An update on the F/V Arctic Sea grounding

Readers will recall the Jan. 5 wreck of the fishing vessel Arctic Sea along the rugged north coast of St. George Island and the rescue of nine crew.

The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation has released a new situation report on the wreck concluding: "No further spill response or cleanup actions are required at this time."

As for salvage, the report says: "Resolve Marine has been contracted to perform the wreck removal. Work is scheduled to begin in early August 2026 and should be completed before the Bering Sea winter season begins."

Port Moller limbo

A recent court order calls into question the ownership of a remote Southwest Alaska seafood processing plant.

The Port Moller plant was among assets of failed processor Peter Pan. The plant was sold at auction in 2024 to Rodger May, who was Peter Pan's owner, and a Washington court approved the sale.

But on July 9, Alaska Superior Court Judge Laura Hartz ruled the Washington court lacked jurisdiction to dispose of property in Alaska without approval of the Alaska court.

The judge concluded that John Ketcham, who had loaned Peter Pan money, has a first priority lien against the Port Moller plant.

The plant currently is under lease to Silver Bay Seafoods, which is using it not to process fish but to provide support services for area fleets.

Blotter

Lots of enforcement news over on our sister blog The Brig.

Bristol Bay homicide investigation

The Alaska State Troopers today posted this press release.

State records list a Henry Ayojiak, of Manokotak, as a Bristol Bay salmon setnet permit holder.

Juneau watch

The Legislative Budget and Audit Committee tomorrow will consider a special audit request from Rep. Louise Stutes, R-Kodiak, chair of the House Fisheries Committee.

She's seeking a review of how the Alaska Board of Fisheries has been conducting business of late, saying the board has "lost the public's trust."

Here's the committee agenda. The hearing begins at 8:30 a.m. and will be teleconferenced.

Salmon notes

• The Bristol Bay catch now stands at 23.6 million sockeye toward a preseason harvest forecast of 32.3 million.

• Dillingham radio station KDLG has a report on the Northline Seafoods freezer barge and its alliance this season with Silver Bay Seafoods. Listen to it here.

• The Southeast Alaska summer Chinook troll fishery appears to be progressing slowly and will remain open "until further notice," the Alaska Department of Fish and Game said yesterday. "Based on landed catch and reported harvest onboard freezer vessels to date, less than 40,000 of the 83,700 Chinook salmon allocation has been harvested over the first 10 days of the fishery."

• Looking farther south, to Canada, the forecasted run size for Fraser River sockeye is 7.7 million fish, the Pacific Salmon Commission reports.

What's behind the decline of Yukon Chinook?

Increased natural mortality associated with Bering Sea marine heatwaves is "an important driver" of the Yukon River Chinook salmon crash, a new study finds.

The study also "found no evidence that harvest of adult salmon or bycatch removals prior to spawning have been significant factors in population level declines of Yukon River Chinook," says this write-up from NOAA Fisheries.