The Senate will continue to consider amendments to the 'minibus,' which is a comprehensive package to include FY 2012 funding for Agriculture, Commerce-Justice-Science, and Transportation-HUD appropriation bills. The House is not in session.

New, Higher Estimates of Endangered Humpback Whale in North Pacific.  Scientists have increased the estimate on the number of humpback whales in the North Pacific Ocean in a paper published in the journal  Marine Mammal Science. The increase follows a refined statistical analysis of data compiled in 2008 from the largest whale survey ever undertaken to assess humpback whale populations throughout the North Pacific. Science Daily 

Arctic Warming Will Affect Everyone- Fisheries Commissioner. European Fisheries Commissioner Maria Damanaki has told a Norwegian fishing audience that what is happening in the Arctic will have serious consequences for the European Union and the rest of the world. Speaking in Oslo this week, she told the Norwegian fishing vessel and ship owners: "We are told that by the end of 2013 the Arctic Ocean could be entirely ice free and that the ice is decreasing faster than all models predicted. A recent and alarming study from NASA confirms this. Fish Update

Democrats Push for Confirmation Vote on Commerce Secretary Nominee Bryson. Senate Democrats are trying to engineer a vote as early as this week on President Obama's pick to head the Commerce Department, though it is unclear whether they can muster a supermajority for the nomination. Oklahoma Republican James M. Inhofe said Tuesday he would be willing to allow a confirmation vote on the nomination of John Bryson, but only if it is subject to a 60-vote threshold. Inhofe said he objected to a move by Democrats to schedule a regular up-or-down vote and hinted that other Republicans did as well. Congressional Quarterly 

Fall Whale Hunting Commences In Barrow, Alaska. On October 8, a crew of Inupiat Eskimos navigated the icy Arctic Ocean in a powerboat. After spotting the first bowhead whale's spout, the team approached the mammal's side and shot it with an exploding harpoon. The catch marked the beginning of the annual fall whale hunting season in Barrow, Alaska, the northernmost city in the United States. Indian Country Today   

Scientists Discuss Arctic Energy. Arctic energy was the topic of discussion at a conference held in the city last week. The Arctic region, rich in energy and fresh water resources, has become a stumbling point of conflicting interests among different countries around the world. The right to develop and use the Arctic energy sector has been already claimed not only by countries making up the "Arctic Five" (Russia, the U.S., Canada, Norway, Denmark), but also by countries such as China, Japan, South Korea, and others trying to break the alliance. The St. Petersburg Times 

Alaska Federation of Natives, October 20-22. The AFN Convention (October 20 to October 22) is the largest representative annual gathering in the United States of any Native peoples. Delegates are elected on a population formula of one representative per twenty-five Native residents in the area and delegate participation rates at the annual convention typically exceed 95 percent. Each year the AFN Convention draws between 4,000-5,000 attendees. The proceedings are broadcast live via television, radio and webcast reaching a diverse audience from Barrow to Ketchikan, from the Aleutian Chain to the Canadian border. During the convention, the entire state of Alaska is blanketed with discussion on current events and issues. International observers are present at most meetings, both exchanging information and learning from the Alaska Native experience.