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Unalaska could see winds of up to 100 miles per hour on Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.The federal agency has issued a high wind warning for the Eastern Aleutians including Unalaska and Nikolski from 10 a.m to 9 p.m. Saturday with south to southwest winds of 50 to 70 mph. The strongest winds of around 90 mph are expected from noon to 4 p.m., with gusts up to 100 mph possible, as winds move through the mountains.
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Encounters with humans from 2017 to 2021 killed hundreds of Steller sea lions and other marine mammals that swim in Alaska waters, along with dozens of Alaska whales, according to a new federal report.
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When scientists estimated that more than 10 billion snow crab had disappeared from the Eastern Bering Sea between 2018 and 2021, industry stakeholders and fisheries scientists had several ideas about where they’d gone. Some thought bycatch, disease, cannibalism, or crab fishing, while others believed it could be predation from other sea animals like Pacific cod. But now, scientists say they’ve distinguished the most likely cause for the disappearance. The culprit is a marine heatwave between 2018 and 2019, according to a new study authored by a group of scientists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
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The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting warmer than average temperatures in the Aleutians this winter. According to NOAA’s annual winter weather report, El Niño conditions and climate change are to blame for the warm temperatures.
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The Alaska Salmon Research Task Force is seeking public input on its report about Alaska salmon and their life cycles. Members of the federal group — which formed in June — are tasked with building a report on data gaps in Pacific salmon research and supporting sustainable management of declining salmon stocks, especially in the Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers.
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A federal government shutdown likely won’t affect the start of a Bristol Bay red king crab season, according to fisheries officials.The North Pacific Fishery Management Council will meet in early October to discuss opening the crab fishery, which has been closed since 2021. The federal government shutdown, which could start Sunday, wouldn’t stop the regional council from meeting, but it could affect whether or not the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration can distribute IFQ or Individual Fishing Quota, following the Council’s recommendation.
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Scientists aboard a federal research vessel may have discovered two new species in the Aleutian Islands this summer.
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Starting in January, the fleet will fish under a “rationalization” system where each catcher vessel will have a maximum catch limit, which will be assigned through quota.
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The NOAA research vessel Okeanos Explorer recently stopped by Unalaska. The crew is mapping the floor of the Bering Sea as part of Seascape Alaska, a five-month project that started in May of this year.
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The Okeanos Explorer docked in Unalaska last month, after finishing its first of six expeditions, mapping out the deep seafloor around the Aleutian Islands and discovering three gas seeps. According to NOAA, the discovery is crucial because these gas seeps can create unique surrounding habitats and provide potential sources of alternative energy and biopharmaceuticals.