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In the Sentinel 100, 75, 50 and 25 years ago. November 27, 1913: The Bazaar held by the ladies of the local Catholic Church on Thursday evening at the Redman's Hall was a great success. The attractions were new and afforded great amusement for those who desired to try their luck. The fish pond presided over by Mrs. H.L. Campbell and Miss Schefstad filled the wants of both young and old. Sol LaBounty was there when it came to the game of throwing, “three balls for 10 cents, soak him and you get half a dollar.” Sol did a land office bus...
The Subsistence Division of Alaska Department of Fish and Game is looking to interview local residents about their experiences on the Stikine River as it attempts to better understand Chinook salmon declines. The Chinook Salmon Research Initiative, a state-funded research project aimed at better understanding statewide salmon stocks, is funding the local project. In 2001, fishermen harvested more than 70,000 Chinooks from the Stikine. By 2009, those numbers dipped below 20,000 harvested fish. Rosalie Grant, Subsistence Research Specialist for...
PETERSBURG – This year’s moose hunt is the third highest harvest on record with a total of 85 animals taken from the region. The highest record was in 2009 with 108 moose being harvested and the second was in 2011 with 88 moose taken. Rich Lowell, Area Wildlife Biologist for Alaska Department of Fish and Game, said the majority of moose are taken during the first two weeks of the hunt, which was the case this year as well. Forty-six moose were taken during the first half of the hunt while 39 were taken during the second. “We’re killing more moo...
October 21, 1913: After being in the hands of the court for several years, owing to the death of the owners, Thomas Wilson and Rufas Sylvester, the Wrangell Mills are for the first time clear and when started in the spring it will be a purely local management. The mills were given over from the court to the Wilson and Sylvester Mill Company, Inc. on the first of October which company is composed of Mrs. M.A. Wilson, president, F. Matheson, secretary and H. Gartley, treasurer, who will operate the mill. T.C. McHugh has been appointed the...
Thirty-seven moose have been checked in to Alaska Department of Fish and game this season. Rich Lowell, Area Wildlife Biologist for Alaska Department of Fish and Game, said nineteen moose were checked in during the first week, which is close to average for the last 10 years “Most of the harvest occurs within the first two weeks of the season,” Lowell said. As of yesterday afternoon, 12 moose have been harvested from the Stikine, 12 from Kupreanof and six from Mitkof. Although 12 moose were taken from Kupreanof only six were taken from the Kak...
September 18, 1913: The Norwegian steamer Karen cut the rates between Wrangell and Petersburg so a great many members of the Arctic Brotherhood Camp of Wrangell and friends took advantage of the low rates and attended the dance given by the Petersburg Camp Saturday evening. The party reached Petersburg about six o'clock and were met at the dock by the Petersburg Brass Band and the townspeople who presented the visitors with a large key to the “Welcome and Hospitality” of the city. The music rendered at the dance was exceptionally fine. The hal...
PETERSBURG – Increased water temperatures and low oxygen levels combined with decreased tidal activity in Blind Slough killed around 1,100 King salmon on their way to spawn at the Crystal Lakes Hatchery two weeks ago. A Fish and Game aerial survey taken a week before the salmon died revealed more than 1000 fish holding in deeper areas of Blind River Rapids. Alaska Department of Fish and Game Sport Fish Biologist Doug Fleming says he had been monitoring the salmon because of the warm summer weather. He discovered the fish carcasses Thursday, Jul...
Chinook salmon research money made it through the Alaska legislature this session but most other fish bills flopped. “The department asked and the legislature funded” said Kevin Brooks, Deputy Commissioner of the Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game. “There is a little bit of repackaging, if you will, but there is a lot of money in this budget to do some good work on Chinook, and all species of salmon statewide.” Last November, in response to drastic reductions in king salmon returns and crippling fishing closures, Governor Parnell said his FY2014...
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced last week that the preseason Chinook salmon all-gear harvest quota for Southeast Alaska in 2013 is 176,000 fish. The 2013 quota is 90,000 fish lower than the 2012 allowable preseason Chinook all-gear harvest level of 266,800. The Chinook Technical Committee of the Pacific Salmon Commission determines the annual all-gear quota for Southeast. The quota is based on the forecast of an aggregate abundance of Pacific Coast Chinook salmon stocks subject to management under the treaty. Most Chinook...
Alaska’s Board of Game took a step toward a potential wolf control program on Gravina Island recently when it directed the state to prepare an “operational plan” for the board to consider in March. Meeting earlier this month in Sitka, the board accepted the feasibility studies completed by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game regarding the potential for wolf control programs on Gravina Island and in limited areas near Petersburg to help boost deer populations. “We believe that this is a project that the department could accomplish and be...
The Alaska Board of Game is set to convene the Southeast Region meeting on Jan. 11-15, in Sitka at Harrigan Centennial Hall. The board will consider over 40 proposals regarding hunting and trapping regulations for the Southeast region as well as other topics. The meetings are open to the public and public testimony will be taken. The Department of Fish and Game, local fish and game advisory committees, and the general public seeking adjustments to hunting and trapping regulations in the Southeast region Game Management Units 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 h...
A new mayor, renovations to the Shakes Island Tribal House and Marine Service Center, and the ongoing Wrangell Medical Center debate – all of these stories were newsmakers in 2012. Let’s take a look back at some of the biggest stories in Wrangell over the past year. JANUARY A late night blaze destroyed a trailer and sent a woman to Wrangell Medical Center with severe burns on Dec. 22. The fire, which began at 10:30 p.m. in a small pull-behind trailer near the top of the park, severely inj...
The 2013 preseason terminal run size forecast for large Stikine River king salmon has been set by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game at 22,400 fish. A preseason terminal run forecast of this size does not allow for an allowable catch for either the U.S. or Canada. Therefore, no directed fisheries will occur in early May. An in-season terminal run estimate will be produced in late May. If the first in-season estimate is significantly greater than the pre-season forecast, limited directed king salmon fisheries could occur. The forecast...
Governor Sean Parnell announced last week that his 2014 budget will contain $10 million for the first component of a five-year, $30 million comprehensive Chinook Salmon Research Initiative. The research initiative will increase Alaska’s understanding of factors affecting the abundance of Chinook salmon stocks statewide. It will develop strategies to enhance viability and increase returns, using improved information from 12 indicator river systems from Southeast Alaska to the Arctic. The $10 million will complement existing funds in the Alaska D...
In the Sentinel 100, 75, 50 and 25 years ago. Nov. 28, 1912: Sometime late last week some sneak thief or thieves boarded the launch Bayfield at anchor in the bay and stripped the engine of its fittings, effectually disabling the boat. J.W. Hendrickson, part owner of the boat, discovered the loss Friday when he rowed out to the launch. No clue of the thief can be found and he probably will enjoy the fruits of his criminal energy. Nov. 26, 1937: For the first time in at least 50 years, Wrangell celebrated Thanksgiving yesterday without the...
The results of a six year study on Western salmon will be unveiled this month and the conclusions are not what people of the region had hoped for. Some background: the Western Alaska Salmon Stock Identification Project (WASSIP) was created in 2006 by a group of eleven signers to a memorandum of understanding including Aleut Corporation, Aleutians East Borough, Association of Village Council Presidents, Bering Sea Fishermen’s Association, Bristol Bay Native Association, Concerned Area M Fishermen, Kawerak, Lake and Peninsula Borough, Tanana Chie...
In the Sentinel 100, 75, 50 and 25 years ago. Oct. 24, 1912: Charles Benjamin, who has had the entire management of the Cash Store since former owner F.C. Miles went back to California last November, has recently purchased the property and the lot facing Front Street, which will soon be occupied by a two-story addition to the store which will give a much needed Front Street entrance and plenty of room for a growing business. Work on the addition started Monday under the supervision of W.G. Brown. Oct. 22, 1937: E. W. Harrington, who for the...
State fishery managers are asking for input from Alaskans to help solve the case of disappearing king salmon. A letter went out last week from Alaska Department of Fish and Game Commissioner Cora Campbell inviting stakeholders to a two day symposium in Anchorage later this month titled ‘Understanding Abundance and Productivity Trends of Chinook salmon in Alaska.’ The stated goal is ‘to increase understanding and develop the most complete research plan possible.’ A draft analysis by a newly appointed fisheries research team represents initial...
For the first time in many years, a registration hunt is planned for brown bears in Game Management Units 7 and 15 on the Kenai Peninsula. The hunt opens October 1. Permits became available beginning Wednesday, Sept. 19, through the Alaska Department of Fish. The hunt is open to residents and non-residents; a guide must accompany non-residents. For the past five years, brown bear hunting on the Kenai Peninsula has been available through a drawing system. At the January 2012 meeting, the Alaska Board of Game changed this system to a registration...
(AP) JUNEAU – Brown bear hunting season in Southeast Alaska opened Saturday, Sept. 15. The opening applies to the area known as Game Management Unit 4, which encompasses Admiralty, Baranof and Chichagof islands. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game said the season is scheduled to run through Dec. 31. According to officials, hunters must obtain a valid hunting license and a locking big-game tag. Hunters also must have a current registration permit, which is valid for taking one brown bear within the unit. A guide must accompany nonresident h...
In the Sentinel 100, 75, 50 and 25 years ago. September 19, 1912: The delay in passing the appropriation bill has made it impossible for the U.S. Geological Survey to carry out all the field plans for Alaska that had been fromulated in 1912, but the funds that became available by emergency appropriations made it possible to dispatch several of the smaller parties for a full season's work. In southeastern Alaska, the survey proposes this year to study the gypsum and marble deposits. E.F. Blanchard, who sailed from Seattle about the first of...
Alaska State fishery managers have determined that a mile-long oil sheen northwest of Sitka is from a fishing boat that sank earlier this month. The F/V Evening Star, a 50-foot seiner home-ported in Ilwaco, Wash., sank on Aug. 2 in nearly 60 feet of water during a fishing trip in Slocum Arm, which is about 40 miles northwest of Sitka. The vessel was reported at the time to have had as much as 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel aboard. According to witnesses on board, the vessel capsized while pulling...
Over the course of five days – and nearly 50 different events – Bearfest 2012 was celebrated in Wrangell without a hitch July 25-29. The 3rd annual event, which included classes ranging from digital photography and Photoshop editing skills, to gun safety and ways to live in peace with our furry neighbors, is the brainchild of local outfitter Sylvia Ettefagh. Ettefagh said the event is growing in size and what it can offer to the community and those who visit from abroad. “For one thing, the t...
The OceansAlaska Marine Science Center has barely opened its doors and tiny oysters are already growing out at the new floating facility at George Inlet in Ketchikan. The 28-acre site was granted to the non-profit by the state and Ketchikan borough in 2006. The Center houses the first home grown source of oyster ‘seed’ for Alaska growers, and aims to be the go to place for mariculture research and training. There are 29 shellfish farms producing in Alaska so far in Southcentral and Southeast regions. The main crop is oysters, with sales val...
For patrons of Muskeg Meadows golf course, at least three fairways are interfering in their game – courtesy of the ubiquitous ravens seen throughout Wrangell Island. According to course co-manager Shannon Booker, flocks of up to 50 ravens at one time have been digging into the fairway looking for grubs and other insects on which to feed. The result has been a tremendous upheaval of grass leading to No. 3, 4 and 5 holes, as well as minor damage to every other hole except Nos. 1 and 9. It’s in...