Episodes

VALDEZ, Alaska – An angler from the interior is holding 1st place on the Valdez Fish Derbies leaderboard in the early stages of the Valdez Halibut Derby. Doris Miller of North Pole, Alaska is currently in first place overall with a 109.6 pound halibut she caught aboard the Dan Orion May 21st. Amanda Von Imhof of Anchorage, AK is currently in 2nd place with a 107.8 pound halibut caught May 26th aboard the Go Get Her and Rosina Mancari of Anchorage, AK is currently in 3rd place with a 107.4 pound halibut caught May 24th aboard the Reel Nuts.

The investment to compete in the Valdez Halibut Derby and have the chance to win the $10,000 first place prize is $10 for a daily ticket. Those who fish a lot can pick up a halibut season ticket for $50. The 2nd place prize in the Halibut Derby is $3,000 and 3rd place prize is $1,500.

Those with a halibut derby ticket are eligible to participate in the Halibut Hullabaloo tournament for no additional cost. The angler catching the largest halibut in the derby between June 7th through 16th will win $1,000 cash in addition to the regular derby prizes.

A huge bonus for anglers hitting the waters early this year is the opportunity to see whales and wildlife in the Port Valdez and throughout Prince William Sound. Stan Stephens Cruises operates a glacier and wildlife cruise out of Valdez and this past week alone have reported sightings of humpback whales, Dall’s porpoise, Stellar Sea Lions, mountain goats, black bear as well as shorebirds such as the surf scoter, puffins and oystercatchers.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game reports that halibut fishing has been good and suggests that you don’t have to fish deep to get into some rockfish. Rocky areas are a favorite for rockfish. Rockfish limits year-round are 4 fish per day and 8 in possession of which only one per day and possession can be nonpelagic rockfish. The shrimp season began April 15th and will close on September 15th. You are required to have a shrimp permit with you and you must record your catch immediately after you harvest shrimp. ADF&G recommends that you stick to a depth range of around 300 to 400 feet for shrimp pots if you are just starting out. For those wanting to fish along the road system, Blueberry and Thompson Lakes will be stocked toward the end of June. Ruth Pond in Valdez will also be stocked toward the end of June.

The Valdez Fish Derbies will be hosting the Kids Pink Salmon Derby Saturday, July 20th. There will be a 1st, 2nd and 3rd place prize for four different age divisions. The Kids Derby is free and open to kids five to 16 years of age. Valdez Fish Derbies tickets are available at the weigh-in shack down by the harbor and at various locations throughout town. For more information visit: www.valdezfishderbies.com.For more information on the Valdez Derbies, visit: www.valdezfishderbies.com

Halibut Derby – Overall Leaders

1st Doris Miller North Pole, AK 109.6 lbs. May 21 Dan Orion

2nd Amanda Von Imhof Anchorage, AK 107.8 lbs. May 26 Go Get Her

3rd Rosina Moncari Anchroage, AK 107.4 lbs. May 24 Reel Nuts

Halibut Derby – Weekly Winners – Week #2

1st Amanda Von Imhof Anchorage, AK 107.8 lbs. May 26 Go Get Her

2nd Craig Villante Lakeland, FL 98.6 lbs. June 1 Sea Quester

Data collected will support improved oil spill prevention and response

The Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council has recently been working with regional partners to deploy two new weather buoys in Port Valdez. These buoys will collect data to improve understanding of the meteorological and physical oceanographic environment at the Alyeska Pipeline Service Company Valdez Marine Terminal and Valdez Duck Flats.

The council is mandated by Congress to study wind and water currents and other environmental factors in the vicinity of the Alyeska terminal which may affect the ability to prevent, respond to, contain and clean up an oil spill. These buoys will improve understanding of conditions in Port Valdez that could affect marine vessel safety and movement of spilled oil, as well as help with decisions regarding the timing of protecting environmentally sensitive sites in the area.

The first buoy was recently anchored off Jackson Point at the Valdez Marine Terminal in partnership with the Prince William Sound Science Center, Alyeska Pipeline Service Company, the City of Valdez and Valdez Fisheries Development Association. It is collecting weather data such as temperature, wind speed, wind direction and barometric pressure, as well as oceanographic information like surface current direction and speed, wave heights and water temperature. The installation has been permitted by several agencies and cooperation with the U.S. Coast Guard has allowed the council access into the marine security zone that borders the terminal.

“Partnerships like these result in collaborative science, which is the best base for providing answers to challenging questions related to planning an effective oil spill response,” said Donna Schantz, executive director for the council. “We have advocated for this kind of data collection at the terminal and believe the information generated from both buoys will certainly contribute to best practices for prevention and response.”

A second buoy will be deployed near the Valdez Duck Flats once permitting is completed. The second buoy has been made possible by partnerships with Prince William Sound Science Center, the City of Valdez and Valdez Fisheries Development Association.

Fairweather Science, a subsidiary of Edison Chouest Offshore, donated the buoys to the council for use in this project. Fairweather Science used these buoys previously to study weather and oceanographic conditions in the Chukchi Sea.

The council would like to thank all of the parties involved in this effort, including the City of Valdez for grant funds to support maintenance of the buoys, Valdez Fisheries Development Association for providing storage space and Sisioohl Marine, Inc. for donating bottom paint. Thanks are also due to the City of Valdez, Prince William Sound Aquaculture Corporation, Alyeska Pipeline Service Company and the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation for their efforts in the collaborative process resulting in the buoy near the Valdez Marine Terminal, which is founded upon the transparent sharing and use of technical and scientific information among all involved parties.

Data from the buoy now in place near the Valdez Marine Terminal is available at http://www.pwswx.pwssc.org/MOB1.html. The council has a direct interest in the successful operation and maintenance of weather buoys and stations installed in Prince William Sound because weather affects safe oil transportation and spill response. Other council-supported weather tracking resources can be found at http://bit.ly/TrackingWeather.

Timely delivery of data from the buoy(s) through the internet is not guaranteed. The user assumes the entire risk related to its use of information on this site. The Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council and the Prince William Sound Science Center will in no event be liable to individuals or third parties for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, special or exemplary damages or lost profit resulting from any use or misuse of this data. For further information contact Brooke Taylor or Alan Sorum at 907-277-7222. More information on the council can be found at www.pwsrcac.org.

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The Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council, with offices in Anchorage and Valdez, is an independent non-profit corporation whose mission is to promote environmentally safe operation of the Valdez Marine Terminal and the oil tankers that use it. The council’s work is guided by the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, and its contract with Alyeska Pipeline Service Company. The council’s 18 member organizations are communities in the region affected by the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill, as well as aquaculture, commercial fishing, environmental, Native, recreation and tourism groups.

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Help us bring HISTORIC MOMENTS back to the Airwaves

Let us know by Friday, May 31st if you want to sponsor and bring the program back.

Many years ago, KVAK wrote and aired Historic Moments on 93.3FM and 1230AM.

This year, I have an employee that is interested in writing and producing 2 minute programs

packed with historic information once again and we are looking for sponsors to make it happen.

If you are interested sponsoring Historic Moments, let us know by Friday, May 31 st and we’ll

start work on the project in June. With a minimum of 4 sponsors, we will get working on writing

and production and have the programs on the air August / September / October.

The “Historic Moments” will inform and entertain as well as give your business or

organization great exposure on-air as well as on the www.kvakradio.com website. In 2019, we

have the ability to produce the program as a podcast for even more people to hear, and sponsors

will be recognized on our webpage.

“Historic Moments” will air 10 consecutive days each month on both 93.3FM and 1230AM for a

three month period. As a sponsor, your business name will be mentioned as one of the sponsors

in all of the programs. Each program will air 3x daily during the 10 days, for a total of 30

programs each month.

Make History Come Alive on KVAK     Call 835-5825

The City of Valdez is now accepting applications for the 2019 Downtown Beautification Matching Grant Program.

The Beautification Matching Grant Program enables property owners, non-profits, and businesses to seek 50:50 matching grants for specific types of aesthetic upgrades to buildings or land. Interested parties must complete and submit an annual application. All submissions are then evaluated by the Mayor’s Beautification Task Force.

Eligible buildings must be used for commercial, non-profit, and/or mixed use purposes and shall be geographically located in one of two “tiers”. Due to program goals and limited program funding, properties listed in Tier One will be given first priority for grant selection, however Tier Two properties may also be considered.

TIER ONE: Eligible properties located in the downtown area of Valdez. The downtown area is bordered by North Harbor Drive and Fidalgo Drive to the south, Pioneer Drive to the north, Meals Avenue to the east, and Hazelet Avenue to the west, and along the

Richardson Highway from Meals Avenue to Crooked Creek. To be eligible for Tier One, properties must additionally have not received City beautification matching grant funds in the past.

TIER TWO: Eligible properties located within Valdez city limits, but outside the downtown area. Eligible properties which have previously received a beautification matching grant also fall into Tier Two.

Please note, strictly residential properties, home-based businesses, and properties with delinquent

property taxes are not eligible for the matching grant program.

Grant applications are available at City Hall or online at http://www.valdezak.gov/beautification

Completed grant applications are due to the City Clerk’s Office no later than 5:00 p.m. on June 14, 2019. Applications received after the due date will not be considered.

Grant applications may be dropped off at City Hall or mailed to: City of Valdez Beautification Matching Grant Program, Attn: City Clerk’s Office, PO BOX 307, Valdez, AK 99686.

For questions or additional information, please call 834-3468 or email aferko@valdezak.gov

Posted by:

Allie Ferko

Deputy City Clerk

05/06/2019