Jay Barrett/KMXT Though the first two days and nights of operation were reportedly very successful for the floating bar and grill “Wild Alaskan” anchored off Kodiak’s water front, the weekend was a bust. Literally. According to owner and operator Darren Byler, persons unknown contacted the Coast Guard and soon Kodiak’s newest entertainment venue had to shut down for the weekend. …

Jay Barrett/KMXT Sportfishing for king salmon in the Monashka Creek and the waters of Monashka Bay outside the creek mouth closed on Saturday because there has so far been no fish returning to the system. According to Fish and Game’s Donn Tracy, the return to Monashka Creek is vital for the hatchery-reared king salmon enhancement project. The department usually collects …

Coming up this week, they started fishing on the Kuskokwim this week, much to the relief of pretty much everybody; The President is moving to crack down on IUU fishing to protect American stocks, and saving king salmon from low water. Thanks to Brianna Gibbs for filling in while Jay was away. We had help this week from KYUK’s Ben …

Jay Barrett/KMXT Effective tomorrow, sport fishing for king salmon is closed in the entire Monashka Creek drainage and in the waters of Monashka Bay a line extending from Miller Point to Termination Point. That word today from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game Sportsfish Division in Kodiak. The Monashka Creek drainage supports an enhanced run of king salmon, and …

Jay Barrett/KMXT Friday will mark one year since the auction for the decommissioned Coast Guard Cutter Storis ended. At the closing bell, there was only one bid, which briefly gave hope to advocates who wanted the ship to be turned into a museum. But that optimism did not last long. “You can imagine our horror and shock that the ship …

Jay Barrett/KMXT With elections at every level of government around the state coming up this fall, many trade organizations are preparing their endorsements for candidates that best reflect their views and goals. Julianne Curry, the executive director of the United Fishermen of Alaska announced some of her organization’s endorsements this week. “I just got off a three-hour long teleconference where …

Jay Barrett/KMXT There are six new folks on the executive committee of the United Fishermen of Alaska board of directors. And, re-elected as president was Jerry McCune of Cordova. When reached on the Copper River fishing grounds, he said he was looking forward to working with the new committee “The board is well-rounded,” he said, “so I’m looking forward to …

Annie Ropeik/KUCB A powerful underwater earthquake in the Western Aleutians triggered tsunami alerts for the Aleutian and Pribilof islands Monday afternoon. No damages were reported after the magnitude 8.0 quake, recorded just before 1 p.m. on Monday. It happened about 30 miles northwest of Amchitka, about 60 miles underwater. Residents in the Western Aleutians reported feeling shaking during the quake, …

Jay Barrett/KMXT The requirement that genetically-modified salmon be labeled as such cleared a significant hurdle Thursday. The Senate Appropriations Committee passed the Murkowski-Begich amendment during debate of the agriculture spending bill for FY 2015. The FDA has been considering the approval of Aqua-Bounty’s genetically modified Atlantic salmon for a couple of years, and both of Alaska’s senators have been trying …

Shaylon Cochran/KDLL and Jay Barrett/KMXT The Funny River Fire that has been burning on the Kenai Peninsula since Monday grew to nearly 63,000 acres overnight, and smoke continues to fill the sky from Kasilof to Kodiak. Dan Nelson, the Health and Safety Officer for Central Emergency Services in Soldotna, says the fire is only about five percent contained, but is …