Podcasts about fishery sciences

Joining us on this episode is Trevor Branch, a professor at the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences at the University of Washington, to discuss his paper, "Most “flight” baleen whale species are acoustically cryptic to killer whales, unlike “fight” species." The discussion details how baleen whales can be categorized as either "fight" species or "flight" species, based on their responses to killer whale attacks, their vocalizations and other behaviors. We discuss which baleen whales belong in the flight club and which fall into the flight club and why.  He also shares with us information from another paper he authored on a related topic that unravels the mystery of the missing blue whale calves.  If you are enjoying listening to our podcast, please share this with your friends, follow/subscribe, and leave us feedback/reviews wherever you listen to podcasts! And if you'd like to join Jeff and Sara on a whale watching tour, please reach out to Maya's Legacy Whale Watching to book!  You can also find us on Instagram, Facebook and Youtube. Please send us feedback or questions at afterthebreachpodcast@gmail.com. And remember, stay safe out there.   Links from this episode: Most “flight” baleen whale species are acoustically cryptic to killer whales, unlike “fight” species: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/mms.13228 Unravelling the mystery of the missing blue whale calves: https://fish.uw.edu/2025/02/unravelling-the-mystery-of-the-missing-blue-whale-calves/ Trevor Branch: https://fish.uw.edu/faculty/trevor-branch/

In the spring of 2021, Natalie Mastick, a graduate student in the University of Washington’s School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, dissected filets from nearly 200 cans of salmon, some of which were more than 40 years old. The cans contained filets from pink, chum, coho and sockeye salmon that were caught in Alaska between 1979 and 2021. Mastick acquired the cans from the archives of the Seafood Products Association, a trade organization based in Seattle that provides quality control testing to seafood processors. Mastick and her colleagues opened up the cans to look for the presence of a parasitic roundworm embedded inside the filets. The parasite requires multiple hosts, including salmon, to complete its life cycle. Its abundance can serve as an indicator of the health of the marine food web, and how infections are changing over time for species like salmon and killer whales. Mastick is now a postdoctoral associate of student programs at the Yale Peabody Museum. She joins us to talk about her recently published findings. 

Tonight Brian features an interview that he co-hosted with Daniel Barnett from the UK. They got to sit down and have a very candid conversation with The Skeptical Scientist from Finding Bigfoot, Ranae Holland. Research Biologist Ranae Holland was born and raised in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. There, she was first introduced to the Bigfoot craze in the 1970's by her father. They forged a special connection while watching movies and televisions shows, and reading about Bigfoot. In 2011, Ranae became a co-host of the Animal Planet show, "Finding Bigfoot". Though Ranae is not a member of the BFRO and does not believe in Bigfoot, she is fascinated by the phenomenon, and is excited to have found a way to combine her scientific knowledge, fieldwork skills, and love of the wilderness to investigate alleged sightings. She received her Bachelor of Science degree from the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences at the University of Washington, where she was selected for and worked with the distinguished Alaska Salmon Program. For over a decade, Ranae has conducted fisheries research throughout the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. Ranae continues with her efforts as a dedicated field biologist, and she regularly works for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), as well as private entities. Her most recent field research efforts are focused on steelhead behavior in the Umpqua River basin in South Central Oregon. In keeping with her enjoyment of the outdoors, Ranae spends her free time Spey and fly fishing, hiking, camping and kayaking. She also enjoys teaching and lecturing to students about critical thinking, science, conservation, and, of course, her search for Bigfoot.Get Our FREE NewsletterGet Brian's Book Sasquatch Unleashed The Truth Behind The LegendLeave Us A VoicemailVisit Our WebsiteSupport Our SponsorsVisit Hangar 1 PublishingFactor Meals Use Code ODYSSEY50 At CheckoutBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/sasquatch-odyssey--4839697/support.

Dr. Emily Howe is an aquatic ecologist with the Washington state chapter of The Nature Conservancy, and she holds a Ph.D. from the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences at the University of Washington. Her work integrates across ecosystem boundaries, investigating how landscape configuration and management shape cross-boundary relationships for food webs, organisms, and ecosystem processes. - At the Nature Conservancy, Emily's projects stretch from the high peaks of the North Cascades all the way down to the estuary of Port Susan Bay, and her work highlights the interconnectedness of everything from snowpack to salmon populations, forest management to marsh grass health. Much of Emily's work focuses on understanding liminal spaces– areas in nature where boundaries blend together and where the interactions between ecosystems can be fluid and dynamic. - Since the earliest days of European settlement, this area has been subject to a wide variety of threats to the overall ecosystem—aggressive logging, wildfire suppression, attempts to engineer order into the ever-changing estuaries, and more. And with the intensification of climate change, snowfall and its resulting snowpack have decreased, which only exacerbates the negative effects and threats to the ecosystem. - But thanks to Emily and her team of stakeholders and partners, there are many, many reasons to be optimistic about the future. Combining cutting-edge science with Indigenous knowledge, Emily and TNC are making great progress toward finding solutions that can help with everything from increasing the depth and duration of snowpack in the Cascades to restoring all-important salmon habitat, and much much more. - If you're a fan of ecology and are interested in how Indigenous wisdom can bolster our 21st-century scientific knowledge, then you'll love this episode. We start our conversation at sea level, discussing the magic of the tidal ecosystems, then work our way up the into mountains, eventually discussing all things snowpack and forest health.  We talk about TNC's partnership with the Stilliguamish Tribe, how forest gaps can affect snowpack, snow droughts and El Nino, collaboration with federal agencies, and rising sea levels in the Northwest.  Emily also talks about her career path to becoming a scientist and she offers up some excellent book recommendations. - I love the Pacific Northwest, so I greatly appreciate everything that Emily and her partners are doing to keep this region of the West so wild, special, and healthy.  I hope you enjoy. --- Dr. Emily Howe "Water Connects Us All" by Leah Palmer Full episode notes and links: https://mountainandprairie.com/emily-howe/ --- This episode is brought to you in partnership with the Colorado chapter of The Nature Conservancy and TNC chapters throughout the Western United States. Guided by science and grounded by decades of collaborative partnerships, The Nature Conservancy has a long-standing legacy of achieving lasting results to create a world where nature and people thrive. On the last Tuesday of every month throughout 2024, Mountain & Prairie will be delving into conversations with a wide range of The Nature Conservancy's leaders, partners, collaborators, and stakeholders, highlighting the myriad of conservation challenges, opportunities, and solutions here in the American West and beyond. To learn more about The Nature Conservancy's impactful work in the West and around the world, visit www.nature.org --- TOPICS DISCUSSED 3:45 - Discussing the history Port Susan Bay Preserve 8:15 - The colonial reasons for the “straightening out” of the complex Stille River System 11:15 - Why TNC became interested in Port Susan Bay 13:15 - Emily's focus on the Port Susan Bay Preserve 17:15 - Emily's partnership with Tribal entities around Port Susan Bay Preserve 21:45 - Where and how TNC partners with the federal government on its work on the coast 26:15 - Goals for the Port Susan Bay Preserve 32:30 - How fast the sea level is rising in the Port Susan Bay Preserve 34:15 - The 2015 Pacific Northwest snow drought 38:15 - Emily's involvement in higher elevation forest management and how it can impact snowpack and water resources 45:00 - Putting Emily's work above to practice 52:30 - Emily's personal journey to this work 56:30 - Emily's book recommendations 1:02:00 - Emily's parting words of wisdom --- ABOUT MOUNTAIN & PRAIRIE: Mountain & Prairie - All Episodes Mountain & Prairie Shop Mountain & Prairie on Instagram Upcoming Events About Ed Roberson Support Mountain & Prairie Leave a Review on Apple Podcasts

From humpbacks to orcas, whales and dolphins are renowned for their underwater vocalizations, whether it’s to impress a mate, find prey or strengthen social bonds. But beluga whales are especially vocal, with a complex language of whistles, chirps and rhythmic calls that have led to them being called the “canaries of the sea.”  For the first time, a team of scientists has documented the unique vocalizations of Cook Inlet belugas, a critically endangered population native to Alaska. The roughly 300 of them remaining live year-round in the cold, cloudy waters surrounding both a military base and the port of Anchorage, the busiest shipping port in the state. The scientists found that the low, rumbling noise of commercial ships either partially or completely masked the seven most common calls the whales made when passing through their habitat multiple times a week. Arial Brewer is a PhD student at the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences at the University of Washington and the lead author of the recently published study. She joins us to share the findings and how noise from human activity is threatening the survival of Cook Inlet belugas.

In this episode, Annika interviews Emily Howe, an aquatic and estuarine ecologist at The Nature Conservancy of Washington.   She holds a Ph.D. from the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences at the University of Washington, with a focus on estuarine restoration and food web ecology in tidally-influenced ecosystems.  Emily's work integrates across ecosystem boundaries, investigating how landscape configuration and management shapes cross-boundary relationships for food webs, organisms, and ecosystem processes.  She is currently working at the nexus of forest management impacts on snow, stormwater pollution and green infrastructure, and freshwater and marine restoration ecology- all with an eye towards the impacts of climate change.   Enjoy!  

This episode of BioScience Talks was recorded on location at the Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists in Norfolk, Virginia, and features a range of presenters and organizers.Our first guests were Sinlan Poo, who is Curator of Research at the Memphis Zoo and affiliated with Arkansas State University, and Prosanta Chakrabarty, who is Curator of Fishes and a Professor at Louisiana State University's Museum of Natural Science. Dr. Chakrabarty is also the current President of the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, one of the organizations that convened the meeting. They joined me to talk about the ZooMu symposium, which was held as part of the meeting. Read more about zoo and museum collaboration in BioScience. Next up, I sat down with Karen Caceres from Old Dominion University. She spoke about Florida cottonmouths and how they manage to live on small islands that typically lack freshwater resources. Maisie MacKnight, PhD candidate at Penn State, gave a talk about fieldwork and the ways in which it can be made safe and inclusive for all participants. We discussed her talk, as well as some of her other work. Oliver Shipley, Research Professor at Stony Brook University in New York, and Maria Manz, a graduate student at Stony Brook University, joined me to talk about sharks, their movement, and the ways that scientists study them.  Erin Anthony, President of the Virginia Herpetological Society, chatted with me about her organization's public outreach efforts, as well as herps native to Virginia.Last, I was joined by Sarah Yerrace, a master's student at the University of Washington in the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences. Her talk was focused on the invasive lionfish, and we chatted about a new approach to surveying their abundance at deep ocean depths.Captions are available on YouTube. 

California Accelerates Its Push For Electric Cars This week, air pollution regulators in California voted to phase out sales of new gasoline-powered vehicles, with a complete ban on gas car sales by 2035. The decision could have a larger impact on the automobile industry, however, as many states choose to follow California's lead with regard to air quality and emissions decisions. Sophie Bushwick, technology editor at Scientific American, joins guest host Roxanne Khamsi to help unpack the decision. They also discuss some of the other science stories from this week, including a survey-based study showing that Americans really do care about climate change and support mitigation measures, a look at how sugar substitutes can change the microbiome, and an engineer's advice for how to build the sturdiest sandcastles.   Meet Two Autistic Researchers Changing How Autism Research Is Done For many decades, autistic people have been defined by non-autistic people, including in science. Since the very beginning of research about autistic people, neurotypical scientists and institutions have been at the helm. The field has largely been defined by what neurotypical researchers are curious about learning, instead of prioritizing research that the autistic community asks for. Because of that, and the invisibility of autistic adults in our society, a large chunk of this research has neglected the needs of autistic people. In many cases, it's caused harm to the very people the research aims to help. Until recently, there have been very few openly autistic researchers who study autism. But there is a growing body of openly autistic scientists who are using both their expertise and their own lived experiences to help shape the future of autism research. Guest host Roxanne Khamsi speaks with Dr. TC Waisman, a leadership coach and researcher studying autism and higher education, based in Vancouver, British Columbia, and Patrick Dwyer, a Ph.D. candidate studying sensory processing and attention in autism at the University of California, Davis. They talk about the history of autism research, why the inclusion of autistic people in research leads to more helpful outcomes, and how they see the future of autism research changing. Ira Kraemer consulted on this story.   Ecological Data From Deep In The Pantry Most people wouldn't be excited by a call offering a basement full of canned salmon dating back to the 1970s. But for researchers trying to establish baselines for what's normal and what's not when it comes to aquatic parasite populations, the archive of fishy tins, maintained by the Seattle-area Seafood Products Association, was a valuable resource. Natalie Mastick and colleagues combed through the tins with tweezers, counting the numbers of parasitic anisakid worms they found. (Since the salmon was cooked, the worms—though gross—posed no risk to human eaters.) The team found that in their samples of chum and pink salmon, the incidence of parasitic infection increased over the 40 years covered by the salmon archive. The finding might be good news—an increase in the numbers of marine mammals in the area, key hosts for the parasites, could be responsible for the wormy increase. Natalie Mastick, a PhD candidate in the University of Washington's School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, joins guest host Roxanne Khamsi to explain the study.   Medieval Friars' Farming May Have Caused Tummy Troubles What was life like back in medieval England? You might think that the learned friars who lived in the town of Cambridge—scholars, with access to innovations like latrines and places to wash their hands—might have lived healthier lives than the common folk. But a recent study published in the International Journal of Paleopathology says that, at least when it comes to intestinal parasites, the friars may have been worse off. Dr. Piers Mitchell runs the Cambridge Ancient Parasites Laboratory and is a senior research associate in the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research. Mitchell and colleagues excavated soil samples from around the pelvises of medieval skeletons in one Cambridge cemetery, then examined the soil microscopically looking for parasite eggs. They found that friars in the cemetery had almost twice the incidence of intestinal parasites as commoners in the town—a fact they speculate could be related to friars using human feces, from the friary latrine, to fertilize the gardens. Mitchell joins guest host Roxanne Khamsi to explain the study.   Transcripts for each segment will be available the week after the show airs on sciencefriday.com.

Mud worms are parasites that live in oyster shells. They bore into the shell and make a home there, which gets filled with mud and excrement from the tiny worms. While they are not harmful to humans, mud worms can make oysters less appealing and also affect the shellfish's ability to grow. These effects are a problem for the industry. While mud worms have been found in oysters in California and Oregon, for a long time, Washington aquaculture farms were spared. That changed a few years ago. But the mud worms affecting oysters off of Washington's coast are a different species than scientists have ever seen before. Researchers at the University of Washington School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences are trying to find out whether the new species is invasive, or an ancient native species that has lain dormant for centuries. Julieta Martinelli is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Washington. She joins us to share her efforts to solve the mud worm mystery.

Commercial fisheries have strict limits on the amount of fish they can catch. And often they also have to abide by limits on bycatch of marine animals that get unintentionally caught on fishing lines or nets. A new study from the University of Washington suggests that when it comes to reducing bycatch in the fishing industry, permanently closing off stretches of marine areas may be less effective than dynamic, temporary closures. Ray Hilborn, a marine biologist from the University of Washington's School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, joins us, along with Heather Mann. She's the executive director of Midwater Trawlers Cooperative, a non-profit trade association of nearly 30 fishing vessels based in Newport.

Which tree species impacted by climate change are we getting nervous about? This is the episode where we talk about climate disruption, our anxiety & grief as witnesses to tree loss while also coming to terms with environmental change in discussion with a few members of the Forest Adaptation Network.  Rowan Braybrook, Director of Programs for Northwest Natural Resource Group Jake Bentzen Biological Science Technician (Insects & Disease) Forest Service Northern & Intermountain Regions Forest Health Protection Joey Hulbert, Washington State University Ornamental Plant Pathology Program and Forest Health Watch Brandon Drucker, Restoration Ecologist with the City of Tacoma Passive Open Space Program  “Change is constant. You can't stop change, control change, or perfectly plan change. You can ride the waves of change, partner with change, and shape change. Adaptation is long term or structural change in a creature or system to account for a need for survival. Adaptation is not about being reactionary, changing without intention, or being victimized, controlled and tossed around by the inevitable changes of life. It's about shaping change and letting changes make us stronger as individual and collective bodies. How do we get relaxed and intentional in the face of change?" adrienne maree brown from Holding Change: The Way of Emergent Strategy Facilitation and Mediation Forest Adaptation Network https://www.nnrg.org/climateadaptation/forest-adaptation-network Forest Health Watch https://foresthealth.org Betzen, J. J., Ramsey, A., Omdal, D., Ettl, G. J., & Tobin, P. C. (2021). Bigleaf maple, Acer macrophyllum Pursh, decline in western Washington, USA. Forest Ecology and Management, 501, 119681. Michelle Ma. (2021, September 30). Bigleaf maple decline tied to hotter, drier summers in Washington. UW News.  Lynda V. Mapes. (2021, July 11). Newly discovered fungus spores spurred by heat and drought are killing Seattle street trees. Seattle Times.  University of Washington School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences (2020, October 23). Culturally competent approaches in conservation biology: A case study presented by the Washington Cascade Fisher Reintroduction. Presented by Tara Chestnut. Streamed live and recorded on YouTube.  It takes a community to keep a podcast going. Donate to the show @myadrick via Paypal and Venmo and CashApp Music on the show was from Cheel, DJ Freedem and DJ Williams Tell a few friends about the show and follow the podcast on Instagram and Twitter @treehuggerpod Review treehugger podcast on iTunes

Daniel Schindler has spent decades studying salmon in the Bristol Bay watershed. He’s a professor of fisheries sciences at the University of Washington. His research seeks to understand the causes and consequences of ecosystem dynamics. Of particular interest are the effects of changing climate on the feeding interactions between different animals, fisheries as large-scale drivers of ecosystem organization, the importance of anadromous fishes for linking ocean ecosystems to coastal aquatic and river systems, and the importance of aquatic-terrestrial coupling in ecosystem organization.

In this episode, Michael spoke with Beatriz Dos Santos Dias. Beatriz is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences at the University of Washington. She is a part of the project Modelling and Stock Assessment of Prince William Sound Herring (in the Gulf of Alaska), and as part of her research, she is investigating the drivers of herring spawn timing to improve our knowledge about the population and its stock assessment models. Michael and Bia spoke about her experiences leading up to and including her PhD work at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and her current project.Link to Bia's paper that is discussed, "Opening the tap: Increased riverine connectivity strengthens marine food web pathways":https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0217008

Saving endangered species usually brings to mind tigers or whales. But scientists say many parasites are also at risk of extinction. Short Wave's Emily Kwong talks with Chelsea Wood, an Assistant Professor in the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences at the University of Washington, who tells us about the important role parasites play in ecosystems and a new global plan to protect them.

Dr. Claire Horner-Devine, PhD, is committed to creating spaces, opportunities and communities that empower and amplify those who have not been heard, historically silenced or dismissed. She has worked directly with over 300 early-career and 60 mid-to-late career STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) professionals as they navigate challenging landscapes and institutions and develop new narratives of success. Her national leadership programs (BRAINS, LATTICE, WEBS and WFAB) to advance women, researchers with disabilities, and researchers from racial and ethnic groups underrepresented in STEM have been called “sanctuaries.” She is the founder of CAILA, a Career Accelerator & Inclusive Leadership Academy, that designs and delivers career development at the intersection of the personal and professional with a focus on inclusive leadership and community connection. She partners with leaders and organizations in industry and philanthropy, through her work as the founder of Counterspace Consulting and Coaching, to examine existing culture and develop new paradigms of leadership and team effectiveness focused on trust, connection and relationships. Through one-on-one and group coaching, mini-workshops, facilitation and ongoing group engagement, she helps clients develop as inclusive leaders and teams create more inclusive practices, equitable policies and environments where all individuals can thrive. She works with a range of partners and clients including scientific societies, universities, RedFin and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, among others. Dr. Horner-Devine also serves as one of the National Postdoctoral Association Diversity Officers. All of her work is grounded in research and trust; guided by curiosity and equity; and driven by data and impact. Dr. Horner-Devine received her B.A from Princeton University and her Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from Stanford University, worked as a faculty member in the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences at the University of Washington for almost a decade and currently serves as Affiliate Faculty.

Dr. Donna Hauser, Dr. Timothy Jones, and Dr. Darren Pilcher explain their findings concerning the ramifications of an Ice-Free Alaska. Donna Hauser, International Arctic Research Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks, presents "Responses, Risks, and Resilience of Alaska's Arctic Marine Mammals in a Changing Climate". (2:25-24:00) Timothy Jones, Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team, University of Washington, examines “Seabird Mortality Deaths in the Bering Sea”. Darren Pilcher, JISAO/NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory “Modeling Ocean Acidification in the Bering Sea” Donna DW Hauser, International Arctic Research Center, UAF, is a marine ecologist engaged in research to understand the role of marine mammals and other species in changing Arctic and temperate oceans. Her current research includes examining the vulnerability of Arctic marine mammals to vessel traffic in the increasingly ice-free Arctic sea routes.She received her Ph. D , M.S. and B.S. in Aquatic & Fisheries Sciences from University of Washington. Timothy Jones, School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences; College of the Environment, University of Washington, is a post-doctoral fellow at the Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team at the University of Washington. He researches marine heat waves, which can cause extreme, ecosystem-wide harm to wildlife. The most well-known marine heat wave, “the blob,” caused an unprecedented auklet die-off just south of the refuge from 2014-2015. (25:00-44:21) Darren Pilcher, Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean, University of Washington and NOAA, uses computational models to understand the physical and biogeochemical mechanisms of aquatic carbon cycling. His projects include simulating the impact of glacial runoff on ocean carbon uptake in the Gulf of Alaska and using downscaled Earth System Model output to produce regional-scale projections of ocean acidification in the Bering Sea. He received his Ph.D., in Atmospheric and Oceanic Science from University of Wisconsin-Madison, and B.S. in Chemistry, Beloit College. (1:04-1:47). Q & A and discussion (1:04-1:46)

This week, I talk with Madison (Madi) Shipley. She is a graduate student (MS) in the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, at the University of Washington. We talk about her thesis work of developing a management strategy evaluation for Tanner crab in the Eastern Bering Sea, her job with the Natural Resources Consultants Incorporated, … Continue reading DecaPod S1E13: Interview with Madi Shipley

On this episode of 'Open House' with Team Reba we are joined by Jonathan D. Frodge, Ph.D., Stormwater Scientist for Seattle Public Utilities, and of the University of Washington’s School of Aquatic & Fishery Sciences.Did you know that property values are connected to water quality? Economic studies have indicated as such.

This is Special English. I&`&m Ryan Price in Beijing. Here is the news.Fishery experts are conducting a field investigation to assess damage to the ecosystem of the Yangtze River, after hybrid foreign sturgeons were washed away from a breeding facility in heavy floods. Scientists worry that the almost 10,000 tons of hybrid foreign sturgeons may now interbreed with the endangered purebred wild Chinese sturgeons in the river. The Chinese sturgeon population has declined to a dangerously low level, with only 100 thought to remain in the Yangtze, China&`&s longest river. Investigators from the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences said purebred Chinese sturgeons face a heightened threat of extinction as a result of interbreeding with the foreign and hybrid species over the coming months. Purebred Chinese sturgeons can be dated back 140 million years ago. But they are now on the razor&`&s edge of survival. The population of adult sturgeons was estimated at around 100 at the end of last year, compared with 10,000 in the 1970s.After a reservoir opened to release floodwater on July 19, more than 9,800 tons of foreign and hybrid sturgeons in Hubei Province were killed or escaped to the waters where wild Chinese sturgeons live. Floodwaters washed away the net-pen facilities used to raise the non-native species, causing huge economic losses. This is Special English.A pilot program will be set up to promote reform of China&`&s high school entrance exam. A guideline issued by the Ministry of Education said high schools should recruit students based on both their exam scores and a comprehensive assessment of their qualities. The pilot program will first be implemented in 2017 and then be expanded across China in 2020.For years, China&`&s education system has been criticized for its exam-driven curriculum, which focuses on memorizing textbooks and getting good test scores.The ministry said high school enrollment will not only depend on exam scores, but also students&`& morality, mental and physical health, artistic abilities and social skills.The exam will focus more on students&`& analytical and problem-solving skills, to promote innovative spirits. It will also encourage students to participate more in sports, as PE scores will be considered in enrollment.An official from the Shandong Provincial Education Department said the reform will provide diverse roads and fairer opportunities for students to succeed.You&`&re listening to Special English. I&`&m Ryan Price in Beijing. A nonprofit educational project has been launched in China aiming at creating a more comprehensive and beneficial study environment for children with disabilities. The program, called Inclusive Education, was launched by the international organization Save the Children and the United Nations. It will be carried out in the next two years.A representative of Save the Children in China said that since many disabled children go to special schools, they do not get the needed opportunities to mix with the mainstream society. The Inclusive Education project believes in the philosophy of integrated education, as well as the right of disabled children to study in ordinary school with abled children.An official from the Chinese Society of Education said China has a large number of school-aged disabled children who are not getting the quality of compulsory education they need.Save the Children has launched a public campaign which calls for concerted efforts to help the children with disabilities, instead of neglecting or discriminating against them. "Let&`&s go to school together" is the slogan of the Inclusive Education project. The organization believes it also represents the need of many children with disabilities to make friends with abled children, learn useful knowledge and lead a hopeful life.This is Special English.（全文见周日微信。）

On this weeks episode we sit down with Ben's brother, Tim Cline, who is a PhD student of The School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences at the University of Washington. Tim discusses how he applies programming languages like R & C++ to his field to quantify and understand ecological behavior. Tim on the web: Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=HQlTKrIAAAAJ&hl=en Twitter: https://twitter.com/timothyjcline

Guest: Dr. David Hyrenbach, with Duke University, visiting scholar at University of Washington, Parrish Lab, School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences talks about how to research far ranging predators such as seabirds and current tagging technologies. How do we learn about animals we can't see every day?