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

By Larry Dignan | January 31, 2011, 2:40am PST U.S. Navy engineers at Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific in San Diego, Calif., have developed a system to use a stream of seawater as a radio antenna. Video here >  http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/navy-uses-seawater-as-antenna/44234

The Associated Press Published: January 28th, 2011 04:17 PM Last Modified: January 29th, 2011 12:15 AM JUNEAU -- Gov. Sean Parnell opposes an Obama administration effort to strengthen protection of wild lands in Alaska managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, saying it would allow the government to create more wilderness without congressional oversight. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced last month a new policy that promises special protection for public land managed by the BLM that has wilderness character. Unlike land designated....  http://www.adn.com/2011/01/28/1673045/parnell-opposes-obama-plan-for.html

A 77-foot fishing boat went aground late last night just off Kodiak City. According to an eye-witness, the boat grounded about 100 feet from shore, not far from Jackson's Trailer Court.              Coast Guard spokesman Jonathan Lally in Kodiak says..  http://www.kmxt.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2455&Itemid=2#JOSC_TOP

A local marketing committee is facing a deadline to craft a strategy promoting Kodiak's seafood as environmentally responsible. The Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation recently awarded the Kodiak Branding and.... Audio >  http://www.kmxt.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2457&Itemid=2

A Kodiak fisherman who threatened a federal fisheries observer has avoided jail time after a judge sentenced him to community service and ordered anger management therapy.              45-year-old Jeffrey Eugene Scott had had been the skipper of the vessel Dusk owned by Kodiak businessman Al Burch. Burch said... Audio >  http://www.kmxt.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2459&Itemid=2#JOSC_TOP

Newsminer >  http://newsminer.com/view/full_story/11167632/article-Alaska-Sen--Begich-sends-Obama-salmon-sample- WP screenshot:

UNITED STATES  Friday, January 28, 2011,  16:00 (GMT + 9) With over-fishing all too often cited, global magazine  International Seafood  has listed which fisheries they believe to be the greenest and which are leading the change in how we harvest seafood. From thousands of choices, only two US fisheries made the list, and only one from the seafood powerhouse Alaska. As they named the tiny Alaskan village of Kaltag, as one of the world’s 11 greenest fisheries. International Seafood ’s criteria stated that they “are looking for these operations that not only take seafood from the environment in a sustainable manner but also give back to the environment and local community in a holistic and harmonious manner.” Kaltag sits in one of the most remote and isolated regions of the U.S. which is predominantly inhabited by indigenous Athabascan Alaska Natives. Villages along.........  http://fis.com/fis/worldnews/worldnews.asp?l=e&country=0&special=&monthyear=&day=&id=40270

Patti Epler | Jan 27, 2011 The state could lose its legal authority to have a say in projects that are overseen by the federal government in coastal areas -- including offshore oil development, mining operations and timber harvests -- if the Legislature fails to renew a state law that is set to expire in July. It may seem like a political no-brainer to keep the Alaska Coastal Management Program intact, and certainly most lawmakers don't want to see it go away. But the looming sunset date has sharpened the debate,  begun late in the last legislative session , over whether local coastal communities are being shut out by the state when it comes to making decisions on development in their own backyards. Coastal towns and villages, primarily along the........  http://www.alaskadispatch.com/dispatches/rural-alaska/8513-alaska-coastal-communities-push-for-local-control

Seafood abundance is back : "

PETERSBURG-AK (01/28/2011) Longliners in Southeast and the Gulf of Alaska will see big cuts to their quotas this year under catch numbers approved by the International Pacific Halibut Commission Friday morning. Along with the commercial reductions, the Commission is also recommending a limit on the size of halibut that charter boat clients can keep in Southeast. The annual meeting in Victoria, British Columbia was broadcast over the internet. Matt Lichtenstein listened in and has this report: Audio >  http://krbd.org/modules/local_news/index.php?op=sideBlock&syndicated=true&ID=1628

Image via Wikipedia PETERSBURG, AK (2011-01-28) A fledgling independent ferry authority is asking the Inter-Island Ferry Authority to lease a vessel to resume service between Coffman Cove, Wrangell and South Mitkof Island near Petersburg. The port authority formed by residents of Coffman Cove is still hoping this spring to restart the route that was once covered by the IFA. Joe Viechnicki reports. Audio >>  http://krbd.org/modules/local_news/index.php?op=sideBlock&syndicated=true&ID=1629

Image by Getty Images via @daylife The fledgling wholesale carrier will cooperate to prevent interference with GPS LightSquared said Wednesday it has received approval from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission to build its planned satellite-LTE network for nationwide mobile service. The company, which  plans to launch its service commercially in the second half of this year , will offer both a satellite and a land-based LTE (Long-Term Evolution) network. Working with Qualcomm, it also plans to........  http://www.networkworld.com/news/2011/012711-lightsquared-wins-fcc-ok-for.html More >  http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/28/fcc-grants-lightsquared-terrestrial-only-waiver-puts-an-end-to/ Related .  http://www.fcc.gov/ib/sd/ssr/atc.html

By Sarah Day |  JUNEAU EMPIRE Docks and Harbors is stumped on what direction to go with the offer to purchase Andrew’s Marina/Fisherman’s Bend. Its finance committee recommended at Thursday’s board meeting that it ask the Assembly to either put it up for a public vote or somehow get public input on the matter. Docks and Harbors sent the issue to committee last month. Members were concerned about buying the facility when it’s already strapped for cash in........  http://juneauempire.com/stories/012811/loc_777349238.shtml

SITKA, Alaska (AP) -- The Sitka Assembly has   voted to sell land to a state agency for construction of a fish waste processing plant.  The Sitka Sentinel reports the....  http://www.kodiakdailymirror.com/?pid=18&path=A/AK_FISH_MEAL_PLANT

Coming up this week, we have more indication on seafood’s value to the state, a Homer-based crew is safe after taking on water and going aground and how deep will the IPHC cuts to halibut allocations be? All that, and be careful..... Audio >  http://www.kmxt.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2454&Itemid=2#JOSC_TOP

Deck Watch Jan. 28, 2011 Jan. 28, 2011, by PA3 Walter Shinn is an interview with FS1 Steffen Frazier about the Buoydeck club located adjacent to Coast Guard Station Juneau. http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php?g2_itemId=1101480 U.S. Coast Guard audio by D17 External Affairs.

Drugstore.com Buys Into Social With Stores on Facebook [eMoney] : " eventually kicks consumers out to their homepage to finalize the purchase.

News Release Date: January 26, 2011 KODIAK, Alaska – Coast Guardsmen from the Ketchikan -based cutter Acushnet, members of Marine Safety Detachment Kodiak and National Marine Fisheries Service agents conducted voluntary dockside commercial fishing vessel safety exams in King Cove and Sand Point Jan. 19 and 20. The examiners conducted five exams to verify the operators were in compliance with applicable safety requirements, including a thorough inspection of the vessels and the life saving equipment aboard to ensure the equipment is ready for use in case of an emergency. Examiners provide a list of discrepancies to vessel operators to be corrected prior to getting underway, if any. There are no fines associated with dockside exams. Coast Guard decals are issued as a result of exams and are good for two years but do not exempt operators from boardings at sea. They can speed up the boarding as examiners can see all the equipment has been recently checked and approved. “In some cases

Deckhand dies on F/V Ocean Prowler : RIP Man....

19% of restaurant customers still avoiding fish due to Gulf spill : " 19% of foodservice customers are still avoiding fish due to fears of contamination raised during the Gulf oil spill. This shows how long lasting this problem is and how economically damaging.

PETERBSURG-AK (01/26/2011) Big quota cuts are on the table for Alaska fishermen again as the International Pacific Halibut Commission meets in Victoria, British Columbia this week. Audio >  http://krbd.org/modules/local_news/index.php?op=sideBlock&syndicated=true&ID=1623

Source   http://www.npr.org/2011/01/26/133211131/the-state-of-the-union-in-your-words Screenshot

From the transcript... http://whitehouse.gov Let me take this one step further. We shouldn't just give our people a government that's more affordable. We should give them a government that's more competent and efficient. We cannot win the future with a government of the past. We live and do business in the information age, but the last major reorganization of the government happened in the age of black and white TV. There are twelve different agencies that deal with exports. There are at least five different entities that deal with housing policy. Then there's my favorite example: the Interior Department is in charge of salmon while they're in fresh water, but the Commerce Department handles them in when they're in saltwater. And I hear it gets even more complicated once they're smoked.

KODIAK, Alaska - A Kodiak-based Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew rescued three fishermen from the partially submerged 42-foot fishing vessel Ruffian just north of Latouche Island in Prince William Sound  Tuesday at 11:22 a.m. The rescue crew launched from Kodiak at 9:20 a.m. and arrived on scene to hoist the crew and transferred the men to Whittier reportedly in good condition. The crew of the Homer-based 42-foot fishing vessel Mu Rush, sister ship of the Ruffian, will reportedly pick the crew up in Whittier and transfer them back to the vessel with dewatering pumps and generator parts. The vessel is reportedly no longer taking on water and members of Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Valdez are working with the owner of the vessel to develop a salvage and transit plan for the vessel. There is no report of pollution in the area of the vessel which has approximately 200 gallons of diesel on board. The fishing vessel crew were reportedly fishing for Pacific cod and skate f

By     IANS Monday, 24 January 2011, 22:14 Hrs Image via Wikipedia Scientists are now looking for a way to define the unit without referring to a physical object, the Daily Mail reports. If they are successful, the "gold standard" kilogram , which since 1889 has been triple-locked under two bell jars at the International Bureau of Weights and Measures in Paris, will follow the prototype metre into history.

Image via CrunchBase By Bonnie S. Benwick Washington Post Staff Writer Tuesday, January 25, 2011; 11:01 AM  Charcutepalooza! Shar-coo-teh-pah-LOOZ-ah. The name practically rolls off the tongue while you consider all it might entail. Cured meat and good times. A group meat-and-greet. A concert to salute salumi. Twitter and food blogger pals Cathy Barrow and Kim Foster are not sure about that last concept, but it's early yet. Their "year of meat" project is less than six weeks old, and developments are unfolding daily. But it's already a prime example of new culinary education where pros don't lead the pack, newbies aren't afraid to join in and no classroom time is required. As of press time, 180 people with blogs, including some halfway around the world, had signed on to tackle a recipe each month, or as often as they feel like sharing, from Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn's 2005 " Charcuterie : The Craft of Salting, Smoking and Curing.&q

KODIAK, Alaska - Petty Officer 2nd Class Kristen Shirkey, an aviation machinery technician with Air Station Kodiak, stands by at the back of an HC-130 Hercules aircraft while spotters align the load on the forklift with the pallet track in the aircraft at Air Station Kodiak Jan. 21, 2011. Shirkey and other aircrew members were loading supplies for transport to the aircrews that are forward deployed to St. Paul. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Jonathan Lally. KODIAK, Alaska - Kodiak-based aircrews with the air station load a nearly 2,000 pound pallet of supplies for the forward deployed aircrews in St. Paul into an HC-130 Hercules aircraft Jan 21, 2011. Supplies and mail are sent from Kodiak to the forward deployed aircrews every two weeks and crew swaps are frequently combined with the equipment transports. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Jonathan Lally. KODIAK, Alaska - Petty Officer 2nd Class Bill Lounsbery, an aviation machinery technician wit

By Lyndsey Layton Washington Post Staff Writer Monday, January 24, 2011; 10:41 PM  The food industry rolled out Monday what it called a "monumental and historic" effort to put nutrition facts on the front of packaging for processed foods and beverages, a change executives said is designed to help consumers make sound nutritional choices at the supermarket. "We developed this as an effective way to bring nutrition to the front of panel, so consumers can begin to build a healthy diet right from the start," said Pamela G. Bailey, president and chief executive officer of the Grocery Manufacturers Association , which represents the majority of processed-food and beverage makers as well as retailers. But the effort drew immediate criticism from public health experts, who said foodmakers were trying to preempt the Food and Drug Administration , which has been working on guidelines for labeling on the front of food packaging. "You simply can't leave it

Fish Factor Iron Chef challenge; Fish in Juneau & more... By LAINE WELCH   January 24, 2011 Monday PM Alaska pollock was the main ingredient in an Iron Chef competition aimed at getting more fish on to school lunch trays.  The annual Child Nutrition Industry Conference held by the School Nutrition Association occurred in Seattle last week – and Alaska’s pollock producers made sure fish was in the spotlight. “We had the opportunity to create a seafood Iron Chef competition so school food service directors could work with pollock and create new menu ideas in a competitive environment,” said Pat Shanahan, project director for the Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers trade group, a leader in getting good seafood on school menus.  For the Iron Chef challenge, 24 school district directors were..... http://www.sitnews.us/LaineWelch/012411_fish_factor.html

Plenty of cod in the sea : " UK consumers are being frightened away from their traditional fish like cod based on a false idea that cod stocks are depleted. Most UK fish comes from Iceland and Norway and Russia were cod is at high levels.

Image via Wikipedia By Lyndsey Layton Washington Post Staff Writer Monday, January 24, 2011; 12:09 AM In response to a new federal food safety law and growing consumer interest, vast amounts of new data are being generated about the complicated path that food takes from field to supermarket shelf. And, increasingly, some of that information is being offered to curious shoppers, who in some stores can wave a smartphone above an apple or orange and learn instantly where it was grown, who grew it and whether it has been recalled. They can even contact the farmer, if they feel moved. A provision of the federal food safety law passed last year requires that all players in the country's food supply chain be able to quickly trace from whom they received a food product and to whom they sent it. They'll have to maintain that information in digital form, creating deep wells of information that, in some cases, consumers could tap into through their computers or cellphones. Th

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Published: 01/23/11 9:53 pm | Updated: 01/23/1110:39 pm A trial has been set for April for a 70-year-old Alaska man arrested by National Park Service rangers during a dispute over a boat safety check on the Yukon River last September......  http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/01/23/1514490/dispute-between-fisherman-park.html Related Archive Yukon  River: Eagle residents fight back against National  Park  Service Nov 28, 2010 FAIRBANKS - Residents in the small  Yukon  River village of Eagle are rebelling against the National Park  Service for what they say is "harassment and intimidation" by "military-style law enforcement officers" in the  Yukon -Charley Rivers ... http://www.blog.haulinggear.com/ Parnell says  park  rangers aren't  Yukon  River traffic cops Oct 01, 2010 The  park  service does not have the authority over state waters, which includes the  Yukon  River, and it does not have the author ity to charge people with violatin

Image via Wikipedia By Associated Press Sunday, January 23, 2011 - Added 20 hours ago P ORTLAND, Maine — The meat industry has its "Beef, It’s What’s for Dinner" promotion. Pork producers market their product as " the other white meat ." Now, the U.S. seafood industry is preparing to cast its own marketing net in a bid to reel in more consumers. More than 50 fishing and seafood organizations from 24 states have signed on to the National Seafood Marketing Coalition............... ............ But it’s not just imports that domestic seafood producers are up against, said Bruce Schactler, a Kodiak, Alaska, fisherman who’s serving as the coalition’s volunteer director. The industry also competes against other proteins, such as meat, chicken and pork, as well as other foods, he said. Fishermen and seafood processors are no different than farmers who are trying to market their products, he said. "They’re Americans producing food, and so are we,

Image via CrunchBase By Jonathan Birchall in New York Published: January 23 2011 17:59 | Last updated: January 23 2011 17:59 Amazon , the online retailer, is developing a free weekly home delivery service in the US that could support its drive to  increase online sales of low-priced goods, such as health and beauty, babycare and groceries. The retailer has been testing the service, AmazonTote, in Seattle , its home city, since last summer,  and is now recruiting staff for what it describes as a “company wide” programme. The Seattle service offers customers free weekly home delivery regardless of  

Image via Wikipedia Mon, Jan 24, 2011 Reuters   LONDON, ENGLAND - Scientists say they are close to achieving a 200-year-old goal of creating a universal system of measurements based on stable quantities, as they progress towards changing how the kilogram is defined. The kilogram is the only base unit in the International System of Units (SI) that is still defined by a physical object - a prototype of platinum-iridium kept in the vaults of the International Bureau of Measurements (BIPM) in France. The stability of the kilogram is crucial as it forms the basis from which many other units are derived....... http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/World/Story/A1Story20110124-259853.html

Jan 23, 2011 FAIRBANKS — Nuclear energy isn’t a good fit for Alaska right now but could be within a decade or two. If a new generation of small, user-friendly reactors hits the market, nuclear power could actually be a viable energy source for Fairbanks, according to a report coming soon by University of Alaska researchers. But it would take even higher energy prices and years of product testing and development before the chain reaction were initiated in Alaska. “This has possible applications in Alaska, there’s no question about that,” said.........  http://newsminer.com/view/full_story/11103374/article-Why-nuclear-energy-is-on-hold-for-Alaska

Image via Wikipedia Rose Cox | The Dutch Harbor Fisherrman | Jan 21, 2011 Innovations at work in St. Paul have halibut fisherman poised to take advantage of the nation's huge appetite for halibut. St. Paul Island in the Pribilofs has a new, one-of-a-kind harbor that will begin to serve its local halibut fleet in summer 2011. An investment in equipment to add value to the catch is already paying off, and its marketing plan includes major chain restaurants as far away as the East Coast. The 2010 season brought in 811,000 pounds of halibut, for a total net production of 647,000 pounds. About 30 percent of the catch, nearly 200,000 pounds, was portioned and vacuum packed fresh for sale to restaurants and seafood distributors, said Steve Manley, controller for the Central Bering Sea Fishermen's Association. CBSFA is the nonprofit community development group that manages St. Paul's CDQ and IFQ fisheries and its....  http://www.alaskadispatch.com/dispatches/rural-alaska/8424-st-p

KODIAK, Alaska - Deck Watch is a five to seven minute radio show featuring Coast Guard news from around Alaska. http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php?g2_itemId=1097493 The feature this week, by Petty Officer 1st Class Dave Mosley, is on the 50 bikes for 50 kids outreach program hosted by Anchorage Park and Recreation department that was held on Martin Luther King day at the Spenard Recreation Center in Anchorage. U.S. Coast Guard audio by D17 External Affairs.

Image via Wikipedia Seal will mark healthful foods By  Stephen Dinan - The Washington Times 8:18 p.m., Thursday, January 20, 2011 A day after serving a calorie-laden state dinner to  Chinese  President Hu Jintao , first lady  Michelle Obama  announced a deal Thursday with Wal-Mart , the country's largest retailer and grocery store, to reduce sodium, cut prices on fruits and vegetables, and label healthful foods to guide customers. Wal-Mart  and  Mrs. Obama  dubbed their agreement a "nutrition charter," and it dovetails with  Mrs. Obama 's own effort as first lady to push Americans to eat better, particularly when it comes to children. "This nutrition charter promises a real change that can have a fundamental impact in how our kids eat, you see, because when parents have the information they need about the products they buy, that puts them back in charge, so they can make good decisions for their families," she said. Under the agreement,  Wal-Mart  said

A bill that would create an independent board regulating licensed sportfishing guides is gaining ground in the Alaska Senate. KMXT's Jacob Resneck reports. Audio >  http://www.kmxt.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2434&Itemid=2

Image via Wikipedia COMPASS:  Other points of view By BILL SHEFFIELD Published: January 19th, 2011 07:30 PM Last Modified: January 19th, 2011 07:31 PM The Port of Anchorage expansion project is too important to fail. The Anchorage Daily News and I can certainly agree on that. However, I disagree with the article in Sunday's paper that implies there is a billion dollars in wasted funding and that the project is failing The facts are that $265 million has been spent or obligated on the port expansion to date and the majority of those dollars were spent on successful aspects of the project. It took more than 5 years, and a........  http://www.adn.com/2011/01/19/1657232/anchorage-port-project-too-vital.html

Article published on Thursday, January 20th, 2011 By DREW HERMAN Mirror Writer The Alaska Board of Fisheries last week signed off on three actions affecting sportfishing regulations around Kodiak, including a lower daily limit on rockfish. Part of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, the seven-member Board of Fisheries, or Fish Board, sets management policy for commercial, sport, charter and subsistence fisheries under state jurisdiction. Donn Tracy, Kodiak area sportfish management biologist with the ADF&G, called the Kodiak Harbor Convention Center a “successful venue,” where the members, staffers, fisheries experts and members of the public discussed a hefty packet of management proposals during four days of meetings. In 2011, anglers going after rockfish around Kodiak may keep only five fish per day, down from the 10 per day allowed before. Of the.......  http://www.kodiakdailymirror.com/?pid=19&id=9494