2025 was another year of growth for Alaska’s mariculture industry, with more oysters and kelp harvested around the state. Those are some of the takeaways from a recent McKinley Research Group report.

There’s a common rule of thumb that it’s safe to harvest and eat shellfish during months that have an “r” in their names: September through April. But on the Kodiak road system, researchers are finding that’s just not true.

Friday, Oct. 10, Kodiak Area Native Association’s Environmental team sent an email lifting their advisory for all shellfish species. That's after the organization sampled toxic shellfish around Kodiak for nearly two consecutive months.

It’s about a 50% increase from 2023, according to a report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, though the number can vary significantly from year to year.

An oil spill from a grounded fishing vessel was reported in Izhut Bay around 6 a.m. on Sept. 1. Commercial fishing in the area is closed until further notice.

"It's a little bit scary, because the more you learn, the more you realize how variable this is. But also, it doesn’t take much to switch that from no toxicity at all to a really high toxicity event," Steve Kibler, a scientist with NOAA who studies harmful algal blooms around Kodiak, said.

Kodiak Island’s main landfill is estimated to run out of space in the next two decades. The borough is in the process of updating its regional solid waste management plan and that includes preparing for what happens next.

Codi Allen with the Kodiak Island Borough said they’ve been making repairs where the bears have gotten through, added electric wires and cleared brush around the fence line to deter bears. Nothing has worked so far.

Aleutian tern populations statewide crashed by over 90 percent between 1975 and 2015. Now, many are finding better rearing conditions near the island's road system.

Alaska Republican Congressman Nick Begich III proposed a U.S. House subcommittee rollback parts of the landmark legislation to “modernize” it. Conservation groups warn that it’s a gutting that endangers already struggling whale populations around the state.