Alaska SeaGrant officials are working on a tester for paralytic shellfish poisoning, an illness that can cause tingling in the lips, tongue, fingers and toes and eventual breathing problems. Officials say testing currently costs $125 per test and has a time delay, as samples need to be sent in to the state.
Wildlife
Plankton population and the power of pink salmon
Although plankton might seem like an ecological afterthought, biological oceanographer Sonia Batten disagrees. She calls them the most important organisms in the ocean.
Coast Guard airlifts 2 guides mauled by bear in Alaska
A man and a woman mauled by a bear in Alaska were airlifted by a Coast Guard helicopter to receive medical treatment. The two are wilderness guides who were leading a group of cruise ship passengers on a hike about 30 miles north of Sitka, the Coast Guard said.
Shrimp grown in tanks make a splash, coming to a market near you
The U.S. appetite for shrimp is often fed in unsavory ways, with seafood produced unsustainably, sometimes with slave labor. In New York’s Hudson Valley, an indoor aqua farm is raising an alternative.
Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge to celebrate 75th anniversary
The Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge will celebrate its 75th anniversary this weekend and take the opportunity to acknowledge some of its accomplishments and contributions since its establishment in 1941.
Petition sent to Walker asking for predator control reform
A petition signed by 150 Alaskans sent to Gov. Bill Walker, asks for changes to state predator control programs.
The letter sent Monday asked the governor to replace lethal predator control methods with non-lethal techniques, to terminate use of radio collars to locate and kill wolves, and to prohibit intensive management programs within 5 miles of federal conservation lands, like national parks.
According to petitioner, wildlife advocate and biologist Rick Steiner of Anchorage, signers hail from 28 Alaska communities and include former Alaska Board of Game members, and a former Fish & Game Commissioner.