Outdoors

Despite the lingering effects of winter, spring whaling has begun in Arctic Alaska and seal hunters are also heading to the coast from Chevak in the Southwest part of the state.

Alaska Department of Fish and Game sampling for sport-caught ling cod, rockfish, and king and coho salmon has been scheduled for various ports in Southeast Alaska.

There are more questions than answers about the problems facing fisheries in Cook Inlet. And scientists working on those problems are chronically short on time and funding. But a new fisheries program at Alaska Pacific University in Anchorage has students tackling some important research questions.

It took several tries, and neither Shell nor the federal government announced the results. But a contractor successfully deployed Shell’s Arctic oil-spill containment system in Samish Bay in March.

As the Alaska Marine Highway System approaches its 50th anniversary, the ferry is struggling with its identity. Under intense pressure to cut costs, the ferry’s managers are trying to get back to basics — transporting Alaskans and their freight.