Although there’s no decision yet, a panel of judges expressed sympathy for the coastal communities that could be hurt by the order.
Oceans
Judge suspends controversial federal Cook Inlet lease sale, citing impacts on beluga whales
A federal judge is sending Interior Department officials back to the drawing board after concluding a Cook Inlet oil and gas lease sale didn’t adequately consider the possible impacts on endangered beluga whales in the area. The ruling temporarily suspends a lease held by dominant Cook Inlet producer Hilcorp. The privately held Texas-based oil and…
Invasive European green crabs are expanding their territory in Southeast Alaska
Officials say if the crabs keep marching north, it could have serious effects on Alaska’s commercial and subsistence fisheries.
A petition to put king salmon on the endangered species list is raising alarm across Alaska
The petition from a Washington-based conservancy group is just the first major step in a longer regulatory process, but many say it could have far-reaching implications.
Decades ago, sperm whales learned how to raid fishermen’s lines of black cod. Now, an Alaska man is charged with killing one.
A Ketchikan fisherman has pleaded guilty in federal court to killing an endangered sperm whale in a first-of-its-kind case.
Biologists describe freeing Unalaska whale from ‘life-threatening entanglement’
The whale cooperated during the rescue and even seemed curious at times.