Sockeye salmon caught in a set gillnet wait to be set to the a processor on July 11, 2016 near Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

Council works to disentangle state, federal Cook Inlet salmon fisheries

About a year after the North Pacific Fishery Management Council first took up the Cook Inlet federal fishery management plan issue, the definition of what… Continue reading

Sockeye salmon caught in a set gillnet wait to be set to the a processor on July 11, 2016 near Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)
This Monday, Oct. 24, 2016 photo shows the Kenai City Dock in Kenai, Alaska. The city is seeking a new concessionaire to operate the dock’s equipment after seafood processor Copper River Seafoods did not show interest in operating the facility for the 2018 season. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

Copper River to stop operating Kenai dock

Seafood processor Copper River Seafoods won’t be operating the city of Kenai’s dock this year. The company, which has operated the dock’s heavy equipment and… Continue reading

This Monday, Oct. 24, 2016 photo shows the Kenai City Dock in Kenai, Alaska. The city is seeking a new concessionaire to operate the dock’s equipment after seafood processor Copper River Seafoods did not show interest in operating the facility for the 2018 season. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)
In this August 2017 photo, sockeye salmon mill in the pool just below the Russian River Falls near Cooper Landing, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

Salmon habitat bill still milling in House Fisheries committee

With the Legislature closing in on the final day of its regular session, the battle over a bill to tighten restrictions on permits to develop… Continue reading

In this August 2017 photo, sockeye salmon mill in the pool just below the Russian River Falls near Cooper Landing, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)
Mark Hamilton, the vice president of external affairs for the Pebble Limited Partnership, speaks to a crowd gathered for a joint luncheon of the Kenai and Soldotna chambers of commerce on Wednesday, April 4, 2018 in Kenai, Alaska. The Pebble Limited Partnership, which has been working on plans for a gold, copper and molybdenum mine in the Bristol Bay region for about a decade, recently applied to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for a permit with scaled-back plans. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Pebble lays out smaller mine plan

The Pebble Limited Partnership is changing its plans and its tone as it continues its permitting process. The Pebble Mine, a gold, copper and molybdenum… Continue reading

Mark Hamilton, the vice president of external affairs for the Pebble Limited Partnership, speaks to a crowd gathered for a joint luncheon of the Kenai and Soldotna chambers of commerce on Wednesday, April 4, 2018 in Kenai, Alaska. The Pebble Limited Partnership, which has been working on plans for a gold, copper and molybdenum mine in the Bristol Bay region for about a decade, recently applied to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for a permit with scaled-back plans. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
Sockeye salmon caught in a set gillnet wait to be set to the a processor on July 11, 2016 near Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

Commercial salmon harvest forecasted weaker statewide

Editor's note: This article has been updated to clarify that the comment period offered on the federal rule regarding halibut catch limits is post-promulgation. If… Continue reading

Sockeye salmon caught in a set gillnet wait to be set to the a processor on July 11, 2016 near Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)
Fields withdraws name from fish board consideration

Fields withdraws name from fish board consideration

It was a quick dip into the state fisheries politics pool for Duncan Fields. The Kodiak resident on Wednesday withdrew his name from consideration for… Continue reading

Fields withdraws name from fish board consideration
Workers weigh king salmon at Coal Point Seafood Company on the Homer Spit during the annual Homer Winter King Derby on Saturday, March 24, 2018 in Homer, Alaska. More than 1,200 anglers headed out onto the waters around Homer to fish for king salmon, docking again by 6 p.m. to see where their fish landed in the rankings. The winning fish, belonging to Charlie Edwards, weighed in at 24.6 pounds. Second place went to Jerry Huff with a 20.9 pound fish, and third to Janet Donnell with a 20.75 pound fish. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Make way for the king

Though the ice is barely out, the Homer harbor buzzed with activity on Saturday as anglers hit the water for king salmon. The Homer Chamber… Continue reading

Workers weigh king salmon at Coal Point Seafood Company on the Homer Spit during the annual Homer Winter King Derby on Saturday, March 24, 2018 in Homer, Alaska. More than 1,200 anglers headed out onto the waters around Homer to fish for king salmon, docking again by 6 p.m. to see where their fish landed in the rankings. The winning fish, belonging to Charlie Edwards, weighed in at 24.6 pounds. Second place went to Jerry Huff with a 20.9 pound fish, and third to Janet Donnell with a 20.75 pound fish. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Fish board takes on hatchery issues

Editor's note: This article has been updated to clarify that the board of fisheries did not form a formal committe on hatcheries but rather agreed… Continue reading

Walker nominates 2, including fish board chair, to federal fish council

Gov. Bill Walker has nominated two Alaskans for the North Pacific Fishery Management Council — one a current member and one the chairman of the… Continue reading

A participant in the Kenai River Junior Classic holds up a silver salmon she caught Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2017 near Soldotna, Alaska. The event, organized by Soldotna-based sportfishing organization the Kenai River Sportfishing Association, brings kids from all over Southcentral Alaska to learn about fishing and boating safety followed by a fishing trip with professional guides on the Kenai River. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

UAF launches center focusing on salmon, society

The University of Alaska is diving into broad social issues tied to salmon, with the hope of finding solutions to longstanding conflicts and future challenges.… Continue reading

A participant in the Kenai River Junior Classic holds up a silver salmon she caught Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2017 near Soldotna, Alaska. The event, organized by Soldotna-based sportfishing organization the Kenai River Sportfishing Association, brings kids from all over Southcentral Alaska to learn about fishing and boating safety followed by a fishing trip with professional guides on the Kenai River. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)
Dave Atcheson ties a fly for fly fishing at Kenai Peninsula College’s student service Thursday March 8 in Soldotna. Atcheson teaches a beginning fly fishing course at the college that is open to the public. Deadline for registration is March 19. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)

Spring into the fishing season

On a lake somewhere in Alaska sometime before he became the avid fly tier he is today, Dave Atcheson had big excitement for catching a… Continue reading

Dave Atcheson ties a fly for fly fishing at Kenai Peninsula College’s student service Thursday March 8 in Soldotna. Atcheson teaches a beginning fly fishing course at the college that is open to the public. Deadline for registration is March 19. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)

Poor northern Cook Inlet king returns lead to closures

King salmon runs to the Susitna River aren’t looking good for 2018, leading to closures in both the commercial fisheries and sportfisheries of Upper Cook… Continue reading

Attendees of various user groups crowd near the front of the room during a break at the Board of Fisheries’ Upper Cook Inlet meeting Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2017 in Anchorage, Alaska. (DJ Summers/Alaska Journal of Commerce)

Board of Fish to meet on peninsula in 2020

Central Kenai Peninsula fishermen will get to stay at home for the 2020 Board of Fisheries meeting. For the first time in 20 years, the… Continue reading

Attendees of various user groups crowd near the front of the room during a break at the Board of Fisheries’ Upper Cook Inlet meeting Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2017 in Anchorage, Alaska. (DJ Summers/Alaska Journal of Commerce)

Fish board approves rotenone use in Tote Road lakes

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has the first stamp of approval for its project to eliminate the last known populations of northern pike… Continue reading

A salmon leaps above the surface of the Kenai River as it makes its way upstream near Centennial Park on Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2017 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Kenai plans second silver salmon derby

Kenai is taking another swing at hosting a silver salmon derby this fall. The city of Kenai and the Kenai Chamber of Commerce have obtained… Continue reading

A salmon leaps above the surface of the Kenai River as it makes its way upstream near Centennial Park on Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2017 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

KPBSD students take to ice for annual fishing day

A conspiracy was developing among the elementary schools student on the ice atop Sport Lake on Thursday: clearly, only the holes further out would produce… Continue reading

A pink salmon fights to escape an angler’s hook Aug. 24, 2016, near the Soldotna Visitor’s Center in Soldotna. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

Congress appropriates $200M for fisheries disasters

Commercial fishermen across the Gulf of Alaska might finally receive some checks from the federal government after the pink salmon disaster in 2016. The most… Continue reading

A pink salmon fights to escape an angler’s hook Aug. 24, 2016, near the Soldotna Visitor’s Center in Soldotna. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)
Anglers try their luck for king salmon on the Anchor River on Saturday, May 20, 2017 in Anchor Point, Alaska. (Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Fishing license sales drop in 2017

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s sportfishing license sales fell last year, even while its revenue from license sales increased. The department was expecting… Continue reading

Anglers try their luck for king salmon on the Anchor River on Saturday, May 20, 2017 in Anchor Point, Alaska. (Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Local governments try again for central peninsula fish board meeting

Editor's note: This story has been changed to clarify the Board of Fish's meeting location decision at their October 2017 worksession. Advocates are again seeking… Continue reading

Fish and Game looks to spread use of rockfish deepwater release devices

Editor's note: This story has been updated to correct the fact that nonpelagic rockfish experience barotrauma no matter how fast they are reeled up by anglers.… Continue reading