Environment

The Trump administration last month proposed to narrow the scope of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. That could have profound impacts on how industry players approach development in Alaska.

Lichens are a critical food source for the caribou herd that lives on the Nushagak Peninsula. But as the caribou thrive, they are depleting the photosynthetic composites they depend on.  

Nushagak Cooperative's contentious hydroelectric project could lower high energy costs and tap into clean, renewable energy. But it would be built next to one of the region’s main salmon rivers in the nation’s largest state park. 

The Federal Subsistence Board voted Tuesday to pass a temporary special action reducing the bag limit for a herd that is vital to subsistence hunting in Southwest Alaska. 

The Bristol Bay Regional Advisory Council  led a heated discussion about management of the Mulchatna herd at its meeting in Dillingham last week. It also voted to support four of five regional subsistence proposals and oppose one statewide proposal. 

The Mulchatna herd was only half of the minimum population objective this year. Now a proposal to reduce federal subsistence harvest limits is on the table.

It was an exceptionally hot summer. Heat records for water and land temperatures were broken. There were recorded sightings of dead animals washing up along the state’s coast. And just when everyone thought summer was over, a dead shark washed up in Port Heiden on the Alaska Peninsula.

Units 17B and C are open for moose hunting. This season, river water levels are low and local bear sightings are prevelant. But those bears should not pose a threat to moose population.

This year saw record-breaking temperatures in Bristol Bay – part of a temperature trend that spans decades. As the waters warm, what could happen to the salmon?