October 1, 2019 Ketchikan Local Election This is the 17th year, SitNews has provided FREE unfiltered web exposure to all local Ketchikan candidates to tell the voters why we should elect you. Tell your possible future constituents about your background, work experience, qualifications for the position, etc. Please send a photo. Links to your contact and social media page accepted: Email to editor@sitnews.us Submit Your Statements By: 09/15/19 The sooner the better; absentee voters may vote as early as 15 days prior to the Borough election - absentee voting begins Sept. 16th. Last day to register to vote in the local election is September 1, 2019. Ketchikan Borough Mayor Candidates 3 Year Term, 1 Seat Open Rodney Dial Filed 08/05/19 Candidate's Statement 08/27/19   Sidney Hartley Filed 08/08/19   Michelle O'Brien Filed 08/23/19 Borough Assembly Candidates 3 Year Term, 2 Seats Open Austin Otos Filed 08/01/19 Candidate's Statement 08/28/19   David Landis Filed 08/01/19   Jeremy T. Bynum Filed 08/26/19 Ketchikan School Board Candidates 3 Year Term, 2 Seats Open   Bridget Mattson Filed 08/06/19   Jordan Tabb Filed 08/20/19 Ketchikan School Board Candidates 1 Year Term, 1 Seat Open   Leslie Becker Filed 08/15/19 Hilary Kvasnikoff Filed 08/16/19 Candidate's Statement 08/27/19   Paul Robbins, Jr. Filed 08/16/19   Kathleen Yarr Filed 08/23/19 Ketchikan City Council 3 Year Term, 2 Seats Open   Lew Williams III Filed 08/05/19   Judy Zenge Filed 08/05/19   Spencer Strassburg Filed 08/26/19 Ketchikan: Public Meetings Ketchikan: Upcoming Events Ketchikan: Announcements Ketchikan: Classifieds CLASSIFIEDS Publish Your Ad Click Here Historical Ketchikan June Allen Dave Kiffer Louise B. Harrington Ketchikan Weather Ketchikan's Forecast August Daily Records 2019 July: Daily Records 2019 Ketchikan July 2019 Data Ketchikan June 2019 Data Ketchikan May 2019 Data Ketchikan April 2019 Data Ketchikan March 2019 Data Ketchikan Feb. 2019 Data Ketchikan Jan. 2019 Data Nat Weather Service KTN Ketchikan Tides & Currents Sunrise - Sunset Ketchikan Search the News Ketchikan Alaska

Fish Factor: Shellfish & Seaweed, the makings of a major Alaska industry By LAINE WELCH - Underwater and out of sight are the makings of a major Alaska industry with two anchor crops that clean the planet while pumping out lots of cash: shellfish and seaweed.

Alaskans have now applied for over 2,000 acres of new or expanding undersea farms, double the footprint from two years ago, ranging in size from .02 acres at Halibut Cove to nearly 300 acres at Craig. 

Nearly 60 percent of the newest applicants plan to grow kelp with the remainder growing a mix of kelp and/or Pacific oysters, said Cynthia Pring-Ham, aquatic farming coordinator at the Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game which issues the permits. ADF&G partners with the Dept. of Natural Resources which leases the tidal and submerged lands for farms.

Currently in Alaska 36 operators are producing primarily Pacific oysters in Southeast, Prince William Sound and Kachemak Bay. Their combined crops of about two million bivalves have sales topping $1.5 million from a mostly local customer base. 

It’s the faster growing seaweed that has spawned wider interest, especially from regions that aren’t as hospitable to growing shellfish. 

Alaska’s first kelp farm permits were issued in 2016 at Kodiak; 15,000 pounds of brown and sugar kelp was harvested in 2017 and sold to California food maker Blue Evolution for $10,000. Last year the Kodiak output jumped to 90,000 pounds worth over $33,000. 

Now, besides kelp, 21 Alaska growers also have added dulce, nori and sea lettuce to their macroalgae or shellfish menus. It will go into a global commercial seaweed market that is projected to top $22 billion by 2024, with human consumption as the largest segment.

The interest is quickly spreading to other Alaska regions. This year two kelp applications were submitted from Sand Point and queries have come from the Pribilof Islands, said Julie Decker, chair of a state mariculture task force created in 2016 by former Governor Bill Walker to lay the foundation for “a $100 million industry in 20 years.”

“People are calling from St. Paul and St. George in the Bering Sea. They are interested and want to know what they need to do to get started,” she said. 

“I can’t see a single downside to it,” said Sam Rabung, director of the Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game commercial fisheries division and a task force member. 

 Rabung, who began researching kelp in Japan in the 1980s and has worked in salmon enhancement and mariculture in Alaska for over 35 years, called diversification into seaweed farming “the biggest change to the industry I’ve seen in the last five years.”

It is getting legs for several reasons, he said.

“It’s a really good fit with our existing fishery infrastructure. We have a blue workforce, an ocean workforce of fishing communities, vessels, fishermen, processors that in many cases get used in a kind of boom and bust manner. This gives an additional shoulder to a season,” he said. 

 “The giant kelp that we’re focusing on in Alaska right now, the brown algae, can be used for everything from food to nutritional supplements to animal feed ingredients, biofuels, soil amendments and everything in between. We’re just at the tip of the iceberg in terms of the uses of algae,” he added. 

Plus, growing seaweed benefits the planet. As the “trees” of coastal ecosystems, seaweeds pull massive amounts of carbon from the atmosphere, absorbing five times more than land-based plants.

But planting the earth friendly kelp fronds in the fall and plucking them in the spring is the easy part. 

“What do you do when you harvest them? You need to have something in place to take the product and make use of it before you ever plant your seeded lines,” Rabung said. 

As the fledgling algae industry develops, the task force is advocating that some growers form clusters to “really get things going.” 

“Getting a larger number of farms concentrated around a hub to get the synergy to create that critical mass and reduce the cost of logistics, transports, and support services that the farms need,” Rabung explained. “We need it to become a company, an industry. That’s where the state will see its biggest benefit.”  

At least two Alaska processors, Ocean Beauty and Silver Bay Seafoods, are involved in the new industry and buyers want product. 

“They need to know there is enough steady volume to make sure it’s worthwhile,” Rabung said.  

An early obstacle for aspiring Alaska growers, Rabung said, is financing although the state’s revolving loan fund has made its first loan for a kelp farm. 

He said another is “acceptability.” 

“The way our statutes are written aquatic farming is the lowest priority use of coastal waters,” he said. “When we review a farm permit, we’re looking at its compatibility with existing uses as one of the criteria, such as fisheries. We can’t put farms in places that are traditional seine hook offs or troll drags or dive fisheries or subsistence harvest areas.” 

Applicants also must be aware of navigational hazards and marine mammal haul outs when they are siting their farms. An online, interactive GIS map showing site areas and other data for Alaska’s entire coastline is being compiled and will help provide more information. It also can be shared with state agencies to help speed up the permitting process which has a two year backlog.

 “We’re kind of victims of own success because for years we’ve been building a foundation and network of people all working in the same direction. Now the industry is stepping up and submitting applications for new farms and it coincides with staff and budget reductions at DNR,” Decker said.

She added that the Dunleavy administration is “enthusiastic” about the mariculture industry’s potential.  

“We’re getting really good interest and support,” Decker said, “All the pieces are in place to move forward.” 

Farmer training sessions will be held next year in Ketchikan, Sitka and Kodiak and perhaps other communities, Decker said. - More...
Monday PM - August 26, 2019

Ketchikan: Ucore Hosts Senators Murkowski & Sullivan, Submits Proposition to US Department of Defense - Ucore Rare Metals Inc. recently hosted Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Dan Sullivan (R-AK) in separate visits to Ketchikan, Alaska, to discuss Ucore's promise as a secure domestic supply source for rare earth elements (REE) crucial to U.S. defense, manufacturing, and industrial base needs.

"We're delighted to be working with two influential federal Senators, both of whom recognize the importance of secure domestic supply chains for critical materials," said Ucore Advisory Board Member, Randy Johnson of Ketchikan.

Johnson said, "Senator Murkowski has established a long record of interest in critical materials legislation, most recently sponsoring the bipartisan American Mineral Security Act, along with Senator Sullivan, and is actively engaged in the development of a critical REE supply chain in Alaska. We're also thrilled that Senator Sullivan, a decorated member of the U.S. Marine Corps and an active member of the Armed Services Committee, expressed an interest in Ucore's activities, especially with the Defense Production Act Title III program opportunities." 

Ucore also announced that the Company has recently submitted a response to a request for information ("RFI") from the Defense Production Act ("DPA") Title III Office. The RFI response proposed the advancement of the Bokan-Dotson Ridge Rare Earth Project's (the "Bokan Project") mine and REE processing and separation plant in Southeast Alaska. The Bokan The DPA Title III program authorizes the Federal Government to procure and install equipment within plants, factories, and other industrial facilities which are owned by private entities. 

Ucore’s flagship property at Bokan Mountain is situated at the southern most part of the Alaskan panhandle, on the southern end of Prince of Wales Island. It is approximately 38 miles southwest of Ketchikan, Alaska and 87 miles northwest of Prince Rupert, British Columbia. The Bokan Mountain project covers 19 sq. miles. In January 2018, Ucore anounced the site selection program identified Ketchikan as the premier location for construction of Ucore's first U.S. Strategic Metals Complex.

Typical DPA Title III actions are designed to stimulate private investment in production resources, by reducing the risks associated with project capitalization. They are also to spur investments required to establish critically needed production capacity to meet the near-term needs of national defense requirements. - More...
Monday PM - August 26, 2019

More than 100 years of Arctic sea ice volume reconstructed with help from historic ships’ logbooks
By HANNAH HICKEY
The U.S. Revenue Cutter Thetis moored to sea ice near
King Island, Alaska, in 1903.
Courtesy of Coast Guard Museum Northwest

Alaska: More than 100 years of Arctic sea ice volume reconstructed with help from historic ships’ logbooks By HANNAH HICKEY - Our knowledge of dwindling sea ice coverage in the Arctic Ocean comes mostly through satellites, which have imaged sea ice from above since 1979. The University of Washington Pan-Arctic Ice Ocean and Modeling System (PIOMAS) is a leading tool for gauging the thickness of that ice. Until now the system has gone back only as far as 1979.

A new paper extends the estimate of Arctic sea ice volume back more than a century, to 1901. To do so, the scientists used both modern-day computer simulations and historic observations, some written by hand in the early 1900s aboard precursors to today's U.S. Coast Guard ships.

“This extends the record of sea ice thickness variability from 40 years to 110 years, which allows us to put more recent variability and ice loss in perspective,” said Axel Schweiger, a sea ice scientist at the UW’s Applied Physics Laboratory and first author of the study published in the August issue of the Journal of Climate.

“The volume of sea ice in the Arctic Ocean today and the current rate of loss are unprecedented in the 110-year record,” he added.

PIOMAS provides a daily reconstruction of what’s happening to the total volume of sea ice across the Arctic Ocean. It combines weather records and satellite images of ice coverage to compute ice volume. It then verifies its results against any existing thickness observations. For years after 1950, that might be fixed instruments, direct measurements or submarines that cruise below the ice. - More...
Monday PM - August 26, 2019

Alaska: Alaska Attorney General joins 51 Attorneys General and 12 companies in fight against illegal robocalls – Attorney General Kevin G. Clarkson announced last week that as a result of a bipartisan, public/private coalition of 51 attorneys general and 12 phone companies, the phone companies have agreed to adopt eight principles to fight illegal robocalls. This agreement will help protect phone users from illegal robocalls and make it easier for attorneys general to investigate and prosecute bad actors.

“Illegal robocalls harass Alaskans every day, and consumer fraud often originates with an illegal robocall," said Attorney General Clarkson. "It is important for phone companies to both assist law enforcement in identifying the origin of illegal robocalls, and to assist consumers by blocking as many robocalls as possible.”

The principles address the robocall problem in two main ways: prevention and enforcement.

Phone companies will work to prevent illegal robocalls by:- More...
Monday PM - August 26, 2019

Alaska: Governor Issues Disaster Declaration for McKinley, Deshka Landing, and Kenai Peninsula Wildfires; Releases individual and public assistance for lost homes, personal belongings and public infrastructure - Governor Michael J. Dunleavy issued a Disaster Declaration Friday for the Matanuska Susitna Borough and Kenai Peninsula Borough for impacts from the McKinley, Deshka Landing, and Swan Lake wildfires.

The wildfires have damaged or destroyed an estimated 83 structures, resulted in mandatory evacuation of approximately 400 residents, and caused intermittent travel delays along the Sterling and Parks Highways and for rail traffic along the Alaska Railroad. The scope of the damage is not yet fully realized due to active fire suppression efforts. However, substantial damage to private homes, public facilities, and communications and utility lines are anticipated.

The response to the wildfires has been hampered by conditions affecting the entire southcentral portion of the state, such as drought and record dry fuels, strong winds, and low humidity.

“In a short amount of time, these wildfires have already cost dozens of Alaskan families everything they own. Many homes, personal belongings, and businesses are completely gone, and the disruption brought to their lives is unimaginable,” said Governor Michael Dunleavy. “This declaration frees up financial assistance to help the victims of these devastating fires begin to rebuild their lives as quickly as possible.” - More...
Monday PM - August 26, 2019     

Wildfires could permanently alter Alaska's forest composition
Alaskan boreal forest
Photo By Scott Rupp, University of Alaska Fairbanks

Using a well-tested ecosystem model called ecosys, they predicted that by the year 2100 the relative dominance of evergreen conifer trees (black spruce) will decline by 25% and non-woody herbaceous plants such as moss and lichen will decline by 66%, while broadleaf deciduous trees (aspen) will become dominant, nearly doubling in prevalence. With such large declines, this shift in vegetation will highly likely have reverberations for the entire ecosystem and climate. 

"Expansion of the deciduous broadleaf forests in a warmer climate may result in several ecological and climatic feedbacks that affect the carbon cycle of northern ecosystems," said Zelalem Mekonnen, a Berkeley Lab postdoctoral fellow who was first author of the study.

The paper, "Expansion of High-Latitude Deciduous Forests Driven by Interactions Between Climate Warming and Fire," was published today in Nature Plants. The study was funded as part of DOE's Office of Science through the Next-Generation Ecosystem Experiment--Arcticproject and included co-authors from UC Irvine, the University of Alberta, and Woods Hole Research Center. NGEE-Arctic seeks to gain a predictive understanding of the Arctic terrestrial ecosystem's feedback to climate and is a collaboration among scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Berkeley Lab, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Brookhaven National Laboratory, and the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

"We predict the forest system will remain a net sink for carbon, meaning it will absorb more carbon than it emits," said co-author William J. Riley, a senior scientist in Berkeley Lab's Earth & Environmental Sciences Area. "But will it be more or less of a sink? Our next study will quantify the carbon and surface energy budgets. This study focused more on how vegetation types are expected to change." - More...
Monday PM - August 26, 2019

Alaska: Unsolved mystery: the case of the weathervane scallop By PAULA DOBBYN - Mariculture in Alaska centers mainly around oysters. Kelp, blue mussels and geoduck clams are also farmed, but in much smaller quantities. Many Alaskans, including members of the governor’s mariculture taskforce, want to boost this fledgling industry to diversify the state’s oil-dependent economy, and researchers are trying to help develop alternative species for ocean farmers.

One of the species being examined is the weathervane scallop, also known as the giant Pacific scallop or Patinopecten caurinus.

Prized by five-star chefs and seafood connoisseurs, weathervanes are a bit of a mystery animal. Major gaps exist in our understanding of the tasty mollusks, which are native to Alaska. In scientific literature, weathervanes are described as one of the most “data-poor” fisheries in Alaska, despite more than four decades of commercial harvesting.

“We as a scientific community know very little about weathervane scallops” said Diana Perry, who recently completed her one-year Alaska Sea Grant State Fellowship, working at NOAA Fisheries in Juneau.

Kevin McNeel, a fishery biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, said scientists have basic unanswered questions including how to properly determine the age of a weathervane, how fast they grow, and how abundant they are in Alaska waters.

“We also have a lot of questions about when the scallops spawn. Do they spawn multiple times a year?”

Answers to such questions would help better inform ecosystem management of weathervanes, which fall under both federal and state oversight. - More...
Monday PM - August 26, 2019

Alaska: Mummy squirrel tells of a different Alaska By NED ROZELL - One fall day in Interior Alaska, a lion stalked a ground squirrel that stood at attention on a hillside. The squirrel noticed bending blades of grass, squeaked an alarm call, and then dived into its hole. It curled up in a grassy nest. A few hours later, for reasons unknown, its heart stopped.

Twenty-thousand years later, Ben Gaglioti teased apart the mummified ground squirrel’s cache in an attempt to better reconstruct what Alaska was like during the days of the mammoth, bison, wild horse and camel.

Gaglioti was then a University of Alaska Fairbanks graduate student, using tools ranging from tweezers to an isotope-analyzing device in his attempt to sift Alaska’s distant past from the midden of a ground squirrel that perished during the last ice age. At that time, from about 14,000 to 45,000 years ago, North America looked much different than it does today.

For one thing, blue ice one mile thick was pressing down on Toronto and Chicago. Massive sheets covered much of the continent, but northern Alaska was a grassland, part of what UAF scientist Dale Guthrie named the “Mammoth Steppe.”

The Mammoth Steppe blanketed the top of the globe from about France to Whitehorse. It was cold and dry, and featured grasses and sedges. So rich were the feeding grounds that the ancestors of today’s animals were jumbo versions.

“Sheep, bison, caribou and other ruminants on the Mammoth Steppe were giants,” Guthrie wrote in “Frozen Fauna of the Mammoth Steppe.”

Not many ground squirrels live in Interior Alaska today, probably because the current landscape of tundra and boreal forest plants doesn’t provide them enough nutrition. But the squirrels were here during the ice age. A few of them died within their dens, and, through a rare process of being buried and then frozen, became mummified. - More...
Monday PM - August 26, 2019

Political Cartoon: Johnson and Johnson
By Bruce Plante ©2019, Tulsa World
Distributed to paid subscribers for publication by Cagle Cartoons, Inc.