Wed, 12/23/2020 - 9:08am
High-value halibut is still declining in the North Pacific, but the 2020 surveys revealed just a 1 percent drop in the stock as the International Pacific Halibut Commission prepares to set harvest quotas for 2021 in January at its annual meeting. (Photo/Kelly Jordan Photography/Sitka Salmon Shares)
Going into 2021, salmon fishermen have some unanswered questions and at least a few promising forecasts to look forward to.
Following the trend of the last several years, the salmon forecast for the 2021 salmon season in Bristol Bay looks positive. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is forecasting a total return of about 51 million sockeye salmon, with an inshore run of about 50 million. That’s about 6 percent better than the average for the last decade and 45 percent greater than the long-term average.
Wed, 12/16/2020 - 9:10am
Downtown Anchorage was quiet as people stayed away hours before a city “hunker down” order took effect on March 22. The beginning of shutdowns across the state in response to the COVID-19 pandemic turned the Alaska economy upside down with negative effects on nearly every sector and sending the state back into a recession. (Photo/Bill Roth/Anchorage Daily News)
There is only one top story for 2020, but the tentacles of the COVID-19 virus have proven so far-reaching that it cannot be summed up with a single headline, despite the countless internet memes attempting to do so. The 2020 Year in Review looks back at the top 10 stories as the pandemic touched every reach of Alaska.