Yukon River

After a disastrous king salmon return last year, the state of Alaska is putting millions of dollars toward better understanding what's happening to the large fish. As part of the Chinook salmon research initiative, researchers with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game are preparing to implement new research into the state's King salmon runs. Thirty million dollars has been dedicated to the new research over the next five years. Twelve Chinook salmon stalks from the Yukon River to South East Alaska will be monitored throughout their life cycle to better understand what's happening to the fish.

Galena became the most recent area experiencing abnormal flooding along the Yukon River on Monday. Jeremy Zidek, of the Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, says the late spring and rapid warm-up is partially to blame. “The problem is we've had a warming trend that has melted a lot of that snow, and dumped a tremendous amount of water into the river,” Zidek said. “As the water is going down, it's encountering in-place ice. It backs up a little bit, pushes it back, backs up again,” and continues down the river.

Floodwaters have receded from Galena but basic services have to be restored before residents can return, according to state officials and responders. The Yukon River swelled over its banks last week, affecting 240 homes in Galena according to the Red Cross of Alaska. Receding waters revealed washed-out roads and toppled power lines, leaving the town's basic services disrupted. Following a disaster declaration by Gov. Sean Parnell, the state is tapping into its disaster relief fund to assist several communities along the river recover from severe spring flooding.

by The Associated Press Wednesday, January 27, 2010 FAIRBANKS, Alaska -- The Alaska Board of Fisheries has heard impassioned testimony from fishermen about Yukon River king salmon, the state's largest subsistence fishery. A standing-room-only crowd of about 150 greeted the board Tuesday on the first day of a six-day meeting in Fairbanks. People living on the upper river are arguing for proposals to get more and larger fish on spawning grounds, while those from the lower river want to reject the same proposals.

by The Associated Press Wednesday, July 14, 2010 FAIRBANKS, Alaska -- State and federal fisheries managers have asked subsistence fishermen on the middle and upper Yukon River to voluntarily cut back on the number of king salmon they catch. Department of Fish and Game biologist Steve Hayes told fishermen that restrictions might be necessary if it appears that not enough fish will reach Canadian spawning grounds. The request did not please fishermen who have been plagued by high water and debris for the past week and are just beginning to put their nets back in the water.

Pitkas Point, a Yup'ik village of 109 people on the Yukon River in Southwest Alaska, recently turned on a new water and sewer system -- ending an era of haul water and honeybuckets.  The Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium completed the three-year, $11 million construction project using local labor -- a temporary job boom in a village where the average per-capita income is less than $11,000 a year. Public health officials say villages without running water have much higher rates of respiratory and skin ailments, especially among children under the age of two. According to data from the U.S. Census, less than .06 percent of the population lacks indoor plumbing, and most of those who do live in Rural Alaska.

Sunny skies will take hold for most of the Interior later this afternoon.  Sufficient instability could lead to a late day shower or isolated thunderstorm over the mountains.  These showers will be slow moving.  If they do manage to make their way very far off the mountains, sprinkles are about all that most populated areas will see. Clouds this morning and sprinkles or light showers persist in Southcentral.  As a weak area of low pressure dissipates...

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game expects the state to meet its escapement goal for king salmon on the Yukon River, but it came at a heavy cost to area residents. Under an international treaty 42,500 chinook salmon are required to make it to the spawning grounds in Canada.  The Department closed periods of subsistence fishing on the first two pulses of early run king salmon in order to allow a greater number of kings to reach the spawning grounds.  "That was a major contributor," Dr. Katie Howard, Arctic-Yukon-Kuskokwim regional biologist for ADF&G, said.

Floodwaters in Galena forced more residents from their homes as evacuations continued Wednesday. State emergency officials say more than 300 people have been evacuated out of Galena, or left on their own after Yukon River flooding hit the community hard. Wednesday afternoon, river forecasters with the National Weather Service said chunks of ice along a small portion of the ice jam -- which spans about 30 miles -- broke free and released some floodwaters. National Weather Service hydrologist Scott Lindsey says floodwaters in Galena could soon recede if the ice continues to deteriorate.

The body of a Marshall man sought by both Alaska State Troopers and volunteer searchers was found floating in the Yukon River Friday, ending more than a week of efforts to locate him alive. Alaska State Troopers spokesperson Beth Ipsen says a St. Mary's trooper on patrol found 33-year-old Paul Tinker's body about a mile and a half downriver from Marshall. Tinker was last seen on the evening of Aug. 19 headed upriver in a 21-foot Catalina skiff with an unknown destination. Troopers in St. Mary's were informed of his disappearance the next day. An official search for Tinker extended from Aug. 21 through Aug. 25, involving up to 19 boats as well as specialized sonar systems and dragging gear before it was suspended.