Dozens of dead tomcod have washed up on West Beach in Nome, Alaska, with a possible link to recent sightings of beluga pods, raising concerns about unusual environmental conditions.
Calm late-summer conditions and a fall surge in forage fish activity led to a rare sighting of harbor porpoises inside Maquoit Bay in Brunswick, Maine. The columnist reflects on seasonal transitions and why porpoises may have ventured into the typically shallow bay.
In Berlevåg, powerful waves threw stones from the sea onto the road, forcing a temporary closure. Officials cited the incident as a reminder of the force of nature.
A fisherman from Qasigiannguit, Greenland, unexpectedly found a rare porbeagle shark entangled in his salmon net near the abandoned settlement Akulliit. The shark measured about 2.35 meters and was estimated over 200 kg—an unusual catch in Greenlandic waters.
Students and staff from Svalbard Folk High School cleaned more than 100 bags of marine debris from a beach at the south end of Woodfjorden, Svalbard. Participants described it as the most littered beach they had seen.
A powerful fall storm with hurricane-force winds forced the M/V Tustumena to cancel port calls to Unalaska and Akutan, turning back at Cold Bay. The aging ferry will remain in Cold Bay until Sept. 7 before heading back up the Aleutian Chain.
About 3.5 million liters of livestock-based biomanure leaked from Havila Biogass in Molde, spreading from a marsh into waterways and a small-boat harbor, causing fish and crab deaths. Norway’s Coastal Administration called it one of the largest such spills they’ve encountered and will order cleanup; the company is conducting remediation and investigating a failed pipe gasket as the likely cause.
A fishing vessel that ran aground near Afognak Island on Monday has leaked an estimated 3,000 to 3,500 gallons into Izhut Bay, according to state officials.
An Icelandic deckhand was surprised to find a cod whose stomach was completely filled with small stones. The rare find occurred aboard the trawler Skinney SF 20 while fishing off East Iceland.
Human disturbances, such as off-leash dogs and increased tourism, are causing a decline in shorebird populations at the Victoria Harbour Migratory Bird Sanctuary, disrupting their critical stopover habitat and reflecting broader global biodiversity challenges.
Whale watchers in Digby Neck, Nova Scotia, witnessed a great white shark feeding on a dead humpback whale, leading to daily shark sightings in early September. Guides also reported an endangered leatherback sea turtle and noted warmer waters are changing species seen in the Bay of Fundy.
A Norwegian research vessel reached the North Pole and found extensive open water and thin sea ice, allowing unusually easy navigation compared to 30 years ago. Scientists warn the rapid loss of Arctic sea ice is unprecedented and threatens polar bear habitat.
Alaska health officials issued an alert after wild shellfish from Kachemak Bay’s inner bay tested above regulatory limits for paralytic shellfish poisoning toxins. Residents are warned not to harvest or eat untested wild shellfish; monitoring and test results are being posted by the Alaska Harmful Algal Bloom Network.
Up to 10 basking sharks were filmed close to shore off Nairn in the Moray Firth, offering rare, close-up views to tour passengers and beachgoers. The late-summer sightings featured large sharks circling near idle boats in calm water.
Icelandic authorities report that 7 of 22 salmon submitted for testing were confirmed as farmed escapees, caught in several North/West Iceland rivers. Tracing suggests six fish share a common origin in Dýrafjörður; investigations continue and anglers are asked to turn in suspect fish whole for analysis.
Police and fire crews responded Thursday night to a large jet fuel spill at Polar Oil near Nuuk’s harbor. About 7,069 liters leaked but were contained in a spill basin and mostly pumped back; police are investigating the cause.
A huge iceberg—about 300 m long, 300 m wide and 75 m high—was spotted in a key shipping route north of Iceland, prompting a warning to mariners. The Icelandic Coast Guard located it roughly 42 nautical miles north of Hornbjarg during an aerial patrol.
Norway’s Coast Guard considered using a machine gun to sink a drifting mooring buoy near Svalbard before eventually hauling the rusty steel structure aboard. The incident highlights marine debris hazards in Arctic waters.
A passenger, Emma, says a routine fast-ferry trip near Hammerfest turned dramatic when the vessel struck a whale; the whale was visibly injured with blood in the water.
Barnacle larvae are proliferating in the Baltic Sea, prompting the Swedish Boat Union to warn owners to wash hulls in time to prevent hard barnacle mats and reduce environmental and fuel impacts.
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