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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

Thousands of farmed salmon perish in massive die off near Tofino
A harmful plankton bloom and poor water conditions caused large mortalities at three Cermaq salmon farms in northern Clayoquot Sound near Tofino, with up to 185,000 fish lost at one site. DFO says disease was ruled out; critics warn the die-off could affect wild salmon and the marine environment.
Tofino, British Columbia, Canada
CHEK

Salmon wait for more rain as river levels remain low
Low river levels on Vancouver Island are delaying pink salmon migration in the Tsolum River and Millard Creek, leading to stranded fish and an estimated 4,000 mortalities. Salmon groups say sustained fall rains are needed; limited Wolf Lake releases are temporarily boosting Tsolum flows.
Courtenay, British Columbia, Canada
CHEK

New out-of-control wildfire south of Port Alberni grows to 630 hectares
The Mount Underwood wildfire south of Port Alberni grew to 630 hectares on August 11, prompting highway closures, campground evacuations, and a power outage affecting over 500 customers.
Port Alberni, British Columbia, Canada
CHEK

Comox Lake wildfire grows to 4.5 hectares, still considered out of control
A BC Wildfire Service update reports that a wildfire near Comox Lake in B.C. grew to 4.5 hectares overnight as crews and aircraft work to contain the out-of-control blaze, while a separate 3-hectare fire near Nanaimo River Road also remains uncontained.
Comox Lake, Comox Valley, British Columbia, Canada

Out-of-control wildfire near Port Alberni grows to 15 hectares, believed to be human-caused
A human-caused wildfire on Nahamint Mountain south of Sproat Lake grew overnight from about 10 to 15 hectares, remaining out of control as BC Wildfire Service crews and helicopters respond.
Port Alberni, British Columbia, Canada

Early birds: Photographer spots Brant geese down-Island ahead of usual PQB return
A photographer captured Brant geese appearing early on Vancouver Island, suggesting a shift in their wintering patterns.
Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada
Lake Cowichan Gazette

Latest winter storm brings winds nearing 140 km/h off northern Vancouver Island
A powerful winter storm hit northern Vancouver Island, with winds reaching up to 140 km/h and up to 15 cm of snow predicted for B.C's north coast.
Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada
Lake Cowichan Gazette

Bin-busting bears in Tofino and Ucluelet making quick work of bear-resistant garbage cans
Wildlife officials report that bears in Tofino and Ucluelet have learned to breach bear-resistant garbage bins, leading to concerns about increased bear-human conflict.
Tofino and Ucluelet, British Columbia, Canada
CBC News

Storm knocks out power and impacts travel on Vancouver Island Saturday
A storm on Saturday led to power outages for tens of thousands on Vancouver Island and disrupted ferry travel.
Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada

90,000 without power, ferries cancelled as storm batters Vancouver Island
A powerful storm has left about 90,000 people without power on Vancouver Island, causing widespread service disruptions including the cancellation of several BC Ferries sailings due to safety concerns.
Lake Cowichan Gazette

Province issues travel advisory as 'bomb cyclone' hits Vancouver Island causing widespread power outages
A bomb cyclone hitting Vancouver Island has caused widespread power outages, affecting over 140,000 BC Hydro customers and leading to the closure of multiple highways on the island.
Port Alberni, British Columbia, Canada

Snow falls on Vancouver Island north of Campbell River ahead of bomb cyclone
Snowfall has hit areas north of Campbell River in anticipation of a powerful bomb cyclone expected to bring severe wind and rain to Vancouver Island.
CHEK News

'Swarm of earthquakes' rattle off B.C.'s coast, no tsunami expected
A series of earthquakes struck off the coast of Vancouver Island, with no tsunami threat reported. Andrew Schaeffer, an earthquake seismologist with the Geological Survey of Canada, said last week that despite the uptick in seismic activity, the quakes were "business as usual" for the region.
British Columbia

Invasive goldfish seen swimming under ice at Okanagan pond
Goldfish have a special ability to live under extreme conditions, making them prolific invaders of natural habitats. They are tolerant to low oxygen conditions and can survive water temperatures well below freezing, said the Invasive Species Council of B.C. on their website.
Port Alberni Valley News

'We have NEVER documented this before': Tofino tourism operator witnesses killer whales attacking humpback
As the group approached, there was a lot of splashing and porpoising. It was determined that the pod of whales was attacking a juvenile humpback whale.
Tofino, British Columbia, Canada

Encouraging signs in Huu-ay-aht rivers, despite salmon declines elsewhere
Observations this year from Huu-ay-aht territory see that volume of herring may finally be improving, as the First Nation is reporting a growing number of wild salmon migrating through its rivers.
Anacla 12, British Columbia, Canada
Ha-Shilth-Sa

The wall lizard invasion of Vancouver Island
Decades ago, wall lizards from the Mediterranean got a toehold near Victoria. Now they’re island-hopping.
Macleans.ca

More than 200 illegal fishing nets seized on Fraser River by fishery officers
Sweeping salmon closures and protection measures were put in place for the 2021 season to protect stocks of concern. Between 200 and 250 illegal fishing nets have been seized on the Fraser River so far this year.
Port Alberni Valley News

'Once in a millennium': Record-breaking rogue wave measured off Vancouver Island
A massive ocean wave that was tracked off the west coast of Vancouver Island in 2020 is now considered the most extreme rogue wave ever recorded, according to scientists at the University of Victoria.
Ucluelet, British Columbia, Canada
CTV News-Vancouver Island

Fisherman snags barracuda off Vancouver Island in rare encounter
Ferocious fish, not native to Canada, was netted and released in Alberni Inlet
Alberni Inlet, Vancouver Island, Canada
Port Alberni Valley News

Velella velella Strandings in Tofino
On a recent family vacation, stranded Velella velella were observed on beaches near Tofino, British Columbia.
Tofino, British Columbia, Canada

Gooseneck Barnacles

BC Hydro reservoirs see record low rain across Vancouver Island
An exceptionally dry November means that water levels are low in the hydro electric watersheds on Vancouver Island. The four reservoirs on the Island, located in Jordan River, Ash River, Puntledge River and Campbell River provide a third of Vancouver Island’s power supply.
Puntledge River, Courtenay, British Columbia, Canada
Victoria News

Victoria broke its record for driest November in more than 25 years
November is typically the wettest and stormiest month of the year here on Vancouver Island, but not this year. If it seemed drier than usual, you would be right.
Vancouver Island

Tofino fish farms reporting mass die-offs due to harmful algae
Blooms are often associated with low dissolved oxygen events and warm ocean water temperatures and weather changes – all of which we are, or have been, experiencing," said Kiemele. Farm owner Cermaq says it has deployed fish protection countermeasures that have already caused conditions to improve.
Herbert Inlet, British Columbia, Canada
CTV News

Young Beaver (Castor canadensis) a Long Way from Nearest Known Beaver Pond
Nick Page shared the following observation of a young beaver north of Courtenay on Vancouver Island. There are not many beaver observations on Vancouver Island, and most are very recent, especially in this part of Vancouver Island. The closest iNaturalist observation is linked here.
Somewhere North of Courtenay

Hypothermic tropical sea turtle rescued from waters near Port Alberni
A weak and hypothermic sea turtle is recovering after being rescued near Port Alberni.It’s the fourth olive ridley sea turtle on record in B.C. waters
Times Colonist

Declining Snow and Summer Rain in the Alberni Valley
"During my childhood, Mt. Arrowsmith and surrounding peaks tended to have a fair amount of snow cover; it was into the summer months before it totally disappeared."

Guadalupe Murrelet (Synthliboramphus hypoleucus) off Tofino
Multiple passengers on board were able to view and photograph the bird. This is the 3rd record for the province of BC.
Southwest of Tofino, BC, Canada
Rare Bird Alert
Mike Toochin, Melissa Hafting and Ilya Povalyaev

Booming anchovy population helps salmon, orcas
Swarms of anchovy can be seen swimming through the South Sound.
KIRO

Sea Lice Plagues Return and Threat to Wild Salmon Increases
Major sea lice epidemics have erupted on Atlantic salmon fish farms on Vancouver Island’s west coast over the last three months, according to industry, Fisheries and Oceans Canada and independent reports.
Clayquot Sound, British Columbia, Canada
The Tyee

Trees Broken, Uprooted, Toppled by Wind
the Beaufort Picnic Area appears to consist of stream-origin alluvial cobbles, pebbles, and perhaps sand, and so not well consolidated, thus perhaps making these trees relatively vulnerable to wind. The snapped-off trees, however, indicate the unusually high intensity of this particular windstorm.
Beaufort Picnic Area, Cameron Lake, British Columbia

Hurricane force winds recorded near Tofino
Typically these storms remain off the coast of Vancouver Island and we only see the frontal systems move ashore.
Lennard Island Lighthouse, British Columbia, Canada

The warm-water blob is back off the B.C. coast
The blob is the popular name for a huge patch of warm water that has reached above normal temperatures in the Pacific Ocean.
Vancouver Sun

Thick smoke in the Alberni Valley, lasting days

Ship Creek Almost Dry
We have visited this creek every summer for 10 years, since 2008, including every August, and we have never seen the water this low.
Phoebe Okey-Dobie, Theo Okolowicz, Tom Okey

European Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) invaded our neighborhood and city

Old-growth logging in Nahmint Valley
Questions have been raised after the 10th widest Douglas fir tree in BC BigTree Registry is cut down.
Nahmint Valley, British Columbia, Canada

Ahousaht Harbor: Swimming Hole Monitoring
Ahousaht, British Columbia, Canada

Chordgrass (Spartina sp.) eradication at Goose Spit
Goose Spit Regional Park, Comox, British Columbia, Canada
Hilary Blackman, Colin Robinson, Tom Okey, Cory Frank, Laura Loucks

Paper Mill Dam: Swimming Hole Monitoring
Paper Mill Dam, Port Alberni, British Columbia, Canada

Wildfire smoke leads to weather alert on Vancouver Island
Environment Canada says these smoky conditions could remain until Wednesday.
Vancouver Island, BC, Canada
Victoria News

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
CBC News

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

Thousands of Dead Red Rock Crabs (Cancer productus) on Beach
Denman Island, British Columbia, Canada

Unusual Turbidity in Sarita River
Bamfield, British Columbia, Canada

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

Whales Are Dying Off North America’s West Coast
West Coast of Vancouver Island, Canada
VICE News

Abundant Japanese Wireweed (Sargassum muticum)
A species of invasive seaweed is becoming very abundant and displacing native species.
Bamfield, British Columbia, Canada

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

Latest IHN outbreak forces cull at Millar Channel fish farm
Update: Aug. 16. Mainstream Canada has announced that the Millar Channel fish farm is now empty. The fish, infected with the IHN virus,were taken to a rendering facility. Mainstream Canada is developing a plan for cleaning and disinfecting the farm site, as per the requirements of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. “This is an unfortunate incident, but we are pleased with how smoothly the depopulation procedure went considering the situation,” said Fernando Villarroel, Mainstream Canada’s managing director.
Millar Channel, British Columbia, Canada
Ha-Shilth-Sa Newspaper

Too Many Sea Otters?
Some want to be able to kill them again off BC's coast. Part one of a Tyee special report.
Chesterman Beach, British Columbia, Canada
The Tyee

‘Receding before our eyes:’ Vancouver Island glaciers likely to be all gone by mid-century
Retired logger Fred Fern has been taking photos of the Comox Glacier every year since 2013, and the receding ice mass is easy to see in the images. Using Google Earth, Fern has calculated the Comox Glacier lost 15 vertical feet after this summer’s heat — and as much as 120 vertical feet since his first photo in 2013.
vancouversun

‘A lot of salmon died’: Ahousaht Guardians look to watershed restoration amid B.C.’s dangerously dry summer
B.C. drought exacerbating forestry damage to Bedwell River near Tofino as Ahousaht First Nation works to protect salmon, restore watershed.
The Narwhal

‘It’s pretty dire’: Vancouver Island salmon under threat from climate change-induced droughts
Since the initial June to July heatwave shocked the Pacific Northwest, Heim says the Tsolum River Restoration Society has observed significantly fewer fish in the river, especially in its lower portions. Many of the remaining coho, which survived the heat wave, are suffering from diseases and fin rot as a result of heat stress.
Courtenay, British Columbia, Canada
The Narwhal

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