UPDATE October 6, 2006: A new study has revealed that sea-lice from farmed fish pens off the British Columbia coast kill extreme percentages of passing wild salmon. This has major implications for the health of Alaska's salmon industry.

Geoducks, the world's largest burrowing clam, have grown commercially valuable in recent years. This upturn in market value has resulted in interest by industry to actively culture geoducks via aquatic farmsites. There are currently eight, sub-tidal, on-bottom culture farms for geoduck clams in Southeast Alaska, but  more than 140 new sites were applied for in 2005, including 5 in the Sitka area. Once permitted the farms cut off public access for recreation, subsistence and boat anchoring.

Despite widespread opposition from Alaskans, Governor Frank Murkowski is once again trying to lift the ban on toxic pollution in Alaska?s salmon and other fish-bearing streams and spawning areas by allowing mixing zones. Mixing zones are ?sacrifice zones? where water and habitat quality fail to meet state water quality standards. In a nutshell they allow polluting industries, such as mining companies, to discharge their contaminated wastewater into fish streams by relying on the long-discounted notion that the solution to pollution is dilution.

UPDATE 2/2007: In 2003, statutory changes were made to the Alaska Coastal Management Program that substantially changed requirements for the contents of coastal district plans.  Regulations implementing the new statutes were approved in 2004, and all district plans were required to be changed to meet the new requirements no later than July 1, 2005. The City of Sitka recently completed its revision of its Plan.