Nearly half of all state lawmakers and counting have signed onto a letter to the council that oversees commercial fishing in Alaska’s federal waters, joining a bipartisan chorus of voices demanding reduction of halibut bycatch; the fishing industry has floated Unalaska’s economy for decades, but changes in the ecosystem have many officials scrambling for ways to diversify; and health care professionals in Alaska are frustrated by the abundance of misinformation about COVID-19 prevention and treatment circulating online.
Hope McKenney is a public radio news director, reporter, producer and host based in the Aleutian Islands, Alaska.