Oceans

There is just under a thousand tons of herring left to catch in the Sitka sac roe herring fishery after the last opening on Saturday.

The Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery is in full swing. In less than a week, the fleet has caught over half of its quota. And while most crew members work on the water, spotter pilots fish for herring from the sky.

The Flame Refluxer is essentially a big copper blanket: think Brillo pad of wool sandwiched between mesh. Using it while burning off oil yields less air pollution and residue that harms marine life.

For the Arctic Ocean, winter has been one long warm spell. That’s led to another record-low year for formation of Arctic winter sea-ice cover.

The Bering Sea Bairdi crab fishery stayed closed this year, for the first time in four years. State biologists decided there were too few crab to safely harvest, but fishermen are questioning that decision.

One Juneau couple is whipping up a recipe to make local kelp an enticing business and snack. They’re part of a growing number of startups that see Alaska seaweed as a marketable food.