KMXT 100.1 FM Public Radio in Kodiak, Alaska

Brianna Gibbs/KMXT In Kodiak, whether or not an indoor public place allows smoking is up to the discretion of the owner, but that might change this fall. During Thursday night’s work session the Kodiak Island Borough Assembly discussed the possibility of an ordinance that would ban smoking inside any public building. “Looking at the health benefits along and what’s right," …

Lauren Rosenthal/KUCB In mid July, the state ferry Tustumena is supposed to have repairs wrapped and return to service. But a shipyard spokesman says that delivery date isn’t looking very realistic any more. As the state faces yet another blown deadline for getting the Tustumena back in service, they’ve started looking for other ships to pick up the ferry’s route. …

Jay Barrett/KMXT There were a couple of announcements with good news for king crab this week. First came word from Seward that Kodiak red king crab were successfully hatchery raised for the first time. Previous successes have come from red king crab stock from Bristol Bay and the Juneau area. The Kodiak larvae were reared this spring at the Alutiiq …

Coming up this week: Togiak herring wrapped up, cannery workers in Platinum will be making bank this summer, and the North Pacific Fishery Management Council is set to make a final decision on Gulf King bycatch. All that, and yes, more fish-smuggling in the news – at least this time it wasn’t in their pants. The Alaska Fisheries Report came …

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, right, talks with Steven Honnold and Robin Gardner at the new Alaska Department of Fish and Game building in Kodiak. Jay Barrett/KMXT Alaska senior Senator Lisa Murkowski is spending several days around Kodiak Island this week. She arrived Tuesday, just missing Crab Fest, but she missed the rain, as well. Like her junior colleague, Senator Mark Begich, …

Brianna Gibbs/KMXT One of Kodiak’s local scientists will head to Africa this week to share some of her skills with laboratories abroad. Alexandra Oliveira (Oliv-vera) is an associate professor of fisheries chemistry with the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences. Her work is based in Kodiak, at the Kodiak Seafood and Marine Science Center on Near …

Jay Barrett/KMXT There were a couple of announcements with good news for king crab this week. First came word from Seward that Kodiak red king crab were successfully hatchery raised for the first time. Previous successes have come from red king crab stock from Bristol Bay and the Juneau area. The Kodiak larvae were reared this spring at the Alutiiq …

Jay Barrett/KMXT One of the hot-button items on the agenda next week for the North Pacific Fishery Management Council’s meeting in Juneau will be king salmon bycatch in the Gulf of Alaska, specifically in the non-pollock trawl fisheries. A couple of the Kodiak fishermen who will be at the meeting were on KMXT’s Talk of the Rock this week discussing …