Katherine Rose, Author at KCAW

Aerial surveys start earlier Wednesday as fishery remains on notice

Several vessels went out to conduct test sets on Tuesday, but that’s as close as seiners got to hauling in any herring. While the fishery remains on 2-hour notice, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game hasn’t yet found the conditions right to open the fishery.

At seiners’ meeting, demonstrators call to ‘Protect the Herring’

People filled the chairs and lined the walls at an organizational meeting on Saturday for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, the day before the Sitka Sac Roe Herring Fishery went on 2 hour notice. Around 75 seiners and Sitkans listened as Fish and Game biologists spoke about last year’s fishery and gave an outlook for this year.

Assembly asks for additional $2 million cut from general fund

The Sitka Assembly has directed city staff to cut $2 million dollars from their draft of the general fund budget, after city staff presented them a ‘worst case scenario’ budget built around major cuts to state funding.

Seiners remain on two-hour notice, as samples approach threshold

The Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery is on two-hour notice, but seiners remained in the harbor for a second day in a row on Monday, awaiting a call from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to open the fishery.

Herring fishery goes on two-hour notice this Sunday

The Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery will go on two-hour notice effective 8 a.m. Sunday, March 17. That means a fishery could open as early as 10 a.m. Sunday morning.

Aerial surveys begin as ADF&G prepares for herring fishery

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game began conducting aerial surveys of Sitka Sound today (Tuesday 3-12-19), in preparation for the 2019 Sitka Sac Roe Herring Fishery.

Sludge, scum, and grit take toll on Sitka’s aging wastewater facility

Ever wonder what happens when you flush? KCAW’s Katherine Rose visited Sitka’s wastewater treatment plant to sniff out why a $10 million dollar revitalization project is in the works for the facility that was built almost 40 years ago.

Assembly meeting canceled due to lack of quorum

The Sitka Assembly will not meet tonight (3/12/19). The regular Tuesday meeting was called off earlier this week, due to a lack of quorum. According to Robert’s Rules, a minimum number of voting members must be in attendance in order to call a meeting.

STA seeks City’s support on herring

City and Tribal government leaders broke bread at their biannual government to government meeting on Tuesday night (3/5/19). During a two hour dinner at the Westmark Hotel, five of Sitka’s seven assembly members and Sitka Tribal Council members discussed issues of shared significance to STA and the city, like education, affordable housing, homelessness, and economic development.

Cut PFD before cutting services, say some Sitkans

After hearing a flood of testimony last week (2-28-19), the Senate State Affairs Committee is giving Alaskans two more chances to offer feedback on Senate Bills 23 and 24, legislation that would authorize a full Permanent Fund Dividend and backpay the difference on previously cut PFDs.