Aleutians

Video: NOAA puts Pribilof Islands documentary online

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has posted on YouTube its 2009 documentary on the Unangan people of the Pribilof Islands, "People of the Seal." The hourlong film was nominated for best documentary at the American Indian Film Festival. Produced by NOAA for the Pribilof Islands Environmental Restoration Project, it looks at the decline of the fur seal population but also "paints a rich portrait of tribal life on the islands," writes High Country News.

Rural Alaska air travel subsidies survive budget cuts

Subsidies for rural Alaska air travel survived the cost cutting talk as Congress passed a four-year funding bill for the Federal Aviation Administration on Monday after years of dispute.

FAA bill speeds switch to GPS for airliners

Unalaska police blotter: Snow rage erupts

Public Safety – A man who was peeved about the amount of snow pushed against his home by road crews vented his frustration by rolling large snow boulders into the roadway. An officer advised against this course of action and helped the perturbed citizen remove said boulders from the road.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3

Unalaska medical clinic bans 'Deadliest Catch' filming

Apparently no health care provider working at the Unalaska clinic wants to be a "rock star" on the "Deadliest Catch" reality TV series. So the Iliuliuk Family and Health Services board of directors has voted unaminously not to grant access to the show's video crews when patients are being treated in the clinic, reports the newly revived Dutch Harbor Fisherman newspaper.

Unalaska police blotter: Rudeness can get you grounded

Here are further highlights from the police log of the Unalaska Department of Public Safety. Read more from the log via the Dutch Harbor Telegraph. For background on the UDPS police blotter, see Dutch Harbor: The police blotter heard 'round the world (Los Angeles Times, Feb. 5, 2009)

Ice in Bering Sea threatens crab fishery

Sea ice is encroaching unusually early on the central Bering Sea, threatening to grind Alaska's economically important snow crab fishery to a halt at the peak of the season, leaving crabbers facing major losses.

Techs will attempt to fix disabled ship northwest of Adak

The owners of a ship disabled about 40 miles northwest of Adak are flying technicians to Alaska to attempt to fix the vessel's steering system.

Biologists think big cut needed in North Pacific halibut catch

Biologists for the International Pacific Halibut Commission say the sustainable halibut catch may be less than half its current level. With an adjustment for past overestimates, the sustainable limit may be as little as 15.3 million pounds, down from 41 million this year, they say.

Man found dead aboard fishing boat in Dutch Harbor

Unalaska police are awaiting autopsy results for a crewman found dead of unknown causes on a fishing vessel docked in Dutch Harbor, the chief of police said.

Coast Guard reports no storm-related boat assists

As of Wednesday afternoon, the Coast Guard had not received any calls for assistance from fishing vessels in the Bering Sea as a massive storm continued to batter Western Alaska, a Coast Guard spokeswoman said.

Unalaska police blotter: True taxi tales

Assistance Rendered - Taxi driver requested assistance with a man who refused to leave her taxi. He left when he heard the driver calling police, but failed to pay for his fare. The taxi driver decided she didn't care about getting the $27 fare from the man but wanted to make sure his backpack and cell phone were returned to him. Continued on jump

'Deadliest Catch' crewman falls ill, rescued by Coast Guard

The U.S. Coast Guard says rescuers flew a "Deadliest Catch" crewmember to a remote clinic in Alaska after he collapsed and showed signs of shock and dehydration on board a fishing vessel in the Bering Sea.

Coast Guard stands by as storm approaches

Coast Guard personnel are watching and waiting for the effects of a massive storm in the Bering Sea, where red king crab fishing was nearing its end for the season, a Coast Guard spokeswoman said.

Cleveland Volcano alert level lowered

Scientists have lowered the alert level for Cleveland Volcano in the Aleutian Islands.

Alert level for remote Alaska Cleveland Volcano lowered

Scientists have lowered the alert level for Cleveland Volcano in the Aleutian Islands.

Lightning detection could confirm volcano eruptions

Website: AVO Cleveland volcano monitoring page

Strong quake hits remote area of Aleutians

A strong earthquake hit in a remote region of the Aleutian Islands around midnight Sunday, but officials say there are no reports of any damage.

Lightning detection could confirm volcano eruptions

Lightning flashes through a cloud of ash pouring out of a remote Alaska volcano. A radio signal from the electrical discharge travels thousands of miles in milliseconds and gets picked up by dozens of antennas.

More about Alaska volcanoes

Fire knocks out engine on catcher-processor

A Kodiak-based catcher-processor was being escorted to Dutch Harbor on Friday after fire knocked out its starboard main engine.

Open doors faulted in fatal 2008 fishing boat sinking

Watertight doors left open on an overloaded fishing vessel during a storm likely caused the boat to sink off the coast of Alaska's Aleutian Islands, according to a report released Tuesday by federal investigators.

PDF: NTSB report on Katmai sinking

Ship's crew won't face charges

A NOAA Fisheries spokeswoman says she doesn't expect charges to be filed against the crew of a ship suspected of illegal fishing.