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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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Climate change and overfishing are boosting toxic mercury levels in fish
Regulations have lowered mercury emissions globally, but the risks to ocean ecosystems and human health may be getting worse.
Canada's Pacific marine ecosystems
The Conversation

Dwindling catches and soaring prices spell trouble for Hokkaido’s squid town
As wholesale prices skyrocket for Pacific flying squid amid a record low catch in Japan, processing companies in the "squid town" of Hakodate, Hokkaido, ar
Hakodate, Hokkaido, Japan
The Japan Times

Large Decline in Pacific Herring Stock
Conservation groups are calling for the immediate closure of the herring fishery in the Strait of Georgia following the release of new federal government data showing a four-year population biomass decline of almost 60 per cent. “We’ve been systematically overfishing these stocks and the Gulf of Georgia fishery is the last one left,” Pacific Wild...
Strait of Georgia, British Columbia, Canada
The Narwhal

The catastrophic thermokarst lake drainage events of 2018 in northwestern Alaska: fast-forward into the future
The combination of abundant rain and snowfall and extremely warm mean annual air temperatures may have led to the destabilization of permafrost around lake margins. Rapid snow melt and high amounts of excess meltwater further promoted rapid lateral breaching at lake shores and consequently sudden drainage of some of the largest lakes of the study region.
Kotzebue, Alaska
The Cryosphere

To get good credit, Alaska’s fishing towns may have to factor in climate change
Late last year one of the world’s largest credit rating agencies announced that climate change would have an economic impact on the U.S.
Unalaska, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media
By Rashah McChesney, Alaska's Energy Desk - Juneau

Record-breaking marine heatwave powered by climate change cooks Tasmania's fisheries
Climate change has warmed the waters east of Tasmania at four times the speed of the global average. But the heatwave of the southern summer of 2015/2016 was something exceptional, damaging fisheries and bringing new species to the island. It's a sign of things to come, say the researchers examining these events.
east coast of Tasmania, Australia
ScienceDaily

Sea Lice Exploded among Wild Young Salmon near BC Fish Farms
B.C salmon farms last year were besieged by sea lice, according to a new University of Toronto study, which also found a dangerously steep rise of infestation among young wild salmon who swam nearby.
Broughton Archipelago, British Columbia, Canada
The Tyee

Veterinary Division - Reportable Diseases Report
All persons practicing veterinary medicine in North Carolina shall report these listed diseases and conditions to the State Veterinarian's office by telephone within two hours after the disease is reasonably suspected to exist.
North Carolina, United States
North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services news release

Federal survey delivers more bad news to Bering Sea crab fleet
The king crab harvest survey could indicate a second bleak year for crabbers in Washington, Oregon and Alaska as warm water affects the number of adult crabs.
Bering Sea
The Seattle Times

Winter red king crab fishery in Alaska’s Bering Sea canceled
Low stocks have prompted the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG) to cancel the red king crab fishery in Alaska’s Bering Sea.
Unalaska, Alaska, United States
seafoodsource.com

Standing room only at Akranes whaling meeting
A heated and packed meeting of the Akranes Trade Union took place in the town last night. The municipality has strongly protested the decision of the Minister of Food to suspend this year's whaling licence.
Reykjavík, Capital Region, Iceland
RÚV

Scientists researching strange appearance of Arctic salmon asking fishers to send in their catches
Scientists looking at salmon found in Arctic waters are still asking northern harvesters and fishers to submit any unusual catches in exchange for compensation. It's part of the Arctic Salmon Project, which is a collaborative effort involving Fisheries and Oceans Canada, scientists from the South and local hunters and trappers organizations.
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada
Yahoo

As the once-lucrative Bering Sea crab harvest resumes, Alaska fishermen face challenges
Alaska fishermen face challenges as the Bering Sea crab harvest resumes, with environmental and economic upheaval threatening the future of the industry. Scientists are questioning whether full recovery is possible in a warming world for these ailing crab populations that have supported some of the world’s most lucrative fisheries.
Bering Sea

Underwater farming offers sustainable industry for coastal communities
The definition of farming has expanded over time from soil-only planting and harvesting to include farmers that harvest from the sea. Along the coast, kelp f...
Ketchikan, Alaska, United States
YouTube

LED lights offer potential solution to chronic bycatch problem in Alaska fisheries
The lights require no plugs or batteries, automatically turn on underwater only when needed, and do not weaken or weigh down nets.
Bering Sea
Anchorage Daily News

Bering Sea crabbers fear another bleak season as populations dwindle in Alaska’s warming waters
Researchers say warmer waters themselves aren’t killing crabs, but they may be allowing predators to move in and disease to spread more easily.
Kodiak, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Another Bering Sea snow crab season closure brings more financial hardships for fishermen
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced it was closing the 2023-24 Bering Sea snow crab season for the second season in a row.
Alaska News Source

Premature Mortality Observations among Alaska’s Pacific Salmon During Record Heat and Drought in 2019
Widespread mortality of Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp. returning to spawn in Alaska coincided with record-breaking air temperatures and prolonged drought in summer 2019.
Western Alaska, United States
Fisheries Magazine

Finnish fisherwoman turns to driving taxi due to climate change
Due to anticipated continued increased temperatures, Finland's inland fishing problems are likely to continue.
Kajaani, Kainuu, Finland
Yle Uutiset

Bristol Bay records its largest sockeye run on record
Bristol Bay’s 2021 sockeye run is the largest on record: 63.2 million fish have returned to the bay, breaking the 2018 record of 62.9 million.
Dillingham, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

The lessons for British Columbia in Alaska’s epic Bristol Bay sockeye run
Bristol Bay’s prolific salmon runs are also made possible because of the effective and transparent management of the Alaskan salmon fishery, according to both Hill and Schindler. Decisions are made in real time, on the ground — or, to be precise, overlooking the water — compared to the much more cumbersome and bureaucratic Canadian system.
Bristol Bay
The Narwhal

AFN delegates push for measures to decrease salmon bycatch
Two resolutions brought before the Alaska Federation of Natives during this year’s annual convention called for efforts to reduce salmon bycatch for fish that return to the Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers.
Eagle, Alaska, United States
KDLG

Bering Sea crab surveys show populations still low a year after marquee Alaska harvests closed
A year after the closure of the Bering Sea crab harvests in Alaska, surveys show that crab populations are still low, raising doubts about future harvest prospects and suggesting that continued closures may be necessary.
Southeast Bering Sea, Alaska
Alaska Public Media

Observed Evidence of Changing Forests:Testimonial for the Status of Tribes and Climate Change Report
The Institute of Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP) Tribes and Climate Change Program is publishing a report called the Status of Tribes and Climate C...
Spokane, Washington, United States
YouTube

‘The economy of the Lower Yukon is gone’
Second of three parts: As salmon stocks have crashed on the Yukon River, so has a key source of income in fish-dependent communities.
Emmonak, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

UN nuclear agency chief to visit Fukushima plant to see final preparations for release of wastewater
The chief of the U.N. nuclear agency will visit Japan next week to meet with officials and see final preparations for the release of treated radioactive wastewater from the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean.
Fukushima, Fukushima, Japan
AP News

Weak winds in the Pacific drove record-breaking 2019 summertime marine heat wave
Weakened wind patterns likely spurred the wave of extreme ocean heat that swept the North Pacific last summer, according to new research led by the University of Colorado Boulder and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego. The marine heat wave, named the "Blob 2.0" after 2013's "Blob"; likely damaged marine ecosystems and hurt coastal fisheries. Waters off the U.S. West Coast were a record-breaking 4.5 degrees F (2.5 degrees C) above normal, the authors found.

As Bering Sea ice melts, Alaskans, scientists and Seattle’s fishing fleet witness changes ‘on a massive scale’
Researchers now are uncertain when and to what extent the ice may return, and have scrambled to better understand the consequences of back-to-back years of its loss.
Savoonga, Alaska, United States

New wave of Kenai Peninsula fishery closures takes effect
State officials said that king salmon runs are not showing signs of improvement and that conservative measures are needed to ensure future fishing opportunities.
Kenai, Alaska, United States
Peninsula Clarion

2 major tribal groups' departure from AFN raises questions about its future
Two regional tribal organizations, the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska and the Tanana Chiefs Conference, have each cited different reasons for parting company with AFN.
Alaska, United States

Invasive species bill introduced to Alaska legislature
In June 2010, researchers discovered Didemnum vexillum — also known as “rock vomit” — in Whiting Harbor near Sitka. This species, which can cover large areas of the seafloor, is an aggressive invader and a potential threat to shellfish farms, groundfish fisheries, fish spawning and other resources. The council is also concerned about the European green crab which can potentially travel in the ballast water of oil tankers and be released into Prince William Sound.
Seward, Alaska, United States
Prince William Sound

Surface trawl survey reveals shifting fish populations
Researchers are predicting low fish runs in the Norton Sound and Northern Bering Sea region again next year, according to research biologist Jim Murphy.
Northern Bering Sea
The Nome Nugget

Into the ice: Snow crab decline hits Bering Sea island community of St. Paul
This season’s quotas of snow crab catch were slashed by nearly 90%, a body blow to the small island government on St. Paul, where the crab are processed — and taxed.
Saint Paul, Alaska, United States

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