Episodes

VALDEZ, Alaska – Anglers are already catching pink salmon in Port Valdez and young anglers will have a chance to catch them and win prizes this Saturday, July 20^th in the Valdez Kids Pink Salmon Derby. This free one-day kids derby is open to ages 5 to 16 and features 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd place prizes in four different age divisions. The Valdez Kids Pink Salmon Derby started in 2008 and a 10.12 pound pink salmon caught by Alex Plowman in 2017 is the largest caught on record. Last year, Liliana Garcia of Fairbanks had the distinction of winning the largest fish in the 2018 Kids Pink Derby with the 7.80 pounder she caught to win the 8 to 10 year-old division. A free family barbeque and awards will follow the day of fishing. The first 300 kids to stop by the weigh-in will get a free t-shirt. Valdez Fish Derbies dates, prizes, rules, winners, pictures and more can be found at www.valdezfishderbies.com.

The Valdez Silver Salmon Derby also starts this Saturday and anglers are reporting catches of silvers at Goose Island and beyond. Aksel Hutchinson of Valdez reeled in the largest fish in the Valdez Silver Salmon Derby last year. Seven-year-old Hutchison won $10,000 with the 17.28 pound silver he caught August 11^th.

Christine Ives of Fairbanks is still leading the Valdez Halibut Derby with the 285.6 pound fish she caught June 6^th. Christopher Barnes of Moorhead Minnesota is currently holding onto 2^nd place in the overall standings with a 225.6 pound halibut he caught June 24^th and Matt Janezic of Duluth, Minnesota is currently in 3^rd place overall with a 203.4 pound halibut he caught June 28^th.

Halibut fishing has been good for most anglers getting out further, but Alaska Department of Fish and Game suggests you don’t have to travel far. They suggest trying large bait on muddy bottom off a rocky slope in 150 to 300 feet of water. Lingcod season opened July 1^st and many trophy size fish have been brought in to Port Valdez.

For those wanting to target rockfish, shrimp flies are a good option. With a little added bait on your hook and dropping down on a rocky pinnacle you shouldn’t have trouble getting into some fish. Black rockfish have been found in large schools along shorelines and rocky pinnacles on the Eastern side of Prince William Sound. ADF&G says fishing crippled herring jigs or shrimp flies in 50 to 100 feet of water will really do the trick for these hard-hitting fish.

Halibut Derby – Overall Leaders

1^st       Christine Ives              Fairbanks, AK            285.6 lbs.         June 6             Nunatak

2^nd       Christopher Barnes     Moorhead, MN           225.6 lbs.         June 24            Sea Quester

3^rd        Matt Janezic               Duluth, MN                 203.4 lbs.         June 28            Bold Eagle

Halibut Derby – Weekly Winners – July 7^th through July 13^th

1^st        Louis Silva                  North Pole, AK           189.0 lbs.         July 8th           Nunatak

2^nd       Dan Geenen                Sand Point, ID           116.2 lbs.        July 11^th         Hooked Up

BIG LINGCOD AND GOOD CATCHES OF HALIBUT AND ROCKFISH

VALDEZ, Alaska – Big hauls of halibut, lingcod, and rockfish are being laid out on the docks at the Valdez Harbor. Ling Cod season opened July 1^st and some large fish have been brought to Port Valdez. Incredible weather this past week allowed anglers to get to the fishing grounds past Hinchinbrook Island and the fish were biting. Not just halibut, cod and rockfish, but pink salmon as well. According to fish fileter Pat Olson, anglers have caught a few pink salmon fishing from boats near Allison Point. The majority of the pinks are out past the narrows, and anglers venturing out for pink salmon are coming back to Port with their limit already.

Christine Ives is still leading the Valdez Halibut Derby with the 285.6 pound halibut she caught June 6^th aboard the Nunatak. Christopher Barnes is currently in 2^nd place overall with the 225.6 pounder he caught June 24^th aboard the SeaQuester and Matt Janezic is holding onto 3^rd place overall with the 203.4 pounder he caught June 29^th aboard the Bold Eagle.

While sport anglers are heading to the halibut grounds, the commercial charter fleet was just past the narrows seining for pink salmon. According to Valdez Fisheries Development Association, VFDA achieved 73 percent of its cost recovery goal by June 2^nd. A total harvest of 742,943 pounds was recorded. The percentage of female fish was 31% with an average weight of 3.2 pounds. The anticipated return of pink salmon to Valdez this year is in the neighborhood of 20 million.

The Kids Pink Salmon Derby is July 20^th and the biggest pink salmon brought in during the 10 year history of the event is a 10.12 pounder caught by Alex Plowman in 2017. Six of the top 10 fish caught during 2017 Kids Pink Salmon Derby, made the Top 10 list, including all of the top five spots. CLICK HERE for more information about the Kids Pink Salmon Derby. It’s a free event for kids 5 to 16 years of age and includes prizes and a free barbeque. Pink salmon fishing is generally very productive at Allison Point and along the shorelines. Pixies, spinners and Vibrax are all good options.

The Silver Salmon Derby will start July 20^th and the Women’s Derby is Saturday, August 10^th with an opening ceremony on Friday, August 10^th. Valdez Fish Derbies dates, prizes, rules, winners, pictures and more can be found at www.valdezfishderbies.com.

Halibut Derby – Overall Leaders

1^st       Christine Ives              Fairbanks, AK            285.6 lbs.         June 6             Nunatak

2^nd       Christopher Barnes     Moorhead, MN           225.6 lbs.         June 24            Sea Quester

3^rd        Matt Janezic               Duluth, MN                 203.4 lbs.         June 28            Bold Eagle

Halibut Derby – Weekly Winners – June 30^th through July 6^th

1^st        Josh Hughes              Big Lake, AK             182.2 lbs.         July 3              The Reflection

2^nd       Loren Kendall             Valdez, AK                149.2 lbs.         July 3              Victorious

PUBLIC NOTICE

One vacancy to serve a one-year, five-month term, expiring January 2022

One vacancy exists on the Valdez Museum and Historical Archive Association (VMHA)

Board of Directors due to resignation. VMHA board members are appointed by the Valdez

Museum and Historical Archive Association Corporation (Valdez City Council).

The VMHA Board is the Valdez Museum’s governing body and oversees the

management and operation of the museum under contract with the City of Valdez.

Appointments will be made on the basis of the candidate’s willingness to serve in an

unpaid capacity, as well as the candidate’s experience and/or education that may support

and enhance achievement of museum corporation goals to preserve community history

and support community education programs.

Online applications may be submitted through the City’s boards and commissions

application portal at www.valdezak.gov/boardsandcommissions. Paper applications are

available at City Hall and can be submitted by email to aferko@valdezak.gov or dropped

off at the front desk of City Hall.

Deadline for submission is July 17th at 5:00 p.m. for appointment by City Council on August 6th.

Information about specific responsibilities of the Board of Directors may be obtained from

Patty Relay, Museum Executive Director, at prelay@valdezmuseum.org.

Posted 07/03/2019

Allie Ferko, CMC, Deputy City Clerk

PUBLIC NOTICE

One vacancy to serve a three year term, expiring June 2022

The Ports & Harbors Commission is an advisory commission to the City Council and may

recommend policies related to the city’s ports, harbors, and transportation systems.

Commissioners are appointed by Valdez City Council.

The Ports & Harbors Commission advises the City Council on the following areas of public interest

and concern:

• Valdez boat harbors: Development, design, operation, maintenance, tariffs, and fees;
• Valdez port, including all docks: Development, design, operation, maintenance, tariffs,
  

  fees, and stevedore services;

• Valdez airport: Development, design, operation, maintenance, tariffs, and fees;
• Alaska Marine Highway: Equipment, schedules, services, and docks;
• Vehicles for hire, taxicabs, buses, and limousines: Franchises, licenses, fares, routes, and
  

  services;

• Hostler and cartage: Service and tariff within city limits;
• Integration of systems: General integration of the air, highway, and water transportation
  

  systems with the general and industrial development of the city.

One vacancy exists on the commission due to term expiration. Online applications may be

submitted through the City’s boards and commissions application portal at

www.valdezak.gov/boardsandcommissions. Paper applications are available at City Hall and

can be submitted by email to aferko@valdezak.gov or dropped off at the front desk of City Hall.

Deadline for submission is July 17, 2019 at 5:00 p.m. for appointment by City Council on July 6th.

.

Posted 07/03/2019

Allie Ferko, CMC, Deputy City Clerk

Question of the Week Results

The governor is doing what should have been done 5 years ago. Our spending is out of control and is unsustainable. The state government and universities are bloated organizations that don’t perform and the legislature has pissed away $14 billion with nothing to show for it. Things have to change and don’t take my PFD to make up for mismanaging the budget.

– Valdez Resident

The governor is doing a fantastic job despite all of the liberal rhetoric and over rated university budgets. As far as the welfare checks from the PFD, it provides some economic boost to Alaska and helps some of those in need, otherwise most of Alaskans could live without it. Either that or cut out more unnecessary social services and pork. Trim down tourism budgets.

– Larry McIntosh

I think that Dunleavy cutting the budget and keeping the pfd is great because it will allow more things to be privatized. Free market competition will cut out a large amount of the profit government wasted and reduce costs and the people will profit.

– Anonymous

Calling all local Businesses & Organizations: Show off your Gold Rush Days spirit by decorating your office or storefront in a festive Gold Rush theme! Registration is FREE & conveniently online at valdezgoldrushdays.org/forms.

Dress up your place, register by 5PM TUESDAY, July 30^th, and we’ll send the CanCan Girls and a couple random tourists over to judge your stylings on Thursday, August 1^st from 12-2PM.

The winner will be announced live on the Friday edition of Gold Rush Gabby on KVAK and awarded the coveted traveling Leg Lamp, to display throughout the Gold Rush Days Festival.

This year, we also encourage local businesses to create and promote a “Gold Rush Days Promotion or Sale” and to send any and all information on your promotion to valdezgoldrushdays@gmail.com.  We will promote your sale on our social media. For more info on this contest & to register your organization or business for FREE, visit www.valdezgoldrushdays.org/forms

CLICK HERE for registration information

DIRECT LINK TO BUSINESS DECORATING REGISTRATION / INFO: For the latest updates on your favorite Valdez Gold Rush Days events- visit www.valdezgoldrushdays.org for our FULL EVENT CALENDAR! Business Decorating forms can be submitted via email to valdezgoldrushdays@gmail.com.

The City of Valdez opened the new boat harbor this Saturday with a free community barbeque and ribbon cutting. Here are the facts and figures behind the project. The final cost of the new boat harbor is expected to be roughly 82.6 million dollars. The new harbor took 18 months to design and over five years to build. Valdez voters approved a 20 million dollar bond to build the new harbor back in 2012. At that time the project estimate was approximately 60 million dollars and City Manager John Hozey hoped to get 40 million dollars from State and other sources for the project.

Here’s how the final numbers break out:

* 50.4 million (62.9%) – The City of Valdez

* 21.3 million (26.6%) – US Army Corps of Engineers (22.7 total federal contribution inclusive of non-shared costs).

* 8.4 million (10.5%) – Grant Funding

* 0 – State of Alaska

82.6 Million – Includes approximately 2.5 million in contingency reserves

FACTS & MORE NUMBERS

* Officially there are 144 slips and several transient first come, first serve tie up locations

* The dock features a drive down loading float

* Amenities include: Showers, Floating Fish Cleaning stations, 2 separate restroom facilities, security camera monitoring, drive down float with two small 1 ton cranes, small laundry facility, boardwalk and trail connections back to harbor drive, bilge water pump and on-site processor, hazardous waste collection/containment, small office kiosk, maintenance storage building, all season water supply and vessel sewage pump out.

For a detailed construction report as well as month end financials for May, CLICK HERE.

Thanks to Sheri Pierce, Jeremy Talbott and Nathan Duval for providing information for this feature