Low-Emission, Electric Ferry Research Project Gets DOT&PF Funding

Juneau- Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities (DOT&PF) and Southeast Conference (SEC) are partnering to conduct a low emission ferry research project. Alternative-fuel powered, low-emission, and electric ferries could be a game-changer for Alaska’s Marine Highway System, as DOT&PF starts to replace AMHS’s aging fleet in up-coming years. Fuel-efficient ferries could increase the range and capacity of the fleet, potentially increasing service to communities and reducing AMHS operating costs.

“Southeast Conference was formed in 1958 to work with the State of Alaska toward the formation of the Alaska Marine Highway System,” said SEC executive director, Robert Venables. “The success of AMHS is still our passion and priority, and we are excited to continue our partnership with the State to pursue implementation of both the Reshaping Committee recommendations and the opportunities that have emerged in the new federal funding programs. This pilot program is well-timed given Alaska’s need to plan for new vessels to replace the Alaska Marine Highway’s aging fleet!”

Southeast Conference will support the project, which will include a detailed examination of the costs, benefits, and overall technical and financial feasibility of low-emission ferry operations within the AMHS service area. Funding for the research comes from a new program through U.S. Department of Transportation to provide grants for the purchase of electric or low-emitting ferries and for the electrification of existing ferries to reduce emissions.

“Revitalizing the Alaska Marine Highway System is so important to us,” said DOT&PF Commissioner Ryan Anderson. “Pushing forward to see if alternative fuels, low emissions, or electric ferries, could make our vessels more efficient, could potentially allow us to add service to our coastal communities.”

AMHS operates over more marine miles than any other ferry system in the United States, serves 35 communities, with 10 ferries over 3,500 marine miles. It is well positioned to sponsor the evaluation of alternative fuel, low emission propulsion systems in a variety of conditions.

DOT&PF and SEC signed an MOU on March 2022 agreeing to the management of duties for both organizations in this joint project. The State of Alaska agreed to contract with Southeast Conference to support this low-emission, electric ferry service analysis with regional facilitation, and provide technical assistance, data sharing, and plan designs as requested.

(Alaska DOT&PF News Release)

2022 Salmon Projections for AK Available Now

Juneau - The Alaska Department of Fish and Game announces publication of the annual statewide salmon run forecast and commercial harvest projection report: Run Forecasts and Harvest Projections for 2022 Alaska Salmon Fisheries and Review of the 2021 Season, available through the AD- F&G website.

The Alaska all-species salmon harvest for 2021 totaled nearly 235 million fish. Over half of this harvest was composed of pink salmon (161.4 million fish), followed by sockeye salmon (57.1 million fish). Most of the 2021 pink salmon harvest occurred in Central and Westward regions, and Bristol Bay continued to be the largest sockeye salmon producing region in Alaska.

The 2022 commercial salmon forecast is for a record sockeye salmon harvest of 74 million fish, mostly from Bristol Bay, and a substantially smaller harvest of pink salmon (67.2 million fish) than occurred in 2021. Commercial harvests of coho and chum salmon are projected to be average. If realized, the forecasted 2022 total Alaska commercial harvest will be approximately 160.6 million salmon.

(ADF&G News Release)

Huntington (Suzzuk) Named Director
of Mt. Edgecumbe

Juneau – On April 26 the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development (DEED) announced that Mary Huntington (Suzzuk) has been selected as the Director/Superintendent of Mt. Edgecumbe High School in Sitka and will begin work on June 1. The department’s selection of Huntington is subject to approval by the Alaska State Board of Education & Early Development, which will hold its next meeting on June 8-9.

Huntington has been the Coordinator of Cultural Programs for the Bering Strait School District (BSSD) since 2018. She previously taught in elementary, middle, and high school classrooms in BSSD and served as an Assistant Principal of Shishmaref School and Principal of Koyuk Malimiut School. She was appointed as a parent representative to the Mt. Edgecumbe High School Advisory Board in 2017 and was selected Chair in 2020.

Originally from Shishmaref, Huntington graduated from Mt. Edgecumbe High School before earning a Bachelor of Education at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and a Master of Education at the University of Alaska Southeast. In addition to her employment with BSSD, Huntington has been active in numerous professional committees and cultural arts experiences.

(Alaska DEED News Release, Excerpted)