Background Articles

Adult abundance “well below” fishery thresholds on both beaches. This outcome was not unanticipated, as the department said when opening the fishery in Ninilchik last year that adult abundance met necessary thresholds for allowing harvest — at least meeting or exceeding 50% of the historical average — but juvenile abundance was low, meaning there would likely not be enough adult clams this year or next.

Nome experienced a record-breaking influx of 1,800 cruise ship passengers from the MS Westerdam, enjoying a variety of local tours, cultural presentations, and the Berry Festival during their full-day port of call visit.

A potential rat sighting on St. Paul Island, which has maintained a rat-free status for over two decades, prompts urgent conservation efforts to protect local seabirds and wildlife.

Applications for relief funds from Alaska's 2019 and 2020 crab fisheries disasters are now open, with $13 million allocated for the Bering Sea Tanner crab fishery.

Juneau's king salmon fishery will be closed this summer due to low hatchery returns caused by a 2020 landslide that disrupted the freshwater supply and forced premature salmon release.

As the US grapples with extreme heat, floodwaters force evacuations in the Midwest, including a submerged Iowa town.

Yellowknife is using water from Yellowknife Bay to refill its reservoirs due to unusually high outflow rates at a pumphouse, the cause of which is under investigation.

Alaska's impending water quality regulations may necessitate advanced treatment for contaminants like phthalates in wastewater, posing challenges for local systems to comply with stricter EPA standards.

Yukon likely won't see any major wildfires for at least the next month, emergency officials said at a briefing on Thursday.

NOAA researchers are studying the connection between sea ice retreat and harmful algal blooms in the Bering Sea, aiming to improve prediction and monitoring tools for these events that pose risks to public health and marine ecosystems.

An increase in chum salmon in the Canadian Arctic, potentially linked to climate change, may be the same fish missing from Western Alaska, raising ecological concerns.

Industry representatives assert that trawling near Kuskokwim Bay complies with regulations and does not impact salmon, despite local concerns about habitat damage and fish migration.

Invasive species like green crabs and choke cherry trees are causing environmental and economic harm in Alaska.

A petition to list king salmon as endangered in Alaska faces opposition due to concerns about its impact on local fisheries and management practices.

The institute started monitoring the cyanobacteria situation at the beginning of June and will continue until the end of September.

The EPA is pushing Alaska to update water pollution rules due to Alaskans' high seafood consumption, with state officials acknowledging the need for revised standards.

Scientists are enhancing flood forecasts in Juneau as Suicide Basin refills, following an unexpected record flood last year caused by rapid drainage.

If blazes break out in parts of the Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge, firefighters will protect the layers of forest floor and permafrost that hold carbon.

A study finds that while permafrost thaw in the North is causing local and regional changes, it is not a global climate tipping point.

In Northwest Alaska, the Red Dog mine faces potential delays in expansion, risking future revenue and jobs for the local community, amid environmental and cultural impact concerns.