Blog.HaulingGear.com Archive (8-2008 to 3-2014)

from TerreStar readies for launch of next-gen satellite | TerreStar-1 - Urgent Communications article Jun 30, 2009 2:36 PM, By Donny Jackson Exactly how the roaming between terrestrial and satellite networks will be done is still being determined, Matheson said. From a technological perspective, the handoff between networks could be done automatically, allowing users to seamlessly continue their communication sessions while moving between networks, Matheson said. However, TerreStar is conducting marketing studies to determine whether customers would prefer some sort of warning — or even a dropped call — that they are moving from a terrestrial network to the typically more expensive satellite network, he said. Initially, TerreStar is targeting the commercial markets. The first dual-mode handset will operate terrestrially on 3G HSPA networks — as well as EDGE and GSM networks — and the TerreStar satellite network, Matheson said. In the future, handsets are expected to include LTE cap

Posted: June 29, 2009 - 2:07 pm A group of Yukon River fishermen, upset with the state's controversial move to slash king salmon fishing on the Yukon River, ignored the closure Friday and went fishing anyway, the Tundra Drums reports.... http://community.adn.com/adn/node/142094

The Associated Press Published Sunday, June 28, 2009 KETCHIKAN, Alaska - While the fate of the commercial salmon fishery in Southeast Alaska remains undecided this season, there are some promising signs. The state is forecasting a catch of approximately 41 million pink salmon - substantially larger than last year's all-species commercial harvest of 28.03 million salmon. That was the fewest fish since 1987. Other factors in fishermen's finances appear positive going into the 2009 season. For example, fuel prices are......... http://newsminer.com/news/2009/jun/28/outlook-improves-commercial-salmon-fishery-southea/

Come aboard two long line fishing boats in the Gulf of Alaska as they battle the elements in an attempt to pull valuable halibut and black cod off the bottom of the ocean, using........... http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/episode/the-long-haul-3434/Overview- Video -- http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/episode/the-long-haul-3434/Overview-#tab-Videos/06611_00

PETERSBURG, AK (2009-06-26) A group of chefs from the Lower 48 stopped by Petersburg and Juneau early this week to learn more about Alaska’s fishing industry. Audio >> http://krbd.org/modules/local_news/index.php?op=sideBlock&syndicated=true&ID=705

Last week, the city launched a public internet program and soon, free wireless will be available in downtown Sitka -- from Pioneer Square to Crescent Harbor. Audio >> http://kcaw.org/modules/local_news/index.php?op=sideBlock&ID=481

Story last updated at 6/26/2009 - 9:42 am Halibut charters unlikely to win, D.C. judge says Lawsuit goes on, but this year's Southeast charter clients get one fish a day By Kate Golden | JUNEAU EMPIRE A Washington, D.C., judge who denied Southeast charter operators' request for an emergency relief from a one-fish daily bag limit said they were unlikely to succeed in their lawsuit to revoke it permanently, based on the evidence she had. U.S. District Judge Rosemary Collyer is the same judge who sided with charters last year and granted such a preliminary injunction on the one-fish rule. Collyer denied the charters a preliminary injunction on June 4, and on Thursday filed the full 17-page opinion explaining......... http://juneauempire.com/stories/062609/loc_455094728.shtml

Article published on Wednesday, June 24th, 2009 By BRADLEY ZINT Mirror Writer During the Kodiak City Council work session Tuesday night, the council expressed a desire to write its own letter asking for a socio-economic impact study on the North Pacific Fishery Management Council Limited License Permit Cod Recency program. The program would eliminate hundreds of fishing permits from the fishery, cutting local fishing jobs. The move could be part of a dual response, on behalf of the Kodiak area, after Kodiak Island Borough Assemblywoman Sue Jeffrey suggested in late May writing a request to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke for a socio-economic study. “I think it would be a good thing for us to get on board with this and basically say, ‘Look, Mr. Secretary, we really think this is a really blunt instrument,’” said Councilman Terry Haines. “What they did when they reduced all these licenses is they......... http://www.kodiakdailymirror.com/?pid=19&id=7712

Inter-island ferry service in Northern Southeast is a go, but operator still in question SITKA, ALASKA (2009-06-24) audio >> http://krbd.org/modules/local_news/index.php?op=sideBlock&syndicated=true&ID=704

June 24th, 2009 TerreStar-1 will be the world’s largest civilian telecommunications satellite ever launched, and it is riding as a solo payload on a dedicated Ariane 5 ECA.... http://spacefellowship.com/News/?p=9138

Image via Wikipedia 06.23.2009 AT&T Mobility should achieve true nationwide coverage by the end of this year after it introduces a planned service that utilizes both satellite and cellular service. The carrier will resell satellite service and phones from TerreStar Networks, a startup that is set to have its first satellite launched on July 1. TerreStar is developing hybrid satellite/cellular handsets designed to be about the same size as a conventional smartphone. TerreStar's satellite will sit 22,000 miles above North America and provide service across the U.S. and Canada, including Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Using licensed 2GHz radio spectrum, it will provide voice service as well as data at approximately 64K bits per second, said TerreStar Chief Technology Officer Dennis Matheson. AT&T will resell that... http://www.thestandard.com/news/2009/06/23/satellite-launch-will-lead-wider-t-coverage

Details >> http://www.alaskatravelgram.com/2009/06/18/aleutian-ballad-in-ketchikan/

Published Tuesday, June 23, 2009 FAIRBANKS — After almost two years, Fairbanks once again has a USDA-certified slaughterhouse. Tanana Valley Meats received its certification from the United States Department of Agriculture last week and will begin commercially killing and cutting up beef cattle and pigs today, according to Scott Miller, president of Agricultural Investors LLC, an investment group that took over the stuggling plant about a year ago. “We got our official final inspection last Thursday, and our first official kill will be Tuesday morning,” Miller said on Monday. “I’m bringing in a load of Delta barley finished, all-natural beef. These are .. http://newsminer.com/news/2009/jun/23/tanana-valley-meats-gets-usda-certification-and-be/ Photo by John Wagner

Published: June 22nd, 2009 08:15 PM Last Modified: June 22nd, 2009 08:16 PM The Department of Fish and Game on Monday issued an emergency order closing the popular Bird Creek fishery until July 14 to protect a small wild run of king salmon. The order, which goes into effect at midnight tonight and expires at............ http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/839950.html

Image via Wikipedia Posted by thevillage Posted: June 22, 2009 - 3:27 pm A couple days ago I noted that there have been a flurry of e-mails lately from leaders in Western Alaska talking about what to do about this year’s strict limits on king salmon fishing on the Yukon River . Well, they’re still coming, and people are talking about some major moves -- including calling for a freeze on the massive Bering Sea Pollock fishery that Yukon River fishermen blame for dwindling king runs. Although a new cap on the number of king salmon wasted by the pollock fleet could take effect in a couple years, local fishermen who aren't allowed to fish are saying the big money industry needs to do its part right now. All this after last winter’s high energy prices and the flooding this spring, not to mention a..... http://community.adn.com/adn/node/141953

Image via Wikipedia Mon Jun 22, 2009 12:24pm EDT Army Corps of Engineers acted within law, court rules By James Vicini WASHINGTON, June 22 (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Monday for Coeur d'Alene Mines Corp (CDE.N) by upholding a government permit that will allow the company's Alaska gold mine to deposit rock waste into a lake on federal land. In a closely watched environmental case, the justices overturned a U.S. appeals court ruling that had invalidated the permit for Coeur's underground Kensington Gold Mine northwest of Juneau. In 2005, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers granted the company's Alaska unit a permit to put 4.5 million tons of rock waste, or mine tailings, into the lake over a decade. The Corps of Engineers, not the federal Environmental Protection Agency, has the authority to permit the ................. http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssIndustryMaterialsUtilitiesNews/idUSN2250355620090622 Murkowski statement today. MURKOWSKI APPLAUDS KENSING

by Ross Miller, posted Jun 21st 2009 at 8:31PM Sure, we give you the............ http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/21/stealths-wpc-500f-waterproof-sff-pc-makes-a-splash/

About This Video Title: 'Fish Don't Vote' Published: Fri, 19 Jun 2009 Description: Comedian Paul Rodriguez has a message for President Obama http://www.foxnews.com/search-results/m/23132713/fish-don-t-vote.htm  

Image via Wikipedia Laine welch Fisheries Published: June 20th, 2009 11:05 PM Last Modified: June 20th, 2009 11:05 PM KODIAK -- The United States is about to spend $50 million in stimulus money on fish food to help fish farmers hit by a 50 percent increase in feed prices last year. According to The Associated Press, the money could 'provide algae to nourish clam and oyster larvae along the Pacific coast, fill the bellies of tilapia in Arizona and feed catfish, trout and game fish in the Midwest and South............. http://www.adn.com/money/story/838187.html

June 21st, 2009 For 10 years, Columbia professor Sheena Iyengar has been studying choice. For her research paper, “ When Choice is Demotivating ”, they ran a great test: They set up a free tasting booth in a grocery store, with six different jams. 40% of the customers stopped to taste. 30% of those bought some. A week later, they set up the same booth in the same store, but this time with twenty-four different jams. 60% of the customers stopped to taste. But only 3% bought some! Both groups actually tasted an............... http://sivers.org/jam

Image via Wikipedia By CRAIG MEDRED cmedred@adn.com Published: June 20th, 2009 05:06 PM Last Modified: June 20th, 2009 05:07 PM A second straight year of weak king salmon returns around the rim of the Gulf of Alaska has state fisheries biologists wondering if they might be staring into the face of a bleak future. Troubling discussions of PDO -- an acronym for something called the Pacific Decadal Oscillation -- have been spreading coast-wide as kings come back weak in river after river. Historically, there are indications that geographically widespread weaknesses like these are tied to a shift, or oscillation, in Pacific Ocean currents that causes cooler waters to pool in the Gulf of Alaska. A cool phase in the Gulf from 1947 to 1976 corresponds neatly with the last big crash in king numbers in Cook Inlet. Most fisheries biologists agree that overfishing with commercial nets contributed to a nearly three-decade-long depression in king numbers there. But there is...... http://www.ad

At a House Natural Resources Committee Hearing Congressman Don Young explains why H.R. 21, the Ocean Conservation, Education and National Strategy for the 21st Century Act, will have a devastating effect on the U.S. Fishing Industry. The bill would create new layers of bureaucracy to prevent any form of ocean going industry and cost U.S. taxpayers billions of dollars. June 18, 2009

Web posted Friday, June 12, 2009 By Rob Stapleton Alaska Journal of Commerce A $68 million ferry commissioned by the Matanuska-Susitna Borough is nearing completion in Ketchikan under the watchful eyes of the U.S. Navy. "We have 90 percent of the steel fabrication completed and 50 percent of the aluminum center section done," said Lew Madden, the owners representative for the ferry M/V Susitna. "Currently testing of the systems, electrical and plumbing are being completed in Ketchikan. Crews at Alaska Ship and Dry Dock in Ketchikan work on the ferry M/V Susitna. The $68 million craft is scheduled for christening in January 2010, going into service the next year. The U.S. Navy will test the vessel, then turn it over to the Matanuska Susitna Borough. Anchorage and Mat-Su officials must still determine where the vessel will dock on the Anchorage side, however. Photo courtesy of Alaska Ship and Dry Dock full >> http://www.alaskajournal.com/stories/06

Image by emms76 via Flickr Thursday, June 18, 2009 15:09 PDT A week ago, StatOilHydro, Norway's majority state-owned energy company, debuted the world's first floating offshore wind turbine. The advantage of a floating turbine -- as opposed to one firmly anchored in the seabed -- is that it can be located in much deeper waters than standard offshore windmills. Further offshore, the winds tend to not only be stronger but the machinery is also conveniently invisible to NIMBY beachfront property owners. If the deployment proves to be a cost-efficient generator of electricity, the high seas may one day be home to huge offshore wind farms, out-of-sight and out-of-mind to power consumers across the world. My first reaction when I read about StatOilHydro's accomplishment was to reflect on how, once again, sci-fi progress was marching on. I'm old enough to remember when the wind turbines dotting California's Altamont Pass were a strange and exotic sight, instead of a cli

The Cape and Islands NPR Station - Sean Corcoran's Cape Wind Blog : clip......... We'll get to all that. But first I want to mention a White House memorandum released last Friday to the heads of federal departments and agencies because it appears the Obama Administration wants to zone the oceans. The memo indicates that Obama is creating a task force that within 180 days will recommend 'a framework for effective coastal and marine spatial planning.' What's called The Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force will make recommendations to the president on protecting ocean and Great Lake resources as they experience 'growing demands' from 'renewable energy, shipping and aquaculture.' 'This framework,' the memo reads, 'should be a comprehensive, integrated, ecosystem-based approach that addresses conservation, economic activity, user conflict, and sustainable use of ocean, coastal, and Great Lake resources consistent with international law...'

Image via Wikipedia The Food and Drug Administration is going after exaggerated labeling in the food industry, targeting America's most popular cereal with an enforcement action over its health claims that the government says 'cause it to be a drug.' By William La Jeunesse FOXNews.com Friday, June 19, 2009 President Obama isn't just rewriting rules regulating the environment and the financial markets -- he is also going after the food industry. Target and example No. 1: Cheerios. "Based on claims made on your product's label," the FDA said in a letter to manufacturer General Mills , "we have determined (Cheerios) is promoted for conditions that cause it to be a drug because the product is intended for Image via Wikipedia use in the prevention, mitigation and treatment of disease." If the government's enforcement action against Cheerios were to hold up, the cereal would....... http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/06/1

Image via Wikipedia The Associated Press Published: June 18th, 2009 01:20 PM Last Modified: June 18th, 2009 01:20 PM A partial federal assessment of Pacific walrus estimates their minimum population at just 15,164 but says the count likely missed a number of animals. The estimate released today in response to a court deadline only represents...... http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/wildlife/story/835872.html

Image via Wikipedia June 17, 2009...10:01 am By Patrice Kohl Redoubt Reporter Anglers taking halibut and king salmon charter trips out of Deep Creek this spring got extra bang out of their buck as fishing trips turned into inadvertent whale watching trips. The word on the saltwater among sportfishermen off the lower peninsula has been whales, whales and more whales this spring. Charter boat fishermen who have fished in the area 20-plus years say they have never seen anything like it. Fishermen have been spotting whales in shallow and deep water in an area roughly as far south as Anchor Point and as far north as Deep Creek, and particularly in shallow waters near Happy Valley and Twin Falls. It’s not uncommon to see a few whales passing through the area in late May and the first few days of June. But this spring, area fishermen regularly spotted whales, some of which stuck around for....... http://redoubtreporter.wordpress.com/2009/06/17/whale-of-a-phenomenon-%E2%80%94-fishermen-rep

ALEUTIANS EAST: Support is key to allowing federal sale in the area. By WESLEY LOY Petroleum News | wloy@adn.com Published: June 17th, 2009 08:52 PM Last Modified: June 17th, 2009 10:43 PM The U.S. Minerals Management Service for years has counted on a remote local government, the Aleutians East Borough, as a key supporter of the offshore oil and gas lease sale proposed for the North Aleutian basin in 2011. Lately, however, the borough's relationship with MMS has become strained, raising the possibility that a friend might turn against the controversial lease sale. The evidence is a flurry of letters the borough sent to MMS officials in March questioning the agency's approach on preparations for the sale, including the drafting of an environmental impact statement. The letters complain of poor scheduling, inadequate baseline research to document the sale area's commercially important fish and crab resources, lack of information on the different sale alternative

June 17, 2009 — 1:01pm ET | By Sue Marek TerreStar Networks, which is planning an all-IP integrated satellite terrestrial network in North America, will launch the TerreStar-1 satellite July 1. The satellite has arrived in French Guiana and is being prepared for launch aboard Arianespace's Ariane 5 heavy lift launch vehicle. Arianespace has established a two hour launch window that will open at 16:14 GMT on July 1, 2009. An updated countdown clock is available at www.terrestar.com . Full >> http://www.fiercebroadbandwireless.com/story/terrestar-will-launch-satellite-july-1/2009-06-17

By ANDY PASZTOR Image via Wikipedia JUNE 16, 2009, 11:25 P.M. ET Technical problems are degrading the accuracy of signals from the latest GPS satellite launched by the Pentagon, sparking concerns among U.S. military and aerospace industry officials that the next generation of the widely used satellites could face similar troubles. The Air Force's Southern California space acquisition center on Tuesday announced that a Global Positioning System satellite, manufactured by Lockheed Martin Corp. and launched in March, is experiencing performance problems in orbit. It has not become part of ... http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124520702464422059.html

June 16th, 2009 Amazon preps private label goods: Furniture, tools and linens oh my Posted by Larry Dignan @ 6:38 am Amazon is diving head first into the private label business with brands for home furnishings, tools, kitchenware and linens. The strategy, which rhymes with private label moves by brick-and-mortar retailers, is likely to boost profit margins. In a research note, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster writes: Amazon’s recent entry (as blogged by Scot Wingo from ChannelAdvisor) into the private label...... http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=19787

June 15, 2009 Monday PM Image via Wikipedia Ketchikan, Alaska - Students from the marine biology classes and the maritime class at Ketchikan High School participated in a science cruise on the F/V Jack Cotant on May 7, 2009. High school teachers Julie Landwehr and Rick Collins worked with UAS staff Barbara Morgan, UAF Marine Advisory Program Agent Gary Freitag and UAS Fisheries Technology student Jessica Davila to give these students hands-on experience in oceanographic data collection. Thank you to Wayne Kinunen, who also participated, for pioneering the way with many past oceanographic field trips on the F/V Jack Cotan......... http://www.sitnews.us/0609/061509/061509_science_cruise.html UAS Ketchikan and UAF Marine Advisory Program staff assist Ketchikan High School students with water quality testing on F/V Jack Cotant Science Cruise May 7, 2009 Photograph courtesy U

VERY BUSY: Anglers are crammed on bank, but runs can die out quickly. By MIKE CAMPBELL mcampbell@adn.com Published: June 15th, 2009 07:02 PM Last Modified: June 15th, 2009 10:06 PM A bum rush of red salmon to the Russian River has anglers lining up shoulder to shoulder and fisheries biologists breathing a sigh of relief. In the four days since the Russian opened, some 17,000 fish have negotiated its falls and passed the weir near Lower Russian Lake. That's already more than the Alaska Department of Fish and Game's minimum escapement goal -- and a counterpoint to the depressing king salmon runs across much of Southcentral. Never in the past decade has the Russian revved up so quickly. Early Monday morning, state biologists opened the...... http://www.adn.com/outdoors/fishing/story/832141.html

Article published on Friday, June 12th, 2009 By DEREK CLARKSTON Mirror Writer Despite an 800 sockeye salmon count through the weir at the Buskin River on Wednesday, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game has decided to shut down the river. Sport and subsistence fishing for red salmon closes Monday to the end of the year. The Karluk river also will close for king salmon on the same day. “Things don’t look good and we are not projecting that we are going to be close to the lower end of the escapement total,” Kodiak Area Management Biologist Donn Tracy said. “A closure at this time is warranted … if things change, which I will. http://www.kodiakdailymirror.com/?pid=19&id=7676

By RICHARD MAUER rmauer@adn.com Image via Wikipedia Published: June 14th, 2009 09:44 PM Last Modified: June 14th, 2009 09:45 PM The Arctic coast village of Point Lay , long denied a subsistence whaling quota and once all but abandoned, is poised to hold its first Nalukataq blanket toss feast in 72 years to celebrate the landing of a spring bowhead. Julius Rexford, the whaling captain whose crew brought home the bowhead on May 5, said he is dedicating the festival to Dorcas Neakok, a revered elder who died last year at 86. Her oral histories, teaching and grit played a large role in the revival of Point Lay and its resumption of whaling. The day-long Nalukataq is.................. http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/wildlife/marine/story/831081.html more Photo by Chad Bernick / Although the bowhead was harvested by Point Lay whalers May 5, 2009, the celebration will continue June 26 with the first Nalukataq blanket toss feast in 72 years. The village of around 25

By Larry Painter" Image by daveparker01 via Flickr June 12, 2009 Friday When I first came to S. E. Alaska in the late 60's we pot fished Dungeness Crab and Spot Prawns all year 'round. There was no closed season for either like there was for Salmon that I seined only in the summer and fall with openings regulated by Fish and Game. As I gained experience I noticed that Dungeness Crab started showing soft shells around late February. Through the summer they all go through a soft shell stage. Around September to October they are hard shelled and full of meat. At this time they are in prime condition! That's the time to start fishing! I went before the Board of Fish in the early 80's and asked for a regulated Dungeness Crab fishery with an open season from Oct. 1 - Feb. 28th and a closed season from March 1 - Sept. 30. Petersburg fishermen at that meeting jump

Article published on Friday, June 12th, 2009 By BRADLEY ZINT Mirror Writer The debate about a proposed letter to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke about cod fishery concerns continued at Thursday night’s Kodiak Island Borough Assembly work session. The draft letter, written by Assemblywoman Sue Jeffrey, expresses concern that the North Pacific Fishery Management Council’s Limited License Permit Cod Recency program would eliminate 790 permits from the fishery, thus cutting local fishing jobs. “Our concern is this,” the letter states, “the proposed permit reduction program substantially reduces access to.. http://www.kodiakdailymirror.com/?pid=19&id=7677

Cover of Deadliest Catch: Desperate Hours By Michael Armstrong | Homer News Thursday, June 11, 2009 Story last updated at 6/11/2009 - 10:02 am HOMER - Yo ho ho, banditas: If you've been longing for a genuine Time Bandit logo hoody, no longer do you have to wrassle someone from the crew at the Salty Dawg -- or go to the Time Bandit online store. This summer, the F/V Time Bandit, Homer's own crab fishing boat featured on the popular Discovery Channel show 'The Deadliest Catch,' sells its wares at a shop on the Homer Spit. Looking for a Time Bandit sticker with the skull-and-crossbones logo? How about a coffee mug with the logo or a drawing of the Time Bandit? A Time Bandit pirate flag? A Time Bandit floating keychain? Time Bandit Productions sells pretty much... As they're in town, the Hillstrands and other Time Bandit crew plan special appearances. E-mail Lovelace at timebanditstore@gmail.com to get on a mailing list........ http://juneauempire.com/stories/061109/s

YouTube - Rep. Young Defends Fishermen's Interests : "Congressman Young defends fisherman, and successfully amends the Southern Sea Otter Recovery and Research Act, by including a termination date for the program should the southern sea otter become a recovered species under the Endangered Species Act. Also in this video, Chairman Rahall and other Members of the Committee wish Congressman Young a happy belated birthday.

Article published on Wednesday, June 10th, 2009 Cover of Deadliest Catch: Desperate Hours By BRADLEY ZINT Mirror Writer Their eight minutes of fame came and went — for this week, at least. Tuesday night’s “ Deadliest Catch ,” the Discovery Channel reality-TV series featuring the dangerous life of crab fishermen in the Bering Sea , introduced the all-Kodiak crew of the F/V Incentive. All of the crew — Capt. Harry Lewis and crewmembers Larry Ryser, Doug Dawson, Jimmy Johnson, Larry Gunderson, Dominic Costello and Nuni Canete — have strong Kodiak ties, making the vessel the first 100-percent Kodiak crew yet on the series. Ryser and Dawson were in Kodiak last night to quietly watch their big national-television premiere. There was no red carpet — just a few phone calls and text messages from family and friends excited to watch them. And lots of jokes about which footage was used and what “really happened.” Their real party and premiere, however, was earlier in the spring when the studio i

June 10, 2009 Wednesday Craig, Alaska - On June 4, 2009, Sitka Superior Court Judge David V. George, sitting in Craig, sentenced F/V Westward, LLC for violating a state criminal law that makes polluting state waters illegal. The charge arose out of the February 17, 2008 grounding of the F/V Westward . Judge George ordered the company to pay a $25,000 fine and serve a year of probation on the condition that it not violate any more laws, including any environmental laws and regulations. Judge George suspended $21,500 of the fine. Jacob Barnett, the skipper of the Westward , was also sentenced on a charge of............. http://www.sitnews.us/0609/061009/061009_westward.html Westward Grounding.

Anchorage Daily News / adn.com Published: June 10th, 2009 09:34 PM Last Modified: June 10th, 2009 09:35 PM GLENNALLEN -- A lagging Copper River king salmon run has prompted the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to cut the annual sport fish limit on that river in half -- to two fish at least 20 inches long. The department wants at least 24,000 kings to...... http://www.adn.com/outdoors/fishing/story/826781.html

INVESTIGATION: Filings with APOC indicate Gillam was the go-to man for mine opponents. By ELIZABETH BLUEMINK ebluemink@adn.com Published: June 10th, 2009 10:15 PM Last Modified: June 10th, 2009 10:54 PM For years, a wealthy Alaska businessman who funded opposition to the proposed Pebble mine has shunned the spotlight. But the status quo for Bob Gillam, an Anchorage financial manager, has drastically changed now that he is in hot water with state regulators. E-mails, bank transactions and sworn testimony newly released as part of an Alaska Public Offices Commission investigation provide details about Gillam's involvement and the extent of his check-writing. The commission is investigating whether he illegally gave $2 million to back last summer's expensive ballot measure campaign seeking stricter pollution rules for hard-rock mines. The commission also is scrutinizing a few anti-Pebble groups and individuals who worked with Gillam on the ballot measure. The document

For the second consecutive year the red salmon counts are low at the beginning of the season Article published on Tuesday, June 9th, 2009 By DEREK CLARKSTON Mirror Writer Monday afternoon marked the first time in 56 years since Nick Derenoff fished in Kodiak waters. Born in Afognak, Derenoff grew up fishing in the lakes and rivers of Afognak Island . The last time he fished in this area was in 1953 as a commercial fisherman on a seiner. Fishing was good back then, and very seldom would Derenoff have a day like he had Monday. “All we have caught is water,” he said, while casting into the Buskin River. Alongside Derenoff was his friend, Karen Fahrmeier, a Missouri native now living in Anchorage. She had never been to Kodiak, but had always heard about the fishing. The two boarded a ferry and arrived..... http://www.kodiakdailymirror.com/?pid=19&id=7668

Story last updated at 6/9/2009 - 10:07 am By Margaret Bauman | Alaska Journal Commerce A controversial management plan that allocates the bulk of the multi-million dollar crab fishery to vessel owners, skippers, processors and coastal communities - but none for the crew - is heading for further scrutiny that could prove as stormy as the Bering Sea. North Pacific Fishery Management Council staff members in a June meeting in Anchorage were scheduled to present a document considering the prospect of eliminating processor shares, and the likely ripple effect of that move through the fishing industry economy. The initial crab rationalization program, which went into effect in August 2005, allocated rights to catch and process crab to vessel owners, skippers, coastal communities and.......... http://juneauempire.com/stories/060909/sta_449132209.shtml

The Associated Press Published Monday, June 8, 2009 ANCHORAGE, Alaska - The public comment period on sea otters has been extended for 30 days. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says.... http://newsminer.com/news/2009/jun/08/public-comment-period-extended-alaska-sea-otters/

Associated Press - June 7, 2009 3:04 PM ET ................ The Coast Guard relayed a call early Sunday morning to Ketchikan Police Department reporting the fishing vessel Lone Fisherman - a 58-foot troller home-ported in Petersburg - was maneuvering recklessly and bumping into other vessels................ The master of the vessel was arrested by Ketchikan police and .......... http://www.ktuu.com/Global/story.asp?S=10491832

By SCOTT BOWLEN Ketchikan Daily News Jun 7, 3:01 AM EDT KETCHIKAN, Alaska (AP) -- You see them often on the docks of Ketchikan, toting backpacks, metal clipboards and a measuring device or two. They're technicians with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game Sport Fish Division's creel survey and catch sampling programs. What they're after is data. They don't meet every sport fishing boat returning from a trip. But when technicians do greet a returning vessel, they will politely introduce themselves and ask to see the fish. "Fortunately, the majority of people are very, very cooperative - and for that, we are very appreciative," said Kathleen Wendt. Wendt is a biologist and the assistant project leader for.............. http://www.kodiakdailymirror.com/?pid=18&path=A/AK_FISH_DATA

Dean Takahashi, VentureBeat 05.21.200 IBM is announcing today that it’s stepping up its investment in Vietnam as part of a bid to improve the country’s innovation and grab a foothold in an emerging territory for technology consumption...... Vietnam’s information technology sector is growing over 20 percent per year, fed by massive demand for the Internet and demand for infrastructure improvements. Internet access grew in Vietnam from 10 million users in 2005 to 20 million users in 2008. Vietnam will thus be getting some of the billion dollars that IBM is investing this year with its various technology partners. Earlier this week, IBM started a radio frequency identification (RFID) project to track seafood as it makes its way to restaurants worldwide...... http://www.thestandard.com/news/2009/05/21/ibm-says-nows-time-invest-innovation-vietnam

By William Booth and Juan Forero Washington Post Foreign Service Saturday, June 6, 2009 This 60-foot semi-submersible at the Coast Guard base in Key West, Fla., was captured by a U.S. drug interdiction task force. It carried 6.4 tons of cocaine. (By William Booth -- The Washington Post) MEXICO CITY -- When anti-narcotics agents first heard that drug cartels were building an armada of submarines to transport cocaine, they thought it was a joke. Now U.S. law enforcement officials say that more than a third of the cocaine smuggled into the United States from Colombia travels in submersibles. An experimental oddity just two years ago, these strange semi-submarines are the cutting edge of drug trafficking today. They ferry hundreds of tons of cocaine for powerful Mexican cartels that are taking over the Pacific Ocean route for most northbound shipments, according to the Colombian navy. The sub-builders are even trying to develop a remote-controlled model, officials say. 'That means no c

Biden says Obama will announce plan to hasten economic aid By Paul West | paul.west@baltsun.com June 6, 2009 WASHINGTON - - In the vast sea of federal spending, the U.S. Coast Survey barely rates a drop. But the office, responsible for mapping the floor of waterways from the Chesapeake to the coast of Alaska, offers a case study in the ways that politics and bureaucracy are combining to slow the flow of stimulus money from Washington. Last winter, when President Barack Obama's economic recovery plan became law, $40 million for the Coast Survey went into the federal checkbook, as Maryland Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski, who was instrumental in securing the funds, likes to refer to it. The money was supposed to be used for updating the charts that help ship captains avoid underwater hazards. Months later, it sits idle. No contracts awarded. No jobs created. According to government and industry officials, Congress and the agency share responsibility for the delay. 'It's just taking

16 MILLION POUNDS: Harvest would drop from 58.5 million pounds in '08. By MARGARET BAUMAN Alaska Journal of Commerce Published: June 6th, 2009 02:03 AM Last Modified: June 6th, 2009 02:04 AM A rebuilding plan for Bering Sea snow crab, valued at about $100 million in 2008, proposes to greatly reduce the recommended harvest for 2009-2010. Staff members from the Alaska Fisheries Science Center in Seattle, a branch of NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service, recommended at a mid-May meeting of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council's crab plan team that.... http://www.adn.com/money/industries/fishing/story/821333.html

Troopers eye subsistence fishermen on Yukon ALEX DEMARBAN June 04, 2009 at 9:44AM AKST With the king salmon fishery on the Yukon River facing another bad season, state and federal managers say subsistence fishermen should expect an unprecedented enforcement effort this summer. River patrols by wildlife officers will be just as frequent as in past years, said Steve Hayes, who manages the run for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. But with no commercial fishery planned this year, the officers will focus on this summer’s strict subsistence rules. They won’t just write tickets. “I don’t want the word to go out that we’ll be heavy-handed,” Hayes said. “A lot of it will be education. We’ll have to work with local fishermen. Our goal... http://www.thetundradrums.com/news/show/6193

FOLLOW posted June 1 MINI PRESS RELEASE We thinks we <3> (New Orleans) Last week we promoted what we called "eat like an ancestor day" via twitter. In short, to eat like an ancestor is to not consume foods that contain any additives, preservatives or freaky chemicals of any kind - i.e., eatNAKED. Through Twitter we simply asked people to join us on May 29 (last Friday) and order a pizza (note all pizzas were shaped like Africa). We also gave away some t-shirts and other stuff. Part of our goal for eat like an ancestor day was to see how many orders we could derive from our Twitter following in New Orleans. In order to track people from Twitter we simply asked them to say "I'm calling from Twitter" when they placed their order. This order was then tagged in our POS

TWIC activations offered in Sitka, Ketchikan Capital City Weekly Wednesday, June 03, 2009 Story last updated at 6/3/2009 - 12:14 pm Lockheed Martin will be conducting another round of mobile TWIC activations in several Southeast communities in June. The Marine Exchange will be coordinating the. http://www.capitalcityweekly.com/stories/060309/new_446660205.shtml

Google's new (Map) data tools: it's all about business June 3rd, 2009 Posted by Sam Diaz @ 3:00 am For just a moment, forget about what Google’s motives might be with the new analytics features that it’s giving to users of the company’s Local Business Center. Instead, think about how a business - whether a locally owned mom and pop shop or one of many stores in a national chain - can benefit from knowing what people are doing on the Internet in the moments before they find you in Google’s local listings. Related: Businesses gain access to Google data through Local Business Center Were they searching for donuts when they came across your bagel shop? Were they looking for an ATM when they discovered your convenience store and the cash machine you have....... http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=19140

UAF aircraft (drone) developed to help monitor seal populations By JAMES HALPIN jhalpin@adn.com Published: June 2nd, 2009 09:50 PM Last Modified: June 2nd, 2009 09:57 PM A drone aircraft is flying surveillance over the Bering Sea this month as scientists test its prospects for documenting little-studied ice seals at the southern edge of the ice pack. The data-gathering flights are examining whether unmanned aircraft could help estimate the population and distribution of bearded, spotted, ringed and ribbon seals, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Last year, NOAA determined that ribbon seals should not be listed as an endangered species, but the agency is now gathering information to evaluate whether spotted, bearded and ................ http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/wildlife/marine/story/817196.html DAVE WITHROW / NOAA / Researchers John Jansen, Josh London and Tracey Goldstein discuss their findings before releasing this spotted sea

Whale struck by tanker near Valdez to be buried at sea Published: June 2nd, 2009 11:05 PM Last Modified: June 2nd, 2009 11:06 PM A humpback whale that was dead after being struck by an oil tanker on its way to the oil terminal at Valdez will be towed out to a watery grave today, according to..... http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/wildlife/marine/story/817233.html