Science & Environment

A rat is loose on St. Paul Island. And that’s a big deal because the Pribilof Islands have always been rat free.

Steve Delehanty, Refuge Manager for the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, says rats bring significant economic and environmental concerns.

“They damage people’s property. They damage food storage. They damage ship and boat electronics. They damage wildlife,” Delehanty said. “They eat birds, they eat bird eggs, they eat chicks. They can also transmit diseases.”

  Issued September 7, 2018

Silvers are in at many local creeks. Town Creek and Captain’s Bay have been good along with Nateekin and Broad Bay. Crabbing and halibut fishing can still be good through September as well! Be sure to make note of sport fishing regulations for the area the you plan to fish as they do change throughout the season and between rivers in the area.

Regulation reminders:

Unalaska's first drone-operated salmon survey is now underway.

The Unalaska Native Fishermen's Association (UNFA) has hired Andy Dietrick — of Aleutian Aerial LLC — to capture video of salmon habitat at Unalaska Lake, Summer Bay Lake, and Morris Cove.

The goal is to estimate the size of the island's largely unmonitored fish populations. To collect that data, Dietrick is filming in a 35-millimeter format that approaches "cinema quality." 

This week, Unalaska is hosting an international gathering of scientists, wildlife managers, and indigenous leaders — all focused on biodiversity in the circumpolar north.

It's a meeting of the Arctic Council's working group for the Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF), currently chaired by the United States.

The group conducts habitat research, tracks native and invasive species, and encourages local engagement in environmental issues across the world's eight Arctic nations.

Since May, hundreds of dead and dying seabirds have been found across the northern Bering and southern Chukchi Seas.

The National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have labeled the event a die-off and are coordinating monitoring efforts with local communities.

"These birds have been starving," said wildlife biolgoist Kathy Kuletz of USFWS. "They're very emaciated. Their muscles have atrophied."