Alaska’s Energy Desk

After 10 years of certification, Gulf of Alaska cod will have its blue-sticker sustainability label suspended starting April 5, 2020. After a climate change-caused crash pushed Gulf cod to near-overfished status last year, the suspension of the Marine Stewardship Council blue label did not come as a surprise to the industry. A package of frozen fish fillets sold at a …

Cook Inlet beluga whales are continuing to decline in number, according to a NOAA abundance estimate released last month. From Alaska’s Energy Desk, Kavitha George has the story of how the decline in belugas is both controversial and largely unexplained. Cook Inlet beluga. (Photo by Paul Wade/NOAA) The decline of the white whales in the inlet in view of Anchorage …

This summer the North Pacific was hit with the second marine heatwave of the decade. Mirroring the first so-called “Blob” of 2014, scientists measured ocean temperatures as more than five degrees above normal, across millions of square miles stretching from Alaska to California. The first “Blob” decimated fisheries, caused a mass seabird die-off, and spurred toxic algal blooms up and …

Take a walk past a grocery store seafood counter and you might notice the little blue stickers that mark certain types of fish “sustainably caught.” As demand for environmentally-conscious seafood goes up, sustainability certifications are increasingly important. But at the same time, climate change is threatening Alaska’s longstanding reputation for sustainable fisheries. In just a few months, Gulf of Alaska …

Alaskans may remember a few years ago, when huge numbers of common murres, a type of northern seabird, were washing up dead onshore. A new study from the University of Washington links the large die-off up to food scarcity during a period of extremely warm water temperatures. A dead common murre found in Kodiak during a seven-month beach survey (Photo …

A Department of Environmental Conservation budget proposal could mean some rough years ahead for small shellfish farms in Alaska. Testing shellfish for harmful toxins is currently subsidized at 100 percent, but this proposal would split the fees 50-50 between farmers and the state. That’s threatening to put some small farms out of business. Wilfred Pavloff and Larry “Bunson” Sugiak shuck …

The latest Gulf of Alaska trawl survey shows the lowest cod numbers on record. That threatens to close the federal Gulf cod fishery which was slated to begin in less than two months. Cod numbers have been declining for four years, and in Kodiak, just a handful of fishermen are still going after cod. It’s another example of how climate …

The Kodiak village of Akhiok is replacing its 40-year-old power grid and generator. The new system will be vastly more efficient, and comes with the ability to add solar energy in the near future. Akhiok Mayor Dan McCoy talks with former Kodiak Island Borough Mayor Dan Rohrer inside the existing powerhouse in August, 2018. (Photo by Tyler Kornelis) The village …

Observer fees are going up for Alaska fishermen and processors. In Kodiak, fishermen aren’t too worried about the modest increase, but some would like to see improvements made to the decades-old program. Jake Everich looks up at one of the electronic monitoring cameras installed on the winch of his trawler, the Alaskan. (Photo by Kavitha George/Alaska’s Energy Desk) In Kodiak’s …