LEO Network

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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

Facing catastrophic climate change, they still can’t quit Big Oil
In Alaska, a new oil boom is on the horizon even as climate change arrives and greenhouse gas emissions climb.
Nuiqsut, Alaska, United States
Washington Post

Failing permafrost cellars signal change in Alaska whaling towns
A growing number of Arctic underground cellars are being rendered unreliable as global warming and other modern factors force changes to an ancient way of life.
Utqiaġvik, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Extraordinarily warm fall a big problem in Canadian Arctic
Temperatures across the Arctic have been warmer than usual this fall, with one community in the Northwest Territories recording above-average temperatures for 72 days in a row.
Canadian Arctic
CTVNews

Microplastics found in the stomach and intestines of Arctic belugas harvested for food
In the North, where food prices are notoriously high, beluga whales are a staple community resource
Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories, Canada
The Narwhal

Vigilance advised after saxitoxin found in clams
Scientists have detected toxic algae in clams from the Bering Strait and Chukchi Sea regions of northern and western Alaska, according to a new bulletin. This set of clams was taken on August 22, 2019 about 50 miles north of Cape Lisburne.
Cape Lisburne
Alaska Sea Grant

Toxin levels in Baltic herring drop significantly, spurring export hopes
Thanks to stricter pollution laws, toxin levels have been dropping steadily in the Baltic. Concentrations of environmental toxins have dropped by as much as 80 percent.
Baltic Sea
Yle Uutiset

Australia's lost shellfish reefs are roaring back to life
In just a few years, 8 million native angasi oyster hatchlings have been placed in the waters off Victoria, South Australia, Queensland and Western Australia, on the recycled mollusc shells collected from restaurants. They've turned empty, sandy seabeds into thriving ecosystems.
Port Philip Bay, Victoria, Australia
ABC News

Why are birds and seals starving in a Bering Sea full of fish?
The animal die-offs offer the world a stark example of the perils of rising ocean temperatures, which already are upending parts of the Bering Sea ecosystem.
Nome, Alaska, United States
The Seattle 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

Crabbing in 2019? Fish & Game Says "A Year to Forget"
According to a recently released recap from the Department of Fish & Game, crabbing in the Norton Sound this year was underwhelming in many ways. At the beginning of 2019, ADF&G set the reg…
Nome, Alaska, United States
KNOM Radio Mission

California Sinking
For more than a century farmers in California's Central Valley have been pumping water out of the ground — so much so that the land is slowly sinking, a process known as subsidence. In fewer than 100 years, it's dropped 8½ metres.
Corcoran, California, United States
CBC

Too many caribou: Nelchina hunt extended 10 days
Caribou hunters in Game Management Unit 13 will have an additional 10 days of hunting this month.
Eureka Roadhouse, Alaska, United States
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Salmon farms losing battle with sea lice as wild fish pay the price
The aquaculture industry has failed to bring epidemic of sea lice under control in B.C.’s Clayoquot Sound.
Tofino, British Columbia, Canada
The Narwhal

NOAA sees dramatic increase of ice seal deaths in Bering and Chukchi seas
Since June 1 2018, NOAA has received reports of 282 dead ice seals in the Bering and Chukchi seas. NOAA said they typically receive reports of about 29 ice seal strandings a year.
Nome, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

New viruses discovered in declining B.C. salmon populations
Scientists have made a new discovery they hope will provide more insight into declining salmon populations in our province.
Coastal British Columbia
NEWS 1130

Crews hail start of fall whaling
Nuiqsut's Napageak crew, captained by Thomas Napageak, landed the very first bowhead of the season on Aug. 29. It was a 29.5 foot whale.
Nuiqsut, Alaska, United States
Arctic Sounder

'They're flat broke': Salmon fishermen demand disaster relief for failed season
With some of this year's salmon runs projected to be the lowest on record, West Coast salmon fishermen are demanding disaster relief from the federal and provincial governments.
Fraser River, British Columbia, Canada
CBC News

Warm waters across Alaska cause salmon die-offs
From the Koyukuk River, to the Kuskokwim, to Norton Sound, to Bristol Bay’s Igushik River, unusually warm temperatures across Alaska this summer led to die-offs of unspawned chum, sockeye and pink salmon. Warm waters also sometimes this summer acted as a “thermal block” — essentially a wall of heat salmon don’t swim past, delaying upriver migration.
Dillingham, Alaska, United States
Juneau Empire

Swamp rats have invaded California
Somewhere between the size of a sewer rat and a beaver, with a tail resembling that of an opossum and protruding, nacho cheese-colored teeth, the nutria is both impressively unattractive and highly destructive.
Central Valley, California, United States
Los Angeles Times

Alaska records warmest month ever in July with coastline barren of sea ice
Average temperature for month amid Arctic heatwave was 58.1F (14.5C), nearly 1F above previous high set in July 2004
Alaska, United States
the Guardian

The trouble with thrips: They’re as annoying to gardeners as is possible
These tiny, black, thread-like pests dig into plants and like to hang about in gangs, which is why you see so many of them. It is as if they want to be as annoying as possible.
Anchorage, Alaska, United States
Anchorage Daily News

Insect 'apocalypse' in U.S. driven by 50x increase in toxic pesticides
Bees, butterflies, and other insects are under attack by the very plants they feed on as U.S. agriculture continues to use chemicals known to kill.
United States
National Geographic

Russian Land of Permafrost and Mammoths Is Thawing
Global warming is shrinking the permanently frozen ground across Siberia, disrupting everyday life in one of the coldest inhabited places on earth.
Yakutsk, Sakha, Russia
New York Times

Bering Sea is feeling the effects of warm winters
These changes seem to be heralding population spikes and downturns for a number of species like walleye pollock and Pacific cod, and even more pronounced in small, fatty forage species.
Arctic Sounder

What’s Killing Russia’s Honey Bees?
Authorities say some 300,000 bee colonies died in June and July. Experts blame pesticides — specifically neonicotinoids — but also varroa mites, the loss of natural habitat and flowers, and, more recently, climate change.
Moscow, Moscow, Russia
The Moscow Times

‘Crazy’ and ‘scary’: Dramatic ocean warming off Alaska raises concerns for hunters and wildlife
Sea surface temperatures are 9 degrees higher than normal in some areas off Western Alaska.
Kivalina, Alaska, United States

Vardø may lose its Arctic climate
Spring has become warmer in Norway's easternmost city. Now Vardø may lose its Arctic climate.
Vardø, Finnmark, Norway
NRK Norsk Rikskringkasting

Scores of dead ice seals found along Alaska’s northwest coasts
NOAA is investigating what it’s calling “unusually large numbers” of seal deaths.
Kotlik, Alaska, United States

Tularemia side-effect: Hare population cycle makes pets more susceptible to predators
Fish and Game says tularemia is showing up early this year in snowshoe hares around the Interior and areas south of the Alaska Range. Tularemia is a bacteria that can pass to pets and people, causing serious illness.
Fairbanks, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

Tromsø Scientists Make Scary Findings in Norway’s Arctic Population: "Saturated" with Environmental Toxins
Much goes to indicate that such toxins may cause damages to children’s central nervous system. Scientists in Tromsø, Norway have long worked to map the extent of environmental toxins in the Arctic populations, and the result is frightening.
Tromsø, Troms, Norway
High North News

Southeast's rare drought could threaten plants, animals, your power bill
The entirety of Southeast Alaska is in some state of drought.
Juneau, Alaska, United States
Juneau Empire

Guatemala migrants: Climate change driving exodus
Average daytime temperatures in Guatemala have risen over the past decade, while crop-damaging frosts are more common.
Guatemala
Al Jazeera

300-Mile Swim Through The Great Pacific Garbage Patch Will Collect Data On Plastic Pollution
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch covers an area twice the size of Texas or three times the size of France.
Forbes

Climate change looks different in Southeast Alaska. Here’s how tribes are planning for that
The Central Council of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska has a climate change adaptation plan. It wants the region to be included in the climate change discussion.
Juneau, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

Wild pigs are a big problem. Here’s how they kill ’em in Texas
'There's nothing good about them.' They carry disease and cause billions in damage
Canada
National Post

One year of temperature above normal in Norway
The average temperature for the entire country was 1.2 degrees above normal in March. It is thus the twelfth month in a row that the temperature in Norway has been above normal.
Norway
Meteorologisk institutt

Shrinking Seasonal Ice in the Bering Sea Threatens Local Livelihoods
Recent storms have destroyed the progress made in ice formation endangering coastal habitats and fishing practices.
Newtok, Alaska, United States
Pacific Standard

Grass crops in Eastern Norway halved in 2018
Last year's drought summer resulted in halved grass crops in Eastern Norway compared to the previous year, according to recent figures from Statistics Norway. - The consequences of the drought continue to affect the daily lives of many farmers, says Lars Petter Bartnes, leader of the Norwegian Farmers' Union.
Akershus, Norway
Norges Bondelag

‘A Harbinger of Things to Come’: Farmers in Australia Struggle With Its Hottest Drought Ever
As Australia faces historic drought conditions, the impacts of climate change are increasingly difficult to ignore.
Pilliga, New South Wales, Australia
Time

State of Crabbing in Norton Sound: Less Sea Ice, Fewer Crabs — and Fewer Crabbers
The winter commercial crabbing season in the Norton Sound will begin February 25 with a quota less than half of its 2018 figure and a third of the 2017 quota.
KNOM Radio Mission

No more shinny? Thousands of lakes are losing their winter ice
If the trend of reduced ice on the world's lakes continues at its current pace, the Canadian tradition of shinny could become a thing of the past, according to new research.
Canada
CBC

2018 Was Fourth-Warmest Year In Nome History
2018 was “the fourth-warmest year in Nome’s weather history,” says climate specialist Rick Thoman. In fact, for most places in Western Alaska, 2018 ranked among the top five warmest years on record…
KNOM Radio Mission

In 2018, Alaska's Bering Sea was all out of whack
In some regions, this was the first time in 37 years of water surveys that there was no cold pool.
Popular Science

Dene national chief calls for emergency meeting, fears fatal disease affect caribou
Norman Yakeleya is calling for an emergency meeting with the federal and territorial governments to discuss the threat of chronic wasting disease (CWD) with the potential to decimate northern caribou herds.
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada
CBC

Drying Canadian Wetland Drives Muskrat Decline
A new study shows loss of habitat in Canada’s Peace-Athabasca Delta is likely responsible for the decline of semi-aquatic muskrat, and could have larger implications.
Peace-Athabaska Delta
Stanford Earth

Mother had 'no other choice' but to sell her 6-year-old daughter
An unprecedented drought in Afghanistan has led to families selling their children just to be able to feed their households.
هرات, Hirat, Afghanistan
CNN
Nick Paton Walsh and Masoud Popalzai, CNN

Warming hurting shellfish, aiding predators, ruining habitat
PORTLAND, Maine -- Valuable species of shellfish have become harder to find on the East Coast because of degraded habitat caused by a warming environment, according to a pair of scientists that sought to find out whether environmental factors or overfishing was the source of the decline. The scientists reached ...
Portland, Maine, United States
TribLIVE.com

Icelandic lobsters in trouble
The Icelandic lobster stock is at an historic low and last fishing season was the worst catch ever known in Iceland.
Hofn, East, Iceland
RÚV

Suspects in salmon mystery: Pinks and 'the blob'
Sockeye salmon runs across Alaska were dismal this year. But no one is certain why.
Gulf of Alaska
E&E News

High Arctic fishing ban a win for future generations, says member of Alaska tribe | CBC News
Some Indigenous people are applauding the “precautionary” approach several nations are taking to protect the environment through a new moratorium on commercial fishing in the High Arctic.
Ilulissat, Qaasuitsup Kommunia, Greenland

State hopes to kill off final Kenai Peninsula pike population
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is planning to apply the fish-killing chemical rotenone to eight lakes in the Tote Road area south of Soldotna next week.
Kenai, Alaska, United States

This Stretch of Water Is Losing Oxygen Faster Than Almost Anywhere Else in The Ocean
A new study links rapid deoxygenation in the Gulf of St. Lawrence to two powerful currents: the Gulf Stream and the Labrador Current.
Gulf of St. Lawrence
ScienceAlert

Warmth made for tough hunting
While calm winds and sunny skies over the past few weeks were excellent for many outdoor activities, they were not ideal for hunting. The fall moose hunt in game management units 17B and 17C ended Sept. 15. Harvest reports are still trickling in, and, so far, the numbers are low.
Dillingham, Alaska, United States
Bristol Bay Times

Disasters declared for salmon fisheries along West Coast
Commercial salmon fisheries in Washington, Oregon, and California are eligible for a portion of $20 million in disaster assistance after federal officials determined fishery failures occurred.
Pacific Northwest, United States
KING

Gulf of St. Lawrence may soon be unable to support marine life
The Gulf of St. Lawrence has warmed and lost oxygen more rapidly than almost anywhere else in the Earth's oceanic waters due in part to climate change, raising the possibility that it could soon be unable to fully support marine life, according to a new study.
Gulf of St. Lawrence
CTVNews

In Alaska, Starving Seabirds and Empty Colonies Signal a Broken Ecosystem
Mass die-offs and breeding failures, now ongoing for years, have marine biologists worried that this is a new normal caused by climate change.
Audubon

Biologists survey invasive crawfish in Kodiak Island lake
A team of biologists is surveying a lake on Kodiak Island for crawfish, an invasive species in Alaska that has been observed in higher frequency over past several years.
Kodiak, Alaska, United States

Changing environment - Stories above the Arctic Circle
Malmberget, Norrbotten, Sweden
YouTube

Beavers Emerge as Agents of Arctic Destruction
Climate change may be enabling beavers to move deeper into the Arctic. And as they move, they magnify climate change’s effects.
Noatak, Alaska, United States
New York Times

How debris from rockets launched far away is a risk to Inuit food security - ArcticToday
When the European Space Agency (ESA) launched a satellite into orbit on Oct. 13, it did so despite opposition from Inuit leaders in Canada and Greenland over its potential to contaminate an important Arctic area.
Greenland
ArcticToday

Sun'aq Tribe of Kodiak Starts Crayfish Monitoring Program
In August 2017, Sun’aq Tribe of Kodiak was awarded funding by USFWS Tribal Wildlife Grant (TWG) Program. The two-year project, titled “Distribution, Movement and Diet of Invasive Crayfish Populations in Buskin River Watershed on Kodiak Island, Alaska” focuses on characterizing the distribution (snorkel/scuba diving surveys), movement (radio tagging) and diet (stable isotope analyses) of the Signal Crayfish population within Buskin Watershed.
Bushkin Lake, Kodiak, Alaska, United States
Sunaq.org

Last Season’s Difficulties for Diomede Auklets May Be a Sign of Changing Climate
An assistant professor at the University of Alaska–Fairbanks suspects that changes seen in the auklet population on Little Diomede may be related to changes in climate.
Diomede, Alaska, United States

NOAA Is Investigating 70 Gray Whale Deaths Along the West Coast
The whales seem to have died from starvation and washed up on shore from California to Alaska
Anchorage, Alaska, United States
Smithsonian

'Very, very serious situation': In northern Labrador, it's getting harder to find food
According to numbers in the Food Security in Nunatsiavut survey, nearly 60 per cent of all households along Labrador's north coast struggle with access to food, and most worry about it running out before they have money to buy more.
Nain, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
CBC News

After the last Sigluaq
Sixty years ago, around the time when Matthew Rexford's father's father was turning the ground to build his own ice cellar as a proud whaling captain, there were 12 of these such cellars in Kaktovik. Today there is only one left.
Kaktovik, Alaska, United States
The Arctic Sounder
Alaska Media, LLC., Steve Keller designer and application developer

So Long and Thanks for All the Fish: Overexploitation of the Regionally Endemic Galapagos Grouper Mycteroperca olfax (Jenyns, 1840)
The regionally endemic Galapagos Grouper, locally known as bacalao, is one of the most highly prized finfish species within the Galapagos Marine Reserve (GMR). Concerns of overfishing, coupled with a lack of fishing regulations aimed at this species raises concerns about the current population health. We assessed changes in population health over a 30-year period using three simple indicators: (1) percentage of fish below reproductive size (Lm); (2) percentage of fish within the optimum length interval (Lopt); and (3) percentage of mega-spawners in the catch. Over the assessed period, none of the indicators reached values associated with healthy populations, with all indicators declining over time. Furthermore, the most recent landings data show that the vast majority of the bacalao caught (95.7%,) were below Lm, the number of fish within the Lopt interval was extremely low (4.7%), and there were virtually no mega-spawners (0.2%). Bacalao fully recruit to the fishery 15 cm below the size at which 50% of the population matures. The Spawning Potential Ratio is currently 5% of potential unfished fecundity, strongly suggesting severe overfishing. Our results suggest the need for bacalao-specific management regulations that should include minimum (65 cm TL) and maximum (78 cm TL) landing sizes, slot limits (64–78 cm TL), as well as a closed season during spawning from October to January. It is recognized that these regulations are harsh and will certainly have negative impacts on the livelihoods of fishers in the short term, however, continued inaction will likely result in a collapse of this economically and culturally valuable species. Alternative sources of income should be developed in parallel with the establishment of fishing regulations to limit the socio-economic disruption to the fishing community during the transition to a more sustainable management regime.
Galapagos Island, Ecuador
Plos One
Paolo Usseglio , Alan M. Friedlander, Haruko Koike, Johanna Zimmerhackel, Anna Schuhbauer, Tyler Eddy, Pelayo Salinas-de-León

Contagious cancers found in bivalves
Contagious cancers occur in clams and other bivalves, and some can even spread between different species of bivalves.
Esquimault, British Columbia, Canada
CBC News

Wild Berry Harvests Less Reliable According to Alaskan Local Observers
A new study from USGS, ANTHC, and the Local Environmental Observer (LEO) Network, provides a view statewide trends in wild berry harvests. The authors conclude that monitoring and experimental studies are needed to understand how climate change may affect the species of wild berries that are important to Alaskans. They also recommended that methods by which rural communities can increase their resilience to declining or more variable berry harvests be explored.
Alaska, United States

Crawdad pie, anyone? In Kodiak, an invasive species proliferates
There's somewhat of a slow motion invasion of a fresh water crustacean happening in Buskin River and Buskin Lake. It has a hard shell, two claws and tastes great in pies.
Kodiak, Alaska, United States
Alaska Public Media

Toxic mercury levels are actually declining in Alaskan polar bears—but that's not as great as it sounds
A recent study shows that polar bears' mercury levels are declining as melting ice drives them onshore. But is it all good news? Read on.
Popular Science

Lucrative crab industry in danger
For decades, the crab piled up in fishing boats like gold coins hauled from a rich and fertile sea. But the very ocean that nursed these creatures may prove to be this industry’s undoing.Scientists fear ocean acidification will drive the collapse of Alaska's iconic crab fishery.
Dutch Harbor, Alaska, United States
The Seattle Times

Pink salmon evolve to migrate earlier in warmer waters
Study finds genetic evidence of climate-change adaptation.
Juneau, Alaska, United States
Nature News

Will a Native-led initiative spur an agricultural revolution in rural Alaska?
A grassroots project to build biomass-heated greenhouses aims to alleviate food insecurity in the communities most affected by it.
Nenana, Alaska, United States
High Country News

Brittle Tops are Indicative of Pine Tree Health
Demonstration of how easy ponderosa pine tree tops can be broken due to the effects of climate change.
Spokane, Washington, United States
YouTube

Bowhead whales that washed up in Nunavut in 2020 were likely killed by orcas
"We never know for sure how they died, but it does seem like a lot of the evidence points to killer whale predation," Steve Ferguson, a research scientist with Fisheries and Oceans Canada, said Thursday.
Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada

Air-dried stockfish of Northeast Arctic cod do not carry viable anisakid nematodes
A total of 80 stockfish fillets of Northeast Arctic cod (Gadus morhua), traditionally open-air-dried in northern Norway, was examined for the presence and viability of larval parasitic nematodes of the family Anisakidae. Anisakids (particularly those belonging to genera Anisakis and Pseudoterranova) are of public health and economic concern globally, since they are responsible for an underestimated fish-borne zoonotic disease called anisakidosis.
Svolvær, Nordland, Norway

The focus of bird flu was eliminated in Chukotka during exercises
The article reports on a successful emergency response drill in Chukotka, Russia, where a simulated bird flu outbreak was contained.
Anadyr, Chukotskiy Avtonomnyy Okrug, Russia

'We need people to keep their head': Grocers, suppliers struggle to refill empty shelves in flooded B.C.
Authorities try to talk down a wave of panic buying in B.C. stores as washed-out roads and rail lines snarl supply chains
Rosedale, British Columbia, Canada
Financial Post

First Nation warns of 'ecocide' as spring melt poses risk to tailings pond at Yukon mine site
The Little Salmon Carmacks First Nation is warning spring melt could cause the tailings dam at the abandoned Mount Nansen mine in central Yukon to overflow or breach, which would send a toxic slurry into the environment.
Mt. Nansen, Mine

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

A new rush arrives on the Seward Peninsula: for graphite, not gold
The need to diversify America's sources of graphite for electric vehicle batteries is driving the exploration of graphite mining projects in the United States, but concerns about the potential environmental impact and disruption to Indigenous communities remain.

Microplastics found in stomachs of spotted seals
Researchers looked inside the stomachs of 34 spotted seals that were collected in Gambell and Shishmaref in 2012 and 2020. Of those, 33 contained microplastics.
The Nome Nugget

Pink Salmon May Benefit as Pacific Arctic Warms
“Our results suggest that warming is both increasing freshwater habitat and improving early marine survival of pink salmon in the northern Bering Sea,” said Ed Farley, NOAA Fisheries biologist at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center, who led the study.
Eastern Chukchi Sea
NOAA

The Big Thaw - Alaska becomes the nation's first frontier of climate disruption
Most of Alaska sits atop permafrost. But the ground is thawing, leading to unexpected and sometimes catastrophic outcomes — what scientists have called a “slow disaster.”
Selawik, Alaska, United States
Type Investigations

Declines in moose population a concern for Quebec Cree
An aerial survey of the moose population in Zone 17 and the southern part of Zone 22 carried out in 2021, shows a 35 per cent decline in moose populations, a moderate and concerning decline, says Cree Grand Chief Mandy Gull-Masty.
Waskaganish, Quebec, Canada

Parts of Northwest Alaska will be closed to nonlocal caribou and moose hunters the next 2 summers
“While many factors, such as weather, climate change and changes to the historical extent and timing of caribou migration may be contributing to lower harvests by federally qualified subsistence users, the board should act to help ensure that rural residents are able to meet their subsistence need, and to provide for a subsistence priority,” said Thomas Heinlein, acting Alaska director for the Bureau of Land Management, during the board meeting.
Kotzebue, Alaska, United States

‘Some days we eat grass’: families on the edge in Afghanistan’s food crisis – in pictures
Drought, economic collapse and soaring food prices have pushed millions into hunger. Cash aid from the Disasters Emergency Committee is helping families feed their children and send them back to school
Afghanistan
the Guardian

Planned whaling halted the day before hunting due to start
The Minister of Food has temporarily suspended planned whaling until August 31. A new report stated that of the 148 whales killed, 36 were shot more than once. Five were shot three times, and four whales on four separate occasions. One whale with a harpoon in its flesh was chased for five hours without success.
Reykjavík, Capital Region, Iceland
RÚV

70,000 pink salmon caught in Norwegian rivers
“Dramatic”, says researcher Henrik H. Berntsen. The Norwegian Environment Agency has launched a major offensive to get rid of the invasive species. But, despite more fishing, there appear to be ever more humpback salmon arriving in Norwegian rivers. Currently, around 70,000 pink salmon have been caught in Norwegian watercourses this year.
Norway
SalmonBusiness

New insights on avian influenza spillover and global spread
When it comes to avian influenza, more commonly known as bird flu, all birds are not created equal.
Newfoundland
News-Medical.net

Can sunflower sea stars keep sea urchins from overfeeding on declining kelp forests?
Researchers at Oregon State University are studying the relationship between sunflower sea stars and sea urchins to determine if the reintroduction of the sea stars can help protect declining kelp forests from overgrazing by sea urchins.
Sitka, Alaska, United States

Norway wind turbines should be torn down, reindeer herders say
Norway should dismantle two large wind farms that were stripped of their licenses for jeopardizing traditional reindeer husbandry, herders from the Indigenous Sámi community said on Friday. Reindeer herders say the sight and sound of giant wind turbines frighten their animals and thus disrupt age-old traditions.
Åfjord, Trøndelag, Norway
Arctic Today

Salmon runs in Alaska’s Kuskokwim River show some positive signs, but totals remain low
Salmon runs in Alaska's Kuskokwim River show some improvement compared to last year, but overall numbers remain low, with chum and coho salmon still below long-term averages, while Chinook salmon meet escapement goals through precautionary management and sacrifices by subsistence users.
Kuskokwim, Alaska, United States

Protecting Alaska's Harvest
Seldovia, Alaska, United States
Karen Pinchin

More shrubs means way more moose in western Alaska
Biologists want to know why there are so many moose. It may have a lot to do with shrubs — moose feast on their leaves during the spring and summer. These short woody plants are spreading west, aided by climate change, and moose populations are expanding along with them.
Bethel, Alaska, United States

In 'momentous' act, regulators approve demolition of four Klamath River dams
Federal regulators have approved a plan to demolish four Klamath River dams, a historic act that is intended to save imperiled salmon. “The Klamath salmon are coming home,” Yurok Tribe Chairman Joseph James said in a statement. “The people have earned this victory and with it, we carry on our sacred duty to the fish that have sustained our people since the beginning of time.”
Klamath, California, United States
Los Angeles Times

Scientists say wild berries are in decline in Yukon and they don't know why
Berry pickers have long reported that the number of wild berries has been diminishing, and a 26-year study is now confirming the unexplained decline.
Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada

Winemakers getting bitter taste of climate change
As grape harvest time nears across Greece, winemakers are worried about the impact on output from a succession of extreme weather events.
Greece
eKathimerini.com

Alaska wildlife officials on the lookout for new, deadlier bird flu
This strain does not seem to pose a serious risk to people but there's concern for backyard flocks and the wild birds that are a food source for many Alaskans.
Alaska, United States

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

As beavers gain foothold in Arctic Alaska, some see benefits in how they reshape the landscape
Beavers, on the other hand, leave a mark on the landscape that you can sometimes see from space.Swarming ponds, building dams and expanding waterways, beavers are moving farther and farther into the Arctic, and are changing what the region looks like.
Ambler, Alaska, United States

In Hawaii, coral is the foundation of life. What happened to it after the Lahaina wildfire?
A deadly wildfire burned more than 2,000 buildings in the Hawaiian town of Lahaina on Maui in August and left behind piles of toxic debris.
Lahaina, Hawaii, United States
AP News

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

Alaska governor sends more salmon to Yukon River communities
Gov. Mike Dunleavy lauded the partnerships with Alaska businesses and “tremendous team effort to get salmon into the hands of our fellow Alaskans in need."
Bethel, Alaska, United States
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Mercury levels in Stellar sea lion pups are rising. Researchers look to the past to find out why
A new research project is building a timeline of mercury levels in the Aleutian Islands over the last few thousand years.
Unalaska, Alaska, United States
KTOO

Food shipments arrive in Clyde River after reports of bare shelves
Several shipments of food made it into Clyde River, Nunavut, this week after delays due to weather. It's just the latest in a series of problems in the community that's been battered by weather since late January.
Clyde River, Nunavut, Canada

Scientists present theories for deer decline at Prince of Wales Island deer summit
For years, populations of Sitka black-tail deer have slumped, leaving residents without a staple source of protein. A three-day summit held in Craig last month prompted lengthy discussions about the problem. When loggers cut down a section of old growth Sitka spruce, hemlock and cedar in the Tongass National Forest, there’s no need to replant — trees grow back on their own. It’s what scientists call an “even-aged forest.” When trees all start growing at the same time, they create a dense canopy that prevents light from reaching the ferns and berry bushes that black-tail deer love to snack on. And because the trees grow close together, they end up long and spindly — not the massive, thick, tight-grained trunks that make old growth lumber so highly valued.
Craig, Alaska, United States
KTOO

Starving seabirds on Alaska coast show climate change peril
The seabirds are struggling because of climate-linked ecosystem shifts — which can affect the supply and the timing of available food — as well as a harmful algal bloom and a viral outbreak in the region, she said. And their peril jeopardizes the human communities, as well: "Birds are essential to our region — they are nutritionally and economically essential," said Sheffield.

Worms can be the cause of the appearance of stench in the meat of whales in Chukotka
Marine hunters of eastern Chukotka often encounter "stinky" whales whose meat is unsuitable for food. The situation has become a problem for local residents. Researchers from Moscow State University and the Beringia National Park believe they have found the causes of an unpleasant odor in animals.
Lavrentiya, Chukotskiy Avtonomnyy Okrug, Russia
goarctic.ru

On the Yukon, Alaska and Canada are bound together by salmon – and their collapse
A 20-year-old treaty keeps Alaska and Canada working together, even through the devastating king and chum salmon collapse.
Yukon River

Donated salmon gets shipped to the communities on the Yukon
Three charters flew to distribute 10,921 pounds of donated king salmon to Bush and rural Alaska communities.
Fairbanks, Alaska, United States
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

‘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

Climate change worries Finland's young reindeer herders
Ida Wessman, 28, bought her family's herd of reindeer after her father passed away five years ago. "It's been going pretty well. With this industry you've got high points and low points," Wessman said, alluding to severe 2019-2020 weather that killed 15,000 of the animals.
Northern Finland
Yle Uutiset

More shrubs means way more moose in western Alaska
Fall moose hunts are beginning across Alaska. In western parts of the state, biologists hope that hunting pressure will help protect the health of booming populations. They also want to know why there are so many moose in the first place. It may have a lot to do with shrubs — particularly scrubby willows shooting up at the edges of open tundra. Moose feast on their leaves during the spring and summer. These short woody plants are spreading west, aided by climate change, and moose populations are expanding along with them.
Bethel, Alaska, United States

Residents speak against reducing caribou harvest limits
Residents and Fish and Game present ideas and opinions around Northwest Caribou population and hunting regulations and restrictions. .
Ambler, Alaska, United States

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

As effort to restore Eklutna River inches toward decision, disagreements remain over how far plan should go
Disagreements persist over the extent of the restoration plan for the Eklutna River in Alaska, with utilities arguing that a replacement dam would be costly and increase electric rates, while proponents of the plan believe it would benefit the public interest by boosting local fishing and tourism and improving the ecosystem.
Eklutna, Alaska, United States

There's a crisis in the Yukon River
When Jody Potts-Joseph was growing up, her family mushed sled dogs during the harsh Alaskan winters to hunt and trap, feeding them salmon caught from the Yukon River by the thousands. But after rebuilding her sled dog team as an adult, Potts-Joseph, a member of the Han Gwich'in tribe, had to turn to store-bought dog food. The river that was once renowned for its salmon doesn't have enough to offer anymore.
Eagle, Alaska, United States
Yahoo News

'The bottom has just dropped out': As insect populations plummet, scientists wonder why
Back at his Spokane home, McCrea looked around. No bugs on the lights there either. No frogs in the pond. Only one bumblebee was buzzing against a porch light – and at an odd hour, around 10 p.m. that night.
Spokane, Washington, United States
Spokesman.com

Alaska Gov. Dunleavy wants to transplant deer into the Mat-Su for hunters. State biologists say the project is likely to fail.
A proposal to relocate Sitka black-tailed deer into areas crisscrossed with roads, farms and established wildlife populations may ultimately cause more problems than it’s worth, says an internal report from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
Wasilla, Alaska, United States

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.

Fagersta resident on swine fever outbreak: ”Hold on and hope for the best”
The small Swedish town of Fagersta, Västmanland County, has been at the epicentre of the recent outbreak of African swine fever.All activities in an area of forest around 1000 square kilometers in the counties of Västmanland and Dalarna have been off limits since Friday following the discovery of dead wild boar.
Fagersta, Västmanland, Sweden

Red tide killing thousands of fish along the Texas Gulf Coast
According to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), the presence of red tide on the upper coast was first confirmed at a red tide monitoring station near Freeport about 3 weeks ago.
FOX 26 Houston

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

What happens when the ice disappears?
Lake Superior is warming faster than any of the Great Lakes, with impacts on ice fishing, wildlife and Indigenous ways of life
Lake Superior / *Gitchigumi*

Coxiella burnetii in northern fur seals and Steller sea lions of Alaska
Coxiella burnetii, a zoonotic bacterium, has recently been identified in several marine mammal species on the Pacific Coast of North America, but little is known about the epidemiology, transmission, and pathogenesis in these species.
Saint Paul, Alaska, United States
PubMed

Northern Bering Sea saw some indicators of health rebound in 2023
The Northern Bering Sea showed signs of ecological recovery in 2023, with improved conditions for zooplankton and fish despite ongoing challenges from climate change and variable sea ice patterns.
Bering Sea
The Nome Nugget

Caribou declines causing angst for Alaska hunters are part of wider North America trend
There are signs that climate change is depressing caribou herds across the north, and looming development could be an obstacle to recovery.
Alaska Beacon

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