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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

Bluefin tuna washes up far from home in Salish Sea
Joe Gaydos found a bluefin tuna washed up on Orcas Island off the coast of Washington state. According to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the fish usually roam the more temperate waters of the Pacific Ocean.
Crescent Beach, Orcas Island, Washington, USA
CBC

Sea cucumber die-off near Vancouver Island
When Kathleen Reed descended for her usual weekly dive off the coast of Nanaimo, B.C., last Saturday she was shocked by how many dead sea cucumbers she saw. Experts and harvesters fear that sea cucumbers are being hit by an illness similar to sea star wasting disease.
Dolphin Beach, British Columbia, Canada
CBC

Lack of sea ice in the Gulf of St. Lawrence means more seals on shore
Record-low levels of sea ice cover in the Gulf of St. Lawrence means a greater number of seals are coming on shore and are more likely to interact with humans.
Cape Breton, Prince Edward Island, and New Brunswick, Canada
CBC

Record-low ice levels found in Gulf of St. Lawrence
This year's seasonal ice cover is the lowest in its 51-year recorded history say forecasters with the Canadian Ice Service.
Gulf of St. Lawrence

'Son of the blob': Unseasonably warm weather creating new anomaly off B.C. coast
A meteorologist says unseasonably warm weather in B.C. is once again causing a large area of the Pacific Ocean to heat up considerably, emulating a phenomenon from past years known as the “blob.”
Gulf of Alaska

Changing ice conditions clear way for historic fuel delivery by barge to Alaska's North Slope
An Alaska company says changing ice conditions in the North Slope area have allowed it to make a bulk fuel delivery to Prudhoe Bay by barge for the first time.
Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, United States

16th Arctic-based emergency of the year involved, fog, ice, and a sinking sailboat
The men became trapped on August 29th in the ice and their vessel began to sink. They activated their emergency radio beacon and abandoned the sailboat.

B.C.'s heat wave may be to blame for several cases of shellfish poisoning
Several people have fallen ill with food poisoning after eating shellfish in B.C. in the last 10 days, and health officials are warning that warm ocean waters might be to blame.
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Ice that survived Arctic summer hits low, with implications for traditional harvesting and shipping
David Kuptana, an elder and full-time harvester said ice should be forming around his home on Victoria Island this time of year — but instead, temperatures have been hovering around zero and it's been raining.
Ulukhaktok, Northwest Territories, Canada

Scientists monitoring new marine heat wave off B.C. coast similar to 'the Blob'
A new marine heat wave spreading across a portion of the Pacific Ocean off the coast of British Columbia resembles the infamous "blob" that disrupted marine life five years ago.
Northeast Pacific Ocean

Another dead grey whale found off B.C. coast
A dead grey whale was found floating in Boundary Bay, near the United States border, this week. It's the sixth grey whale to have been found dead in B.C. waters this year.
Boundary Bay, Canada

Study finds healthy group of polar bears in sea near Alaska
The first formal count of polar bears in waters between the United States and Russia indicates they are doing better than some of their cousins elsewhere. However, in the longer term, it doesn't mean the Chukchi Sea bear population will not be affected. Fewer cubs were surviving into their second year and adult males weighed less and had smaller skulls, the U.S. Geological Survey found.

Heart of White Rock breaks along with pier
Long time White Rock resident and CBC Producer Joan Marshall reflects on what the pier has meant to her and her community.
White Rock, British Columbia, Canada

'Really shocking': Sperm whales spotted near Pond Inlet
The two whales were spotted just 10 minutes outside of Pond Inlet, surprising local guides and scientists, who say it's a sign of shifts in the ecosystem.
Pond inlet, Nunavut

Warm water, not sea lice, caused massive salmon die-off
Northern Harvest Sea Farms is busy cleaning pens of dead salmon, and the province's head aquaculture vet says higher-than-average water temperatures are to blame.
Fortune Bay, Newfoundland, Canada

Parasite found in walrus meat in Sanikiluaq, warns health department
A walrus has tested positive for trichinella, also known as “pork worm” in Sanikiluaq, Nunavut according to the territorial health department.
Sanikiluaq, Nunavut, Canada

950,000 litres of Iqaluit's raw sewage leaking into Frobisher Bay per day
Blockage at the city's main lift station has forced sewage to overflow into the bay, so it doesn't back into people's homes.
Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada

Investigators, experts ask questions after ship grounded in Arctic
Investigators are on their way to Kugaaruk, Nunavut, after a passenger boat ran aground in the area.
Kugaaruk, Nunavut, Canada

Nunavut hunter believed drowned after falling through ice during polar bear hunt
According to an RCMP news release, the hunter was part of a group of five men hunting for polar bears. The group was 65 kilometres southeast of Clyde River when the man fell through the ice at about 9:30 p.m.
Clyde River, Nunavut, Canada

Tuktoyaktuk working with feds to address climate change and eroding shoreline
"If we can protect the shoreline for another 30 years, it will give us time to move inland because we all can't up and leave tomorrow," Mayor Elias said.
Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories, Canada

Northern anchovy blooms bring more sea life to Burrard Inlet
Northern anchovy are becoming more comment perhaps due to warmer temperatures. A 10-centimetre-long fish represents an anchovy that's about a year old suggesting that the fish are spawned locally in the pelagic zone, or upper, warmer zone of the seawater.
Port Moody, British Columbia, Canada

Thin ice and deep slush making for unsafe conditions in Iqaluit, warn hunters
Popular hunting spots, such as Frobisher's Farthest, Pink Lady Island and Ward Inlet should be avoided, says the chair of the Amaruq Hunters and Trappers Association.
Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada

Hundreds of Arctic glaciers shrinking, disappearing into 'city of icebergs'
The statistics in her recently published paper say it all: hundreds of glaciers in Canada's High Arctic are shrinking and many are likely to disappear completely.
Slidre Fjord, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut

Pumpkin the great white shark feasting in Nova Scotia's Minas Basin
Minas Basin, Nova Scotia, Canada
CBC News

Humpback whale breaching east of Vancouver spotted by Burnaby seniors
Some residents of a Burnaby retirement home were about to start a meditation class on Wednesday when a humpback whale sighting stole their focus.
Burrard Inlet, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
CBC News

Lummi Nation fishermen catch an estimated 20,000 Atlantic salmon following fish farm collapse
It's unclear how many Atlantic salmon escaped from the pen. The Lummi Nation says tribal fishermen have removed 20,000 from the Puget Sound. Washington state officials says Cooke Aquaculture has recovered 120,000 fish from the pen and that more are still inside.
Cypress Island, Washington, United States
CBC News

Where are the endangered whales? Southern residents haven't been spotted in B.C.'s Salish Sea
Southern resident killer whales which are often spotted in the Salish Sea near Vancouver throughout June haven't been seen this season, and scientists believe that could be because of the lack of chinook salmon.
Salish Sea, British Columbia, Canada

'Red tide' algal blooms appearing around B.C. coastal waters
A species commonly referred to as “red tide” has been spotted around B.C. coastal waters over the past month.
Coastal Waters, British Columbia, Canada

Climate change researchers cancel expedition after climate change makes conditions too dangerous
A team of scientists had to abandon an expedition from Quebec City to Churchill, Man., on Sunday because of hazardous ice conditions caused by climate change.
Strait of Belle Isle, Newfoundland, Canada

Melting sea ice causing 'eco-anxiety' in remote Labrador community
The annual ice melt in Canada's North is occurring earlier and earlier, and some researchers say that and other climate-related changes are affecting the mental health of populations in Inuit communities. CBC's Sabrina Fabian reports from Rigolet, Labrador.
Rigolet, Labrador Canada

Sperm whale spotted in B.C. strait for 1st time in decades
A sperm whale has been confirmed on Vancouver Island's eastern coast for the first time since 1984.
Johnstone Strait

Gulf Islanders raise alarm over too many whale-watching boats
Southern Gulf Islands, British Columbia, Canada

Polar bears in Churchill face bleak future, researchers warn
Shorter periods of sea ice on Hudson Bay as a result of climate change translate into fewer polar bears in Churchill region.
Churchill Falls, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

Why homes along Arctic coastline are at risk of falling into the ocean
"All it would take is one or two big storms and these houses you see behind me would be gravely at risk."
Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories, Canada
CBC Radio
The Current's Liz Hoath and CBC's Briar Stewart.

'It had to be done': Hot weather forces pleasurable dip in the Arctic Ocean
Temperatures neared 22 C in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, on the weekend. Hot enough for a sweet summer swim.
Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, Canada

B.C.'s coastal sea star population in increasingly hot water
Biologist Jackie Hilderling says four years of decline in B.C.'s sea star population is due to climate change warming local waters and making the animals susceptible to sea star-associated densovirus.
British Columbia, Canada

Loss of sea ice leads walruses to early appearance in Alaska
Hundreds of Pacific walruses came ashore to a barrier island on Alaska's northwest coast, the earliest appearance of the animals in a phenomenon tied to climate warming and diminished Arctic Ocean sea ice.
Point Lay, Alaska, United States

Stinging 'floating terror' spotted in Nova Scotia waters
The colourful Portuguese man-of-war is more commonly seen in warmer waters. Their painful stings can be fatal to some.
Crystal Crescent Beach, Nova Scotia

Disappearance of right whales from winter breeding grounds a mystery
Scientists are at a loss to explain one of the biggest mysteries surrounding the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale.
South Atlantic States Continental Shelf

Millions of tropical sea creatures invade waters off B.C. coast

High waves damage shoreline, road and community freezer in Grise Fiord
Some unusually high waves hit Grise Fiord, Nunavut, early Saturday morning, damaging the community's shoreline, part of a road and the community freezer.
Gise Fiord, Nunavut, Canada

Thousands of Atlantic salmon escape fish farm near Victoria after nets damaged
Thousands of Atlantic salmon have escaped into Pacific waters east of Victoria after a net pen was damaged. The company is blaming high tides, but the tides weren't unusual.
Cypress Island, Washington, United States

Toxic algae blamed for die-off at 2 salmon farms in Clayoquot Sound
Millar Channel, British Columbia, Canada

Ocean 'blob' brings bad fish food to B.C. waters
The so-called 'warm blob' of water in the North Pacific has brought unusual plankton, which lack the nutrients wild salmon and other marine animals count on.
Northeast Pacific Ocean

Rare 'gentle giant' shark spotted off West Coast
Bella Bella, british columbia

Thousands of small seabirds wash up on West Coast in die-off mystery
Scientists are trying to determine why thousands of tiny seabirds called Cassin's auklets have washed up on the West Coast, all the way from B.C. to California.
Long Beach, Pacific Rim National Park

Canada's AG warns Nunavut about dangers of not having a climate change action plan
Nunavut is not prepared to deal with the impacts of climate change and doesn't have a plan to deal with them, according to the latest report by Canada's auditor general.
Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada

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