On today’s Talk of the Rock, we chat about the recent tanner crab opening with Nat Nichols from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. He’ll give a retrospective on the tanner crab fishery, which opened this year for the first time in Kodiak since 2013.

Kayla Desroches/KMXT Local partners are looking at how to distribute a large grant to assess land called brownfields for redevelopment on the island. Brownfields are parcels of land that may have been used as commercial or industrial sites in the past and may have been contaminated from hazardous waste or petroleum. On the island, that might mean properties that were …

Kayla Desroches/KMXT Community leaders are concerned about the transient population downtown. Members of the public have complained about harassment from people loitering in the mall area, but business owners also pinpoint theft as an issue. The Downtown Kodiak Revitalization Social Issues and Public Safety Subcommittee talked about the situation at a meeting this week. The event drew significant attendance from …

Coming up this week’s Alaska Fisheries Report, the tanner crab fishery opened in the Kodiak management area for the first time since 2013. Fishermen geared up to try their luck last week. Also, the International Pacific Halibut Commission is meeting in Portland. IPHC is looking at the total allowable catch for halibut along the West Coast, and that’s likely to …

Alaska 1964 Good Friday earthquake and tsunami damage. (Courtesy of NOAA’s Historic Coast & Geodetic Survey Collection) Kayla Desroches/KMXT Kodiak could have been the first coastal community hit had there been a large tsunami early Tuesday morning. A little after 12:30 a.m., the Alaska & West Coast Tsunami Warning Center reported a magnitude 7.9 earthquake roughly 175 miles southeast of …

On today’s Talk of the Rock, KMXT delves more into this morning’s tsunami warning with Dan Belanger, Earthquake & Tsunami Program Manager with the Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. He explains why this earthquake didn’t cause a tsunami and talks about the new Kodiak area tsunami inundation maps, which were released last year.

“Reflections of the Seasons” by Danielle Larsen, painting in oil. (Photo courtesy of Danielle Larsen) Kayla Desroches/KMXT The Alutiiq Museum and Archaeological Repository is building up its permanent collection with modern art. The museum recently acquired a new painting through a Museums Alaska grant. The artist, Danielle Larsen, lives in Anchorage and her piece, Reflections of the Seasons, shows a …

Larry LeDoux with campers. (Photo courtesy of Larry LeDoux) Kayla Desroches/KMXT Kodiak’s rich history is recorded in historical documents, firsthand accounts, and photographs. They contain more than just facts and dates. They’re also evidence of everyday life: the restaurants people went to, the entertainment that filled their days, and the people they spent their time with. In this three-part series, …

Dan Canavan. (Photo by Kayla Desroches / KMXT) Kayla Desroches/KMXT The longtime director of Special Olympics Kodiak is moving onto other things. Special Olympics is an international nonprofit that gives athletes with intellectual disabilities a chance to participate in group sports like floor hockey or individual activities like powerlifting. Nicolle Egan, vice president of Special Olympics Alaska, grew up in …

Clint Johnson (far right) and the Kaiwik crew. (Photo by Kayla Desroches / KMXT) Kayla Desroches/KMXT After a few weather delays, the Tanner crab fishery opens today. It’s the first time the fishery has been open in the Kodiak area since 2013. KMXT dropped by St. Herman Harbor on Near Island to talk with fishermen before they set off. Fisherman …