LEO Network

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The LEO Network is a worldwide network of observers and experts that share their observations of environmental change.
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Observations

Shellfish washed up on P.E.I. beach by 'ripper' of a storm
Thousands of lobsters, clams, quahogs and crabs have washed up on the shore at Robinson's Island, a consequence of no sea ice and big waves.
Robinsons Island, Prince Edward Island, Canada
CBC News

Dangerously high levels of Red Tide found in bivalve shellfish on B.C. coast
The threshold for closure is set at 80 parts per million, but concentration in those areas were found to be as high as 1,300 parts per million.The warning applies to oysters, clams, scallops, mussels and geoduck.
Sechelt, British Columbia, Canada
Global News

Sea Nettle Jellyfish (Chrysaora melanaster) are Landing
Sea Nettle (*Chrysaora melanaster*) jellyfish washed up on the beach.

Unusual Squid Found on Shoreline
Squid are becoming more common on the shoreline over the past few years.
Aleksandrovsk, Alaska, United States

Officials warn of potentially lethal levels of biotoxin in Bellingham Bay mussels
The Whatcom County Health Department is warning residents that PSP a common biotoxin is now at potentially lethal levels in mussels harvested in Bellingham Bay.
Bellingham, Washington, United States
Longview Daily News

Investigating threats from invasive species in the Aleutians Islands
The results of the Plate Watch program only indicated one invasive species in the area, Caprella mutica, otherwise known as the Japanese skeleton shrimp.
Unalaska, Alaska, United States
Alaska Sea Grant

Warmer Arctic waters attract surprising visitors: clams, fish and whales
Ice in the north Bering Sea is diminishing, researchers aboard a Coast Guard ship report.
Washington Post

Angry Canadian crabs invade coast of Maine
While their main target appears to be the region's soft-shell clam population, they're also munching through acres of eelgrass, a native flowering plant that shelters and nourishes life under the sea.
Coastal Maine, United States
Mother Nature Network

Mass die-off of clams fouls Revere Beach
The Division of Marine Fisheries is analyzing the clams and expects to have preliminary results in the coming days that might point to a cause.
Revere, Massachusetts, United States
The Boston Globe

Shellfish Warning
Crescent City, California, United States

Gulf of Maine Water Temperatures Soar Near Record Highs After Ocean 'Heat Wave'
NOAA and NASA satellites measured an average sea-surface temperature of 68.93 degrees Fahrenheit in the Gulf of Maine on Aug. 8, only 0.05 degrees below the all-time record high of 68.98 set in 2012. It is the epicenter of the U.S. lobster fishing industry, an important feeding ground for rare North Atlantic right whales .
Gulf of Maine
The Weather Channel

Nearly 300 Sea Turtles Dead as Red Tide Plagues Southwest Florida
Hundreds of sea turtles have washed up dead along the southwest Florida coast as an ongoing red tide event persists in the waters. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has logged 287 sea turtle deaths since the virulent algal bloom started in October, the Associated Press reported.
Southwest Florida coast, United States
EcoWatch

Almost every part of Canada’s largest national park is deteriorating
The report on Wood Buffalo National Park says industry, dams, climate change and natural cycles are sucking the lifeblood from the vast delta of northeastern Alberta's Peace and Athabasca rivers
Wood Buffalo National Park
National Post

Elevated PSP Levels in Unalaska and Sand Point
Regional monitoring program notifies shellfish harvesters of an upward trend in concentrations of PSP.

Ecosystems across Australia are collapsing under climate change
Australia has seen an unprecedented number of widespread, catastrophic transformations in response to extreme weather events.
Australia
The Conversation

Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris) Foraging in Re-occupied Soft Bottom Habitats
Rare observation of sea otter in Haro Strait, perhaps first since 2014.
Haro Strait, British Columbia, Canada

No Sea Stars on Bishop's Beach
Sea Star Wasting Disease has caused sea stars to die off since 2013. As of 2018, there are still no sea stars on Bishops Beach in Homer.
Homer, Alaska, United States

Opioids, antibiotics found in mussels in the Puget Sound
Shellfish in the Puget Sound tested positive for the prescription opioid oxycodone, and this was not the only drug found by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Elliott Bay, Washington, United States
CNN

Rare Glass Sponge Reef Smothered By Fish Farm Waste
Underwater camera captured ‘a wasteland, covered in brown sediment.’
Cecil Island Fish Farm, British Columbia, Canada
The Tyee

Lobster Stocks Decline, Fishing Ban Considered
Lobster stocks around Iceland’s coast are so low a fishing ban is not out of the question.
Grundarfjordur, West, Iceland
Iceland Review

Curious by Nature: What’s bubbling in front of Jon Reiswig’s home?
For a few decades now, retired surgeon Jon Reiswig has lived with a perplexing oddity: the water in front of his North Douglas home constantly bubbles.
Juneau, Alaska, United States
Juneau Empire

In new cautionary approach, Maine shellfish areas will be closed at first sign of toxins
Previously, regulators monitored the presence of certain toxins and shut down fishing when they exceeded safe limits.
Boothbay, Maine, United States
Press Herald

‘Bachelor herds’ of walrus gather near Port Heiden, where they haven’t been seen in decades
The herds are increasingly moving around in Bristol Bay, perhaps seeking new feeding grounds, a biologist said.
Port Heiden, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Bivalves recently cracked by sea otters (Enhydra lutris) indicating re-occupation
We discovered numerous large marine bivalve shells (and two chiton shells) that had been cracked recently by sea otters. Ocean View Beach is around the southern extent of Vancouver Island and back again north in the Strait of Georgia. The present observation is evidence of sea otters traveling into the Strait of Georgia.
Island View Beach, British Columbia, Canada
Tom Okey, Theo Okolowicz, Phoebe Okey-Dobie

Walrus (Odobenus rosmarus) Haul-out On Port Heiden Beach
Walrus in Bristol Bay and Port Heiden are not uncommon in summer. The fact they are present in April is unusual and residents believe factors such as the lack of sea ice, lack of food and warming ocean temperatures may be the reason.
Port Heiden, Alaska, United States
Jaclyn Christensen, Erica Lujan, Moses Tcheripanoff

Abnormally large basking shark groups spotted off Canada’s east coast
Coastal northwest Atlantic Ocean
Global News

As Alaskan Waters Warm, Market Squid Move North
Opalescents, also known as market squid, are showing up in waters previously considered too cold for them, and fishermen are paying attention.
Petersburg, Alaska, United States
Undark

"Perfect Storm" Has North Coast Marine Ecosystem Reeling, Abalone in Crisis
In just a few short years, the Northern California waters stretching from Sonoma to Southern Humboldt have undergone a dramatic transformation, with stretches stripped bare of their once varied marine life in a phenomenon known as "urchin barren."
North Coast Journal

Shrimp Found While Collecting Badarkies
I have never found live shrimp before in King Cove while subsisting for Chiton's not sure if it is unusual or significant.
King Cove, Alaska, United States

Mushroom ascidian (Distaplia occidentalis) Found on Beach
It's about the size of a dinner plate and has a rubbery texture, was told it’s a sea cucumber but I’m not sure.
Port Heiden, Alaska, United States
Tom Okey, Tammy Davis, Erica Lujan, Scott Anderson

Video: The oceans are changing. Can crabs adapt?
At a lab in Kodiak, researchers are working to understand whether crabs can adapt to ocean acidification.
Kodiak, Alaska, United States
KTOO
Eric Keto and Rachel Waldholz, Alaska's Energy Desk

Video: The oceans are changing. Can crabs adapt?
Ocean acidification threatens some of Alaska’s most lucrative crab fisheries. But there’s one ray of hope: it’s possible that crabs might be able to adapt to the changing oceans. The big question scientists are researching at Bob Foy’s lab in Kodiak is – will they have enough time?
Shelikof Strait, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media
Eric Keto, Alaska's Energy Desk - Anchorage

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