Background Articles

The paucity of common resident avian species, especially songbirds, was one more peculiar element of an unusually strange Anchorage winter. And, arguably, early spring. Local birders, biologists and watchers all noticed something was off.

Birds are rapidly vanishing from North America, with dramatic population losses in places that were once thought safe.

The Alaska Migratory Bird Co-Management Council and the Pacific Flyway Council have closed harvesting and egging of Emperor geese and restricted egging of Black Brant geese for the 2025 hunting season due to declining populations.

Highland Council is consulting on water activity restrictions at Loch Ruthven after a dramatic decline in the breeding Slavonian grebe population was recorded.

Salmon advocates have raised concerns over declining salmon numbers, blaming an oversupply of hatchery-reared fish that overwhelms natural stocks and disrupts ocean ecosystems.

An investigation into the death of roughly 100 fish near Alaska’s Kensington gold mine remains inconclusive months later, with both state regulators and Coeur Mining unable to pinpoint the cause despite extensive testing.

Researchers in southwestern Alaska are investigating why the once-thriving Mulchatna caribou herd has not rebounded, focusing on factors such as disease and nutrition. The study employs real-time monitoring of pregnant caribou and detailed fat measurements to evaluate calf survival and overall herd health.

Researchers in southwestern Alaska are closely monitoring the Mulchatna caribou herd using advanced technology to determine whether disease or nutrition is behind the herd’s failure to recover. The study comes amid efforts to understand a dramatic population decline that has led to a subsistence hunting closure.

A mass marine heat wave, known as 'the Blob', decimated the food supply for common murres, leading to an estimated 4 million bird deaths, according to biologist Heather Renner.

In Kotzebue, residents queued in freezing conditions to receive 5-pound bags of sockeye salmon distributed by Maniilaq Association in collaboration with SeaShare, following a dismal commercial salmon season.

A new study in Sweden finds that most of the approximately 1,600 power plant facilities lack fish passages, which sometimes leads to fish fatalities.

The Norwegian Armed Forces are installing 1,000 bird boxes to address the shortage of nesting sites for cavity-nesting birds, a move praised by BirdLife Norge but contrasted with criticism of the government's broader seabird conservation plan for lacking concrete actions.

The Western Arctic Caribou Herd in Alaska is declining due to shrubification linked to climate change, while the Porcupine Caribou Herd is thriving due to stable tundra conditions.

Unalaskans documented the largest single-species wildlife die-off ever recorded, with four million common murres starving due to a marine heatwave, while also noting a sharp decline in the local raven population, possibly linked to climate change and avian flu.

The 2024 Arctic Report Card highlights the unusual shift of the Arctic tundra from a carbon sink to a carbon source and reports significant declines in large migratory caribou herds, attributed to climate change impacts like increased winter precipitation and warmer summers.

The 4 million deaths of common murres during the intense marine heatwave was the biggest wildlife toll in modern history, the study says

Researcher Sjúrður Hammer advocates for an immediate hunting ban on fulmars, kittiwakes, and skuas in the Faroe Islands to prevent possible extinction of these seabirds due to significant population declines.

A major oil spill along Russia's Black Sea coast has mobilized volunteers as official response falters after two oil tankers were damaged during a storm.

A study revealed that 4 million common murres died during the North Pacific marine heatwave known as the 'Blob,' marking the biggest bird die-off in recorded history.

In Ruby, Alaska, Indigenous families face cultural and nutritional challenges as climate change and fisheries management impact the availability of chinook and chum salmon, central to their traditions.