Bruce said.

Looking at other salmon catches:    Alaska’s sockeye take of 35 million will tick up slightly, but still will come up short of the nearly 35 million sockeye forecast, a 4% decline from last year.

Likewise, Bruce said chum salmon catches will also be down a bit. 

“But it’s been a good year for chums, and we are definitely going to hit 16 million and might hit 17 million. So that’s a good harvest,” he said.

Good summer and fall chum runs appeared on the Yukon River and at Kotzebue, while the Kuskokwim chum returns were disappointing.  For coho salmon, Bruce said the catch outlook  for coho salmon “looks kind of mediocre at best.” 

Overall, except for the major fishing upheavals caused by fishing closures in major rivers to protect low Chinook returns, Alaska’s salmon catch is panning out pretty much like managers expected.

“We expected a down year and this is going to be one of the smallest harvests we’ve had in awhile.  We’ve been at 30 million salmon or above that pretty consistently,” Bruce said.  

While the lower salmon catches might be good in the short term, Alaska needs to maintain a fishery that is as robust as possible to satisfy its growing customers.

“One of the things we have going for us is our large production. There’s so much competition out there from farmed fish that Alaska’s supply shrinks, there are all sorts of competitors waiting to step into any opportunities we offer,” Bruce said.   “It’s not like the old days when there was a lot of price elasticity with salmon because there were not a lot of alternatives. Now there are a lot of alternative salmon sources and also all kinds of other proteins competing as well.” - More...
Monday - August 27, 2012

Re: Irregularities in Ketchikan's fiscal forecast By Agnes Moran - The Aquatic Center and the replacement generator are the two items of concern to Mr. Plute that lie in purview of the Borough. Unfortunately, Mr. Plute's letter contains many inaccuracies regarding these two projects and I would like to address those here. - More...
Thursday AM - August 23, 2012

One More Day - Construction Yard Sale - Saturday August 25th;
Thank you Ketchikan! By Amanda Hein - “Of all that is good, sublimity is supreme. Succeeding is the coming together of all that is beautiful. Furtherance is the agreement of all that is just. Perseverance is the foundation of all actions.” Lao Tzu .... If you put this in the context of Ketchikan Youth Initiatives (KYI), it would be a perfect fit. KYI is continuing that perseverance for the teenagers of our community. Their plan of action is to create a long overdue youth center. It’s a wonderful project that will definitely change Ketchikan and the lives of teenagers residing here. - More...
Thursday AM - August 23, 2012

Coastal Zone Management: Vote "Yes" By R.K. Rice - Since the Supreme Court decided that Corporations are people with even more rights than an individual, as they can donate unlimited money, while we as individuals are limited, I find it more difficult to separate glossy spin from the truth. - More...
Thursday AM - August 23, 2012

Shameful By Laura Plenert - Jack Shay's "performance" in court on Monday was shameful and disgusting. Entertainer til the end. - More...
Thursday AM - August 23, 2012 

Tough Questions By Guy Archibald - If the Ketchikan Gateway Borough (KGB) Assembly is to protect the long term interests of its citizens, they need to ask tough questions before agreeing to locate an ore processing facility within KGB.  They need to ensure that the promises made by the mine are enforceable and will protect the community far into the future.  Unfortunately, mines have a history of making grand promises in the early stages and then abandoning them after closure or when market conditions change. - More...
Tuesday - August 21, 2012

Supporting Agnes Moran By Hannah Ramiskey - Our representative to the State House must have the moral fiber, common sense, good judgment, and intelligence to allow her to sift through the mountains of information and opinions to find the best solution for our community.  She has to really know our community and its needs.  For me, Agnes Moran is the best choice for the House of Representatives.  She volunteers for her church, the Humane Society, provides meals for the Lord’s Table which benefits the less fortunate, donates her time in several schools, and still has the energy to work hard for our community on the Borough Assembly. - More...
Tuesday - August 21, 2012

Thank you! By Vicki Harsha - My son, Nick Martin, was recently involved in a jet boat accident on the Stikine River in Wrangell, Alaska. Twelve hours after the accident he called to tell me he was on the way to the hospital in Wrangell and asked if I would let the Ketchikan Indian Community know that he would be going to the emergency room for treatment. He assured me he was fine and that he just needed some stitches in his forehead and possibly his finger. - More...
Tuesday - August 21, 2012

Irregularities in Ketchikan's Fiscal Forecast By Ed Plute - Currently the City of Ketchikan is $158 million in debt according to the 2012 annual budget. Established here are just a few examples of financial irresponsibilities that need to addressed and not behind closed doors. - More...
Tuesday - August 21, 2012

Cabin elimination By A. M. Johnson - Will the results of the public comments regarding the removal of various cabins from the Tongass National Forest reflect a corresponding reduction in the excessive number of U.S.Forest Service employees in the respective areas? - More...
Tuesday - August 21, 2012

Coastal Zone Management By Tom Schulz, Mary Schulz, Tina Singer, David A Smith, Joni P Koerner, Judith McQuerry, Mary Dowling & Joann Flora - It is not hard to understand why the oil companies and other big money business types are fighting so hard against restoring Alaska's coastal management program. They prefer to shut locals out and just let the federal government call the shots, because they have the wherewithal to influence federal decisions. Mere citizens do not - unless we vote to restore coastal management on August 28. - More...
Monday PM - August 20, 2012

"Yes" on Ballot Measure 2 By Bob Claus - Tom Boutin, a forester and logging engineer with over 40 years of experience, recently wrote an op-ed opposing Ballot Measure 2, the Coastal Zone Management proposal. - More...
Monday PM - August 20, 2012

Ballot Measure 2: Bait and Switch By Debra Heston - I have heard that the ballot initiative for re-establishing the coastal management program has been promoted as protecting local property rights.  Nothing could be farther from the truth.  It is hard to believe that Alaskans would support the measure if they had read the fine print... which not everyone does. - More...
Monday PM - August 20, 2012

Coastal Zone Management: Yes on Ballot Measure 2 By Mary G. Schulz, Tom Schulz, Melissa A Miller, Tina Demmert, David A Smith, Joni P. Koerner, Judith McQuerry, Mary Dowling & Joann Flora - The coastal management program ballot initiative is a pro-growth, pro-development measure. Better yet, it's a smart growth initiative. For 34 years, Alaska's coastal management program allowed key players, (including you and I through our chosen representatives) to sit down together and plan the best way to make new projects happen. It didn't slow things down; it facilitated development by avoiding lawsuits and other costly logjams. When we work together to find locally acceptable courses of action, we can settle disputes before they become huge legal problems. - More...
Monday PM - August 20, 2012

"No" on Ballot Measure 2 By Debra Heston - Everyone knows that there are special interests that would like nothing more than to rape and pillage Alaska's natural resources, and steamroller the local opposition.  Until now, they have been kept in check.  Parts of the fine print in ballot initiative #2 read like a laundry list of grievances the state has had about all the tactics Alaskans use when they don't want to shut up and do as they are told... and counters for each of them.  I am sure that there are executives who would trade their viagra to see this thing pass, it could be everything they ever dreamed of.  If there is collusion between the state and the proposed board, then they will have one hell of a blank check to do whatever they want.  The only ones restricted by this are Alaskans and their local governments.  There is even a provision on pg. 10 lines 6-11 for overturning local elections! - More...
Monday PM - August 20, 2012 

Privatizing Mr Ryan By Michael Spence - Paul Ryan's overtures about cutting costs on Medicare and Social Security for middle aged people who have paid into both for many years make me wonder if he will follow in the footsteps of the last GOP vice presidential candidate, who was elected to serve in one capacity and before it was done, ran for another office. - More...
Monday PM - August 20, 2012

RE: Girl Scouts on Alaska Air Flight By Esther Rhodes - Thank you Susan for such a nice letter you submitted regarding the girls who were returning to Ketchikan on your flight. - More...
Monday PM - August 20, 2012

TOO MANY LIFEGUARDS... By Tracey Horne Scadden - I read with interest MS.Teal's concern regarding too many lifeguards. When I lifeguarded back in the early 70's I couldn't tell you how many guards we had. But living here in Utah I counted the other day at a outdoor pool about the same size as your new one, they had at least 7 that I could visualize, there might have been more. - More...
Monday PM - August 20, 2012

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