NOAA Fisheries has been dealing with substantial staffing cuts leading up to the surveys. The Alaska Fisheries Science Center lost roughly 50 employees since February according to reporting from KUCB Radio.

It's another hit to Alaska school budgets after Gov. Mike Dunleavy cut funding approved by the state Legislature in June.

Kodiak College is joining a list of educational institutions left scrambling after the White House froze billions in grants on Monday. Campus staff say the future of some programs is uncertain.

Members of the Kodiak Alutiiq Dance group are in the nation’s capital this week, from July 2- July 7, as part of the annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival. This year’s festival highlights Indigenous youth who are promoting their languages and cultures from around the country.

The state issued a burn permit suspension that went into effect at 8 a.m. on July 3 after lifting a previous one on June 30.

NOAA has authorized $95 million worth of work on the Oscar Dyson to take place after the 2026 field season concludes. That’s according to a press release from the agency last month on June 18.

Scientists suspect it was killed by an orca, much like another whale that washed up in the same area about a month ago.

Borough manager Aimee Williams told the Borough Assembly on June 26 that the state Department of Education and Early Development informed her last week that the borough owed $254,000 more than it budgeted for.

"I think we found that one village that had 11 house pits, probably had two to three hundred people living in it, you know, 300 years ago," Patrick Saltonstall with the Alutiiq Museum said.

Kodiak City leaders expect services to the community to be maintained into next year, although the expense of paying for them will likely increase. The city council unanimously approved a fiscal year 2026 budget Thursday night.