Over the past couple of decades black cod — or sablefish — has become one of Southeast Alaska’s most commercially important species. Longliners target them in deep waters off the continental shelf, during the same season as halibut. Although stocks are strong, biologists don’t fully grasp black cod population ecology. A research partnership in Sitka hopes to change that.
Science & Tech
Ravens surprise scientists by showing they can plan
As recently as 10 years ago, humans were thought to be the only species with the ability to plan. Turns out ravens can too, on a par with great apes.
Newly found disease could threaten Southeast Alaska spruce
A fungus that’s damaged trees in Southcentral and Interior Alaska has been discovered in Southeast. But there’s a chance its spread could be stopped.
Bethel native works to program a ‘Yup’ik Siri’
Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta communities are keeping Yup’ik alive through immersion schools, bilingual media, teacher training programs and speaking the language at home. Bethel native Christopher Liu is doing his part to bring his language into the 21st century.
Lawsuit says it’s unconstitutional for President Trump to block critics on Twitter
“The White House is transforming a public forum into an echo chamber,” says an attorney at the Knight First Amendment Institute.
Bethel scientist returns home to study climate change
What happens after fire scorches the tundra, and what follows when carbon that’s been locked away for millennia gets released? Currently, a group of scientists is camping 50 miles north of Bethel are attempting to answer these questions. For one scientist the research is personal because it means coming home.