Rachel Waldholz, Alaska's Energy Desk - Anchorage
Rachel Waldholz covers energy and the environment for Alaska's Energy Desk, a collaboration between Alaska Public Media, KTOO in Juneau and KUCB in Unalaska. Before coming to Anchorage, she spent two years reporting for Raven Radio in Sitka. Rachel studied documentary production at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, and her short film, A Confused War won several awards. Her work has appeared on Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and Marketplace, among other outlets.
rwaldholz (at) alaskapublic (dot) org | 907.550.8432 | About Rachel
Silver Bay Seafoods to pay $75k environmental fine
Sitka-based fish processor Silver Bay Seafoods has agreed to pay a $75,000 penalty for environmental violations at its plant in Valdez.
Fishermen In the Dark About King Limits
There are less than two weeks to go before the traditional start of the summer king salmon trolling season, on July 1st -- but fishermen in Southeast don’t know yet how many kings they’ll be allowed to catch. Representatives on the Pacific Salmon Commission are deadlocked -- they can’t agree how many king salmon are out there. And that has put this year’s king salmon season in jeopardy.
Sitka man found dead in Thomsen Harbor
A 52-year-old Sitka man was found dead in Thomsen Harbor Monday morning. The Anchorage Medical Examiner today identified him as Sitka resident Kevin Climer.
North Pacific Council cuts bycatch caps; critics say it’s not enough
The North Pacific Fishery Management Council voted Sunday evening to lower caps on halibut bycatch in the Bering Sea — by 21 percent overall. But Bering Sea halibut fishermen say the cut isn’t big enough to save their communities.
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Emotions Run High In Sitka Over Halibut Bycatch Debate
As the North Pacific Fishery Management Council meets in Sitka this week, the most contentious issue on the agenda is a proposal to reduce halibut bycatch in the Bering Sea. Commercial halibut fishermen up and down the coast are pushing the council to reduce bycatch limits, while trawlers and others in the Bering Sea say they’ve already reduced bycatch voluntarily -- and lower limits would be ruinous. Emotions are running high on all sides of the issue.
Panel Advises Curbing Halibut Bycatch in the Bering Sea
The advisory panel to the North Pacific Fishery Management Council has come out in favor of reducing halibut bycatch in the Bering Sea.
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North Pacific Council meets in Sitka
Fishermen, scientists, and seafood industry representatives from around Alaska — and the country — are in Sitka this week for the meeting of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council. That’s the body that regulates all federal fisheries off Alaska, including pollock, cod and flatfish.
North Pacific Council to Vote on Halibut Bycatch Limits
Of the 30 million pounds of halibut caught last year by commercial fishermen statewide, nearly a third was thrown back into the ocean, dead. It were netted accidentally by boats targeting other fish.
Now, that may change.
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Sitka Gets Creative To Pay For Its Dam
After a month of discussion, the Sitka Assembly on Monday night settled on a modest electric rate increase. Residential rates will go up by about 6 percent in the coming year, to pay for debt service on the Blue Lake dam.
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Federal Government Proposes Taking Humpback Whales Off Endangered Species List
The federal government is proposing to remove most humpback whales from the endangered species list. Forty-five years after the whales were first listed, federal scientists say that most humpback populations - including those common in Alaska - are stable and growing.
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AK: An Artist On A Quest To Bring Otter To The Runway
This spring, Sitka artist Peter Williams took a trip to New York City, to show his work during fashion week. A designer and marine mammal hunter, Williams makes everything from hats to earrings from sea otter and sealskin. He's been trying to break into the lucrative fashion world for years, and he's got a larger goal in mind – bringing Alaska Native designs to luxury buyers worldwide. Williams says that one way to save a traditional art form, is to create a market for it.
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Co-op Herring Fishery Means Fewer Boats, Quiet Year In Sitka
Most years, the sac roe herring fishery in Sitka means boats filling the harbor, crew members filling the bars, seiners jostling for position within sight of town, and spotter planes in close formation overhead. But this year fishermen voted to abandon the competitive fishery in favor of a co-op. That meant a much smaller footprint, with fewer boats, crewmen, tenders, and spotter pilots. The reason? Low prices for roe, for starters. And a strong US dollar that makes all American exports more expensive.
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First Two VPSOs Graduate From Firearm Training
Two Village Public Safety Officers graduated from firearm training today (Friday, 4-3-15), becoming the first officers in the 40-year history of the program to be armed.
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Sac Roe Herring Fishery Quieter This Year
The Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery is a quieter affair this year, as the fleet conducts its first fully cooperative fishery since the mid-90s.
Roe Herring Fishery Gets Two-Hour Notice
The Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery will be on two-hour notice starting 10 a.m. Wednesday, the Alaska Department of Fish & Game announced this Tuesday afternoon. A test sample taken from a body of herring west of Black Rock showed about 7% mature roe, which is low for the commercial fishery. But the Department said that percentage could rise rapidly over the next few days as less mature herring separate out from those ready to spawn.
Alaska Budget Cuts Threaten Local Jails
Police departments across the state have been taken aback by a state Department of Corrections proposal to end funding for local jails. Sitka is one of several local departments who say the cuts are so deep, it could force their jail to close.
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Eyak Salvaged, Back In Sitka
The Eyak is back in Sitka. Ten days after the 80-foot tender and mail boat ran aground and sank just north of the Goddard hot springs, it’s back afloat — after a virtual alphabet soup of state and federal agencies and local companies worked together to salvage it.
Tongass Advisory Council Meeting In Juneau
The Tongass Advisory Committee is meeting for the fifth time in Juneau this week. The committee is tasked with hammering out how the Forest Service should handle the Obama Administration’s transition away from old-growth logging and to a new focus on younger trees. But, for some people the most important questions are the ones the committee isn’t supposed to address.
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Four Rescued As F/V Eyak Sinks Near Sitka
Four people were rescued from the F/V Eyak early Monday morning after the boat went aground near Calligan Island, just north of the Goddard hot springs.
Humpback History: Soviet Whaling
Like nearly all the great whales, humpbacks were heavily hunted. And one question researchers have grappled with is how many animals there were before the whaling fleets took their toll. To solve this mystery, it turns out, you have to take a trip back in time, and into the secret history of Soviet whaling.
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