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For small commercial fishermen in Alaska, the business can be boom or bust

Aug 22, 2018
Why one fisherman in Alaska won't leave the industry, despite the ups and downs.
Salmon fishermen hauling in salmon on July 1, 2015 in Newtok, Alaska.
Andrew Burton/Getty Images

A rural Alaskan village established a reindeer herd to improve diet and boost economy

Dec 11, 2017
The isolated village of Port Heiden hopes reindeer, and a few other farm animals, may be the answer to expensive imported fresh food.
When Meshik Farm reindeer are not grazing on the tundra, they live in a pen the size of football field. 
Avery Lill/ for Marketplace

More arctic drilling could help fund the federal tax bill

Nov 9, 2017
The debate over drilling in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge has returned to Washington, this time tied to the fast-moving tax bill on Capitol Hill. Bill supporters hope that opening up the arctic to more federal drilling leases could generate $1 billion in federal revenue. But some market projections put the amount at far less […]

An Alaska town is at risk of losing its modern-day gold rush — cruise ship tourism

Aug 21, 2017
Skagway, Alaska is dependent on the cruise ship industry for its economy. The town needs to build a new dock to accommodate bigger ships, but a private company which leases the docks, the White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad, won't approve a new dock unless the town extends its lease for another 15 years.
Tourists fill Skagway's Broadway Street on a busy July afternoon. A cruise ship looms in the background.
Emily Files/ for Marketplace

Tourism on tribal land is a growing industry

Jul 3, 2017
More people are traveling to Native American land for vacations. Tribal tourism is a $8.6 billion industry and growing.
More than 5 million people have visited Skywalk since it opened 10 years ago on the Hualapai Reservation. 
Carrie Jung

Getting out of the office in Anchorage, Alaska

May 2, 2017
After more than three decades at architectural firms, Clark Yerrington decided it was time to go it alone.
A light rainbow hits the water as a surfer waits to catch the Bore Tide at Turnagain Arm in Anchorage, Alaska.
Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

BP leak in Alaska fuels debate on future drilling

Apr 17, 2017
Three things that no one wants to hear together: BP, oil and leaking. A BP well sprung a leak in the Alaskan Arctic this past Friday. Reports say crude oil is no longer spraying from the leak, but natural gas is still venting out. This will surely prompt a new round of questions about whether […]

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Arctic climate change: less ice, more cruise ships

Aug 18, 2016
A cruise ship carrying 1700 passengers is now able to cross the Northwest passage
The Crystal Serenity hours before leaving Seward, Alaska on Tuesday, August 16. It's the largest cruise ship by far to attempt the Northwest Passage. 
Graelyn Brashear/Marketplace

Alaskans faced with the first recession in decades

Jul 13, 2016
The state has lost more than 2,000 jobs in the energy industry in the last year.
Since she was laid off from her job as a botanist at an oil and gas contractor, Rachel Mills has been working at restaurants in downtown Anchorage. 
Rachel Waldholz/Alaska’s Energy Desk.

Arctic drilling off Alaska is disappearing

May 10, 2016
Oil companies, such as Royal Dutch Shell and ConocoPhillips, are largely walking away from many of their Arctic leases.
The tide comes in on a beach along the Chukchi Sea in Shishmaref, Alaska.
Andrew Burton/Getty Images