Support our non-partisan non-profit newsroom 💜 Donate now

Franchising is the next hurdle for this Native-owned design business in Alaska

Dec 28, 2023
Rico and Crystal Worl, the siblings behind Trickster Company, used to have a brick-and-mortar shop. They're looking to recapture that physical presence with partnerships.
Rico and Crystal Worl are looking to expand their design business, Trickster Company.
Konrad Frank/Courtesy Trickster Company

Alaska salmon industry grapples with oversupply worsened by Russian catch

Aug 28, 2023
In spite of sanctions, some Russian fish exports make it into the U.S. because the rules allow fish that’s first processed in China.
A salmon fisherman in the Cook Inlet outside Anchorage, Alaska. Salmon prices have sunk, frustrating fishermen and processors.
Nat Herz

Alaskan siblings challenge Native knockoffs with their own Indigenous designs

Jan 16, 2023
In Juneau, Rico and Crystal Worl draw from their Tlingit and Athabascan heritage to create designs for everyday items like playing cards.
Trickster Co. incorporates Native design into everything from apparel and jewelry to basketballs and playing cards.
Donovan Johnson

Disappearance of Alaska snow crabs means some businesses might disappear, too

Oct 21, 2022
Scientists don't know exactly why some 7 billion crabs are missing from the waters around the state, but the impact on fishing-related industries is much less mysterious.
Local fishing around Alaska has felt the impact of billions of snow crabs missing from the surrounding waters.
Andrew Burton/Getty Images

Residents of rural Alaska brace for heat-up in fuel prices

Jul 13, 2022
High gas prices threaten food security as well as people's ability to keep the lights on and protect themselves from the cold.
In rural Alaska, the gas that powers electricity-producing generators is delivered by barge or air. Brevig Mission residents expect prices to climb when the next delivery comes.
Tashka/Getty Images

The hard work — and perks — of running an Alaskan sled dog kennel

Mar 25, 2022
David Monson, owner of a sled dog kennel, says racing in Alaska’s wilderness is “a magical experience.”
David Monson, owner of Trail Breaker Kennel, doesn't think of his job as work. "I look at it as the opportunity to experience what a lot of people don’t.”
Photo courtesy Tekla Monson

For public good, not for profit.

After a difficult year, Alaska's salmon industry is back

Jul 28, 2021
Last year, Alaska's sockeye salmon industry suffered from a worker shortage. This year, salmon are plentiful and selling at robust prices.
In 2020, salmon processors didn’t have enough people to cut, package and ship fish, so they bought less. In turn, fewer salmon were harvested. This year, biologists are forecasting a record run.
Emily Schwing

Oil drilling bids for Alaskan wildlife refuge expected to be meager

Jan 1, 2021
Oil giants are expected to sit out the bidding, which would mean low lease prices and measly royalties for the government.
Native American leaders hold signs against drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge outside the U.S. Capitol in 2018.
Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

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