Feds investigate ‘large balloon’ found by fishermen near Alaska’s Aleutian chain

Commercial fishermen off the coast of Alaska found what the U.S. Department of Defense is calling a “large balloon with payload” and delivered it to the U.S. Coast Guard in Dutch Harbor.

Officials haven’t confirmed when the balloon was found but reporters with KUCB saw a bundle of parachute-like material being loaded onto a Coast Guard C-130 airplane on March 2. The balloon was sent to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage for further investigation.

In a statement, U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski referred to the balloon as an “item of national interest.”

According to the Department of Defense, the balloon was caught in the nets of an unnamed American fishing vessel and the Coast Guard asked the fishermen to store the materiel on board until docking in Dutch Harbor.

Multiple agencies will analyze the object to learn more about its origin and purpose.

“We do not know why the balloon was in the waters off the coast of Alaska nor are we going to characterize it at this time,” wrote Department of Defense spokesperson Sue Gough in an email.

The FBI and Alaska National Guard were also involved in the recovery.